Just a little information from someone who has been fighting these "trails" groups for 10 years.

While I agree a offroad park would be nice, most of this trails stuff is nothing but a land grab by "non" profit" organizations.  They wish to gain control of abandoned railbeds for bike paths, light rail/bus routes.  According to Indiana State law these abandoned railbeds are supposed to revert back to the adjoining landowners. 

These trails groups have been able to convince some at IDNR, and INDOT that these "transportation corridors" as they call them should be taken by the State, thru emminent domain, and turned over to the groups for their bike paths, etc...  Suddenly these "non profit" groups contact the fiber optic companies and grant them permission to lay cables, and such, FOR A PROFIT.  So much for being a "non profit" group, huh?  They pay for all this with the taxes collected on gasoline, and apply for it thru the Federal Government.  The group we have fought with LIED on their application to the Federal Government about who owned the land.

A little background on all this.  The abandoned railbed is behind my house.  The "trail" would be about 80-90 feet from my backdoor.  I purchased the lot because of the treeline that would be behind it.  All this would be gone if/when they are able to put this trail in.  They make claims that the trails do not add to, or cause crime.  NOT TRUE, a call placed to the IPD about the Monon Trail showed us the opposite.  The way they can claim this is because the trail has no address, any crime commited on the trail is given the closest home's address.  Nifty way to hide it huh?  These trails give criminals a direct route to and from neighborhoods where they weren't before.  There are all kinds of perverts that have been spotted on the Monon, robberies, perverts flashing women/kids, etc... They also have been seen using the trail to video tape houses, and have used them for planning robberies.

I for one do not want some people to have a direct route from downtown Indianapolis to my house on the westside.  That is why I don't live downtown.  Homeowners here made that very clear, but these trails groups don't care what you want, they are intent on their pet project.  And that is all it is, wanting State/Federal monies to pay for their hobby, and making a profit while doing it.  When all this came to light here back in 2/96, not a single homeowner here was EVER contacted in anyway. They were determined to sneak this by us, and we caught them at it.  Needless to say they weren't happy with us.

Just be careful what you wish for.  The vast majority of this trails thing is nothing but a land grab.  For more info, Google "Rails to Trails".  This is being fought all over the country.