This evening I attended the final public meeting for the pilot program to create shared trails in two of Monroe County's parks: Tryon and West Bay. Here's the PDF presentation.
The plans are all done. Some existing trails will be modified or decommissioned. Some new trails will be made. Some trails will be designated as shared-use for both hikers and off-road cyclists. And some trails will be for hiking only.
The final plan should get Monroe County approval on Monday.
Trail work will begin as early as September 3rd, and is expected to go on through the fall.
The environmental impact and the shared-use aspect of the trails will be monitored by the county for 18 months. If things work out well, the trails will remain shared-use and perhaps more trails in the county will be opened to shared use.
At the meetings I've attended, there are clearly people who oppose the shared-use idea. My perception is that most of these people are older hikers/walkers. Many are concerned about their safety with cyclists on the trails. Some are concerned with the noise of cyclists scaring away wildlife. It's understandable, though their attitudes often seem get-off-my-lawn-ish.
Hopefully cyclists will be very careful to respect the trails and the hikers, so there won't be any complaints that lead to negative changes for us cyclists.
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