<p>Riding trails in Johnson County were scarce when Mike Bullington took up cycling 25 years ago.</p>
<p>Now 67, Bullington has taken advantage of the local trail system’s gradual evolution as a means to exercise safely while being challenged physically.</p>
<p>Whether comprised of dirt, asphalt or concrete, these man-made paths are occupied year-round by runners, walkers and cyclists. Warm weather also invites skateboarders and rollerbladers to certain locations.</p>
<p>“The key to a trail system in a town is connectivity,” said Bullington, a local attorney whose family moved to Franklin in 1958. “I’m really happy with what’s been done here in the last year, but me, personally, I’d like to see that they connect Franklin High School to the end of the Greenway Trail.</p>[sc:text-divider text-divider-title="Story continues below gallery" ]Click here to purchase photos from this gallery
<p>“But the more developed an area is, the more difficult it is to interconnect your trails.”</p>
<p>In 2015, a map of the county’s trails was made by Explore Johnson County Trails, a project of Leadership Johnson County. The map shows Franklin and Greenwood as the busy locations. Trails are rare in the Center Grove, Whiteland and New Whiteland areas.</p>
<p>In the southern part of the county, Trafalgar offers Johnson County Park while Edinburgh residents utilize Irwin Park.</p>
<p>“The different towns and cities define what a trail is,” said Carmen Parker, chair of Johnson County Trails for ASPIRE Johnson County. “For the most part, most are 8-foot-wide paved trails. Our group has kind of blossomed because Franklin has its trails and Greenwood has its trails. But there are few connectors.</p>
<p>“It takes time and financial resources and the willingness of communities to work together.”</p>
<p>The foundation of Johnson County Trails started 18 months ago as a result of the discussion of a need for more trails. Parker, who lives in New Whiteland, specifically requested there be trails built in the Whiteland area.</p>
<p>Construction of a 1.5-mile asphalt path around Whiteland High School is currently taking place.</p>
<p>“I look at these as areas of opportunity,” Parker said.</p>
<p>The goal, she said, is to develop a plan to eventually connect the county’s communities and destinations through existing trails and creation of new ones.</p>
<p>“Franklin and Greenwood, the cities themselves, have a comprehensive trail plan,” Parker said. “The other communities don’t have as extensive a plan. Either they just don’t have a plan or don’t have the funding to work the plan.”</p>
<p>Bullington estimates trails started being built in Johnson County approximately 15 years ago.</p>
<p>“There’s an expense, and I don’t think it was something that was a high priority until the last 20 years,” he said. “Once the trails got started and urban planners started to see how much appreciated they were, there has been more and more of a movement toward that.”</p>
<p>“You want trails to be where the people are, but you also want trails to go where people want to go.”</p>
<p>Mark Gavorski, who lives in Hickory Stick, would like to see the western part of the county increase its trail options. Gavorski, 52, runs 8 to 10 miles daily on weekdays and between 13 and 20 more on weekends.</p>
<p>“I don’t know why Center Grove has been so behind. If you connected the high school with all the elementary schools, that would be fabulous,” said Gavorski, who usually runs the trail along Whiteland Road. “Franklin is going gangbusters (with trails).</p>
<p>“They just connected all the schools. You can probably run 10-15 miles on trails in Franklin and not run into a car.”</p>
<p>Bullington’s riding partner, Leslie Lux-Baute, became passionate about cycling as a means of exercise, fresh air and stress relief five years ago.</p>
<p>Lux-Baute, 43, who recently moved to The Legends, attempts to ride four to five days a week.</p>
<p>“I think it’s great. A goal for someone like myself would be to connect Franklin to Indianapolis and be able to ride all the way safely. Or even Franklin to Columbus,” she said.</p>
<p>“I go all along the outskirts of Franklin, all the way from The Legends, across (U.S.) 31 and out to the (Franklin) high school and ride the trails around there. I pick different times to go out just to see the different groups of people utilizing the trails.”</p>
