(By Julie Markowitz)
Memphis, TN has jumped on the green bandwagon with the creation of the Greater Memphis Greenline. A series of trails that cut through various Memphis neighborhoods, the Greenline utilizes an abandoned railroad already in place across the county. So far, a 7-mile trail has been completed that connects to Shelby Farms, the city's largest park. The next steps in the Greenline project include improvements to the existing trail (benches, trash cans, bike racks, etc) and expansion into more neighborhoods.
The Greenline is ideal for walking, running and biking. Greater Memphis Greenline hopes that the trails will encourage some Memphians to ride bikes in lieu of driving, a trend has been slow to reach Memphis, due in part to the lack of bike lanes. Memphis won’t make any real strides in cutting air and noise pollution until it has a public transportation system that is safe, efficient, and accessible for most of its citizens, but the Greenline is a solid first step.
