Linn County Trails Association

LCTA is an all-volunteer organization supporting the development of nature trails for recreation and commuting in Linn County, Iowa.

Thursday, July 05, 2007

Safety on Linn County Trails

As many of you following the local news have heard, a body was found along the Cedar River Trail recently (see the KCRG news story). It's not clear at this point what the circumstances were surrounding this unfortunate occurrence, but in any case it is an opportunity for us to consider again the issues of trail safety.

LCTA has published a trail safety video (and it is recommended that everyone check it out) but this video focuses on "operational" trail safety, not so much on personal safety while using the trail. I think some personal safety tips would be an appropriate addition to the website. With that in mind, I'm opening this up to comments -- let's have a discussion about personal trail safety. What are the key things to keep in mind? Can we prevent situations like those described today in the news? How can we work to ensure that the trail system is considered a "safe" place for recreation and transportation?

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5 Comments:

Blogger Mark Wyatt said...

Joe,

Great video. Are there any copyrights to it? I would like to youtube it and embed it at Iowa Bicycle Coalition's web site. In fact, it would be great on my public access channel in North Liberty. Please contact me. mark@iowabicyclecoalition.org

July 05, 2007 9:13 AM  
Blogger Nick Maddix said...

In Iowa City, we have blue emergency electronic kiosks that one can use to call for help. Something such as those, could help dramatically for everyone.

Mile markers also can be used to help emergency crews pinpoint the location of an incident. (Some trail systems use a special code for a more accurate location)

Otherwise, the existing signs for ride/walk on the right, pass on the left are great as are the dotted line dividers. Wish we had those down here in Iowa City!

July 08, 2007 5:17 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Thanks for writing this.

November 10, 2008 3:39 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

i am a concerned cedar rapidian and the video is currently not working and with the new bike trail opening, it is pertinent that i watch the video.

Your fellow trail frequenter,
Tammy

October 21, 2010 9:50 AM  
Blogger Joe Clark said...

Tammy - we recently updated our website and the link has changed. The new link is:

http://linncountytrails.org/maps/trail-safety-courtesy/

October 23, 2010 12:41 AM  

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