The capital region鈥檚 trail system is a victim of its own success. The popularity of the Galloping Goose and Lochside trails has led to problems, including congestion and friction between cyclists and pedestrians.
But it鈥檚 a valuable system, worth maintaining and expanding. Victoria city council is on the right track by asking the Capital Regional District for design improvements and additional rights of way to address capacity and safety concerns.
One of the aims of a trail system is to get people out of cars, and to give pedestrians and cyclists a route free of motor vehicles. But as multi-use trails, they mean different things to different people.
For many cyclists, the Galloping Goose and Lochside trails are commuting routes. Other cyclists use the trails recreationally. Senior citizens amble through the forests and over trestles, some with walkers or canes, others riding electric scooters. Families hike along the trails. Dog owners exercise their pets.
It sounds idyllic in theory, but in practice, it can be crowded and conflicts arise.
Pedestrians have complained that they don鈥檛 feel safe on the trails, threatened by cyclists coming quietly from behind at dangerous speeds, but the situation is far more complicated than cyclists versus pedestrians. Cyclists who want to travel the trails at a casual pace are also intimidated by cyclists who travel at higher speeds. Sometimes a swarm of cyclists 鈥� a group of friends or a cycling club 鈥� will appear, which can be unnerving for other trail users.
People walking dogs on retractable leashes pose another hazard, especially for cyclists, who could come around a curve to encounter a trip wire that has a dog on one end and a dog owner on the other. (Note to dog owners: Do an Internet search and read all the reasons why dog experts say you shouldn鈥檛 use retractable leashes.)
Families walking along the trail with small children present the opportunity for other hazards, as scampering kids can get in the way of cyclists and vice versa.
Sometimes pedestrians walk several abreast, taking up most of the trail and making passing difficult. Runners like the trails, too, and sometimes they travel in packs. Toss in an electric scooter or two, and the occasional cougar or bear, and the trail system starts to feel more like a drive on the freeway than a walk in the park.
The conflicts are easy to pinpoint; it鈥檚 more difficult to identify solutions. But we need to do more to enhance the trail experience. We must continue to encourage cyclists and pedestrians to use the trails. Getting people out of cars and onto the trails is good for health and the environment.
While widening the trails in places is probably merited, that alone will not solve all the conflicts. As we wrote about upgrading the McKenzie Avenue intersection, increasing capacity to solve traffic congestion often attracts more traffic, in turn creating more congestion.
Different regulations can be considered 鈥� having pedestrians walking facing bicycle traffic, for instance. But regulations 鈥� such as bike speed limits 鈥� aren鈥檛 much use unless there鈥檚 a will to enforce them.
The ideal solution would be to have separate trails for pedestrians and cyclists. That sounds expensive, but in discussions among Victoria city councillors, Geoff Young pointed out that the E&N Rail Trail experience shows that building two narrow trails is cheaper than one wide trail.
There isn鈥檛 a single solution, of course. That鈥檚 why more study is needed, perhaps learning how things are done in places such as the Netherlands, where bicycle commuting is the standard.
If we want more people on foot and on bikes to use the trails, we have to ensure that the trails can accommodate them safely.
