TRUCKEE, Calif. – After hearing concerns from many shared-use trail users, the Truckee Town Council approved the first-reading of changes to an ordinance that would implement a speed-limit on trails.
Increased use of trails, as well as new technologies being seen on trails, led the Town to consider changes to the municipal code. The Truckee Police Department to conduct a survey and stakeholder meetings regarding top concerns for trail users.
The most common concerns were...speed of cyclists and trail etiquette. After stakeholder meetings, staff landed on 15 mph, which is standard among other trails in California, as the maximum speed limit on shared-use trails.
The code will now read, “the speed limit for any device shall not exceed 15 miles per hour, but in no instance shall the speed allowed be greater than is reasonable and prudent under the existing conditions having due regard for terrain, weather, visibility, including time of day, pedestrian, and vehicular traffic on or crossing the trail, and condition of the device.”
In other words, while the max speed is 15 mph, there may be times when a slower speed is necessary. The example staff gave was if a single person is walking on the trail, passing them at the max speed is probably safe however, if a mother is walking a dog and has her toddler running around on the trail, passing at 15 mph is too fast and unsafe.
TPD said they will have enforcement officers occasionally on the trails educating users on best practices. Egregious rule breaking could result in a fine of $100 for the first violation, $200 for the second violation and $500 for the third violation.
During public comment, Allison Pedley spoke on behalf of the Truckee Trails Foundation and Paco Lindsay, who is on the foundation board, in support of the change.
“We feel like 15 mph is a good place to land,” Pedley said.
Few public comments were submitted on the item, three of the six that were submitted said 15 mph was too slow and would make commuting on bike inconvenient.
The council agreed to stick with 15 mph but directed staff to monitor the trails to determine if the speed should be changed down the line.
Click here to see original article in the Sierra Sun newspaper.
Increased use of trails, as well as new technologies being seen on trails, led the Town to consider changes to the municipal code. The Truckee Police Department to conduct a survey and stakeholder meetings regarding top concerns for trail users.
The most common concerns were...speed of cyclists and trail etiquette. After stakeholder meetings, staff landed on 15 mph, which is standard among other trails in California, as the maximum speed limit on shared-use trails.
The code will now read, “the speed limit for any device shall not exceed 15 miles per hour, but in no instance shall the speed allowed be greater than is reasonable and prudent under the existing conditions having due regard for terrain, weather, visibility, including time of day, pedestrian, and vehicular traffic on or crossing the trail, and condition of the device.”
In other words, while the max speed is 15 mph, there may be times when a slower speed is necessary. The example staff gave was if a single person is walking on the trail, passing them at the max speed is probably safe however, if a mother is walking a dog and has her toddler running around on the trail, passing at 15 mph is too fast and unsafe.
TPD said they will have enforcement officers occasionally on the trails educating users on best practices. Egregious rule breaking could result in a fine of $100 for the first violation, $200 for the second violation and $500 for the third violation.
During public comment, Allison Pedley spoke on behalf of the Truckee Trails Foundation and Paco Lindsay, who is on the foundation board, in support of the change.
“We feel like 15 mph is a good place to land,” Pedley said.
Few public comments were submitted on the item, three of the six that were submitted said 15 mph was too slow and would make commuting on bike inconvenient.
The council agreed to stick with 15 mph but directed staff to monitor the trails to determine if the speed should be changed down the line.
Click here to see original article in the Sierra Sun newspaper.
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