“Hey, Wimberley, get out of your cars!” could be the newest slogan for residents and visitors alike with a program being explored by the City of Wimberley.
Council members are exploring the Urban Trails concept that connects parks, businesses, attractions and established parking areas with walkable footpaths that encourage people to park their cars and take short walks to their destinations.
At a recent city council meeting, Anthony Derringer, Associate Director of Recreation at Texas State University, showed how Wimberley would be particularly suited to the idea because of its small footprint and its existing parks – Martha Knies, Oak Park and Blue Hole Regional Park – and the parking areas already established in locations away from the square.
Derringer created a map of the downtown area showing short urban trails from parking areas that guide walkers to shuttle routes, shops on the square, downtown restaurants, popular event venues and other attractions.
“Walking trails in the downtown overlay make so much sense,” said Place One Council Member, Rebecca Minnick. “They help us maximize our existing parking, they give visitors and locals alike an opportunity to get to know Wimberley in a more personal way and they give all of us an opportunity to interact with the smaller moments in nature that create the unique identity of our town.”
Imagine visitors parking at Oak Park and stepping onto a path with signs that say, “4 minutes to Community Pizza.” Or leaving their car at Blue Hole and taking a path with brief signs about hill country topography, the Bootiful Boots program, and a walkable ETA of “5 minutes to shops on the square.”
The Urban Trails concept also embraces the idea of appreciating and nurturing Nearby Nature – up close nature that’s part of our everyday world.
Next steps for the city include creating an expert, stakeholder team, determining how Wimberley can build on what already exists, and how it could fit into future plans.
