CHARLOTTE, N.C. – More people are trying to get outside amidst COVID-19, and it turns out a number of them are using Mecklenburg County's greenway system.

The county's Park and Recreation Department says greenway use went up 69 percent from May 2019 to May of this year.

Using computer trackers, officials say nature preserve use went up 42 percent and park use up nine percent.​

But the county often ranks near the bottom areas when it comes to parks.

The Trust for Public Land's ranking has Charlotte-Mecklenburg at 95 out of 100 areas with just 37 percent of residents living within a 10 minute walk of a park.

“We know that the public wants more. We want more. Mecklenburg County needs more as we grow, but the question is more of what and how do we allocate the resources we have,” says Mecklenburg County's Park and Recreation Department Management Analyst Liz Morrell.

The county has over 55 miles of greenway, and the department says the goal is to have another 30 miles by the end of 2023.

The department is working on a master plan and the public is encouraged to submit input.