Agenda - Parks and Recreation Commission - 06/09/2005 - Joint with CC

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Right Wa , (R.O.W.) Thisplan suggests that more trails may be ,built xvithin shared R.O.W.s. Section 6 ,n,'lincs suggests some different ways that Ir:fils can he situated xvithin the R.O.\Ws arc created because there was a ,-~ccd for a road to connect travelers to a destination. COver time, additional homes, lmsitmsses and amenities are conslrttcted or accessed along roads. Rortds takt: people where they xvant to go so it makes obvious sense to r,)~te trails along many of these .,:s!ablishcd dcslinations. Benefits to R.O.W. Use · Wedand, lake or river crossings may already be in place along established R.O.W.'s, so it may make some environmental sense to enhance these crossings for trails versus fragmenting these resources with additional, separate crossings. · Ifnexv roads are to be constructed, it may be more cost-effective to acquire additional R.O.W to make room for trails that are constructed concurrent with or after the construction of the roadway. Disadvantages to R.O.W. Use · Depending upon the traffic on the roadway, the experience of the user may be diminished. However, the experience of the user is dependent on the objectives of the trail user. For example, when using a trail for transportation, a user may have different objectives, than when using a trail for recreation. · Depending upon the alignment of the trail and its context with to the roadway, roadway speeds and heavy traffic flow may be a safety concern, ifa trail is to be in immediate proximity to the travel lane. · In some cases, there simply may not be enough room in an e,,dsting R.O3,V. for i trail addition. Acquisition of additional R.O.W. for the trail may be an option, but costs may be very high, especially'if a great deal of development has previously occurred along the street. Trail sections are illustrated in Section 6.