2015-11-04 P & R Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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Response:Upon completion of the trail, wayfinding signs as discussed in the master plan will be installed. 9. What about a user fee to help offset the shrinking O&M funds for maintenance? Response:The concept for a trail user fee would be too difficult to implement, collect and enforce and would set an undesirable precedent for the Regional Trail System. 10. Use wood chips on trails where snowmobiles ride and increase signage to make them aware of designated and undesignated snowmobile trails. Fine those who go off designated trails. Response: While this is unrelated to this master plan amendment, the information will be shared with our operations and maintenance staff. 11. Install a "Trail Under Water"sign before the trail goes underneath CSAH 14 at Rice Creek(Peltier Launch). Response: While this comment is unrelated to this master plan amendment, the information will be shared with Parks staff. 12. Where did the demand for trails originally come from? Who decided that all these connections need to be made? Provide some info on history of trail demand. Response: The history of bicycle trails or sidepaths as they were known then,goes back to the 1890's, when bicyclists were looking for places to ride. In 1897, the "rail to trail"movement was born. This movement was hoping to induce the railway companies to build cycle paths along their rights of way. Additionally, riders in New York came up with the idea for a "sidepoth", which is a separate bicycle specific network of paths. Many states and cities has built a successful network of paths, chronicled in "Sidepoths", the magazine for the movement. But as cars became more numerous, many of these sidepaths were paved over, but in 1964, the Department of the Interior produced the "Trails for America"report, which called for new hiking trails and bikeways. ' Over the next few decades, as the population and vehicle travel grew,so did the demand for separated trails for pedestrian and bicycle use. Now, trails are used not only for recreational purposes but also as alternate modes of transportation. 13. The crossing over Hwy 65 needs to be more pedestrian friendly. There should be more signage to alert drivers entering and exiting to yield to pedestrians. Response:The current crossing meets the standards of the MNDOT's Manual for Uniform Traffic Control Devices for trail crossings, but the concerns were shared with the County Highway Department. 1 Taken from a blogpost by Dr.James Longhurst,Assication Professor—University of Wisconson—La Crosse. http://www.railstotrai ls.org/trai I blog/2015/may/27/history-ha ppened-here-sidepaths-and-the-persistent-d reams- of-trail-building/