The case for stopping the construction of roads...

When you deal with bike trails issues, frequently people will respond that trails breed crime and vandalism. While it is true that multiuser trails are not crime free, the reality is that compared to nearby residential or commercial areas, as a rule trails experience less crime.

See "Property Value/Desirability Effects of Bike Paths Adjacent to Residential Areas" from the University of Delaware for a sum up of the research on the topic.

I mentioned this in an email at work in response to someone against a particular trail proposal.

I then commented in my response that more crimes are committed in association with automobile usage than bicycles, but we don't use that fact to fight against building new roads or closing down the existing street network. Not to mention police-criminal car chases...

No response yet. (And probably not the best thing to write as a "government official.")