HomeMy WebLinkAboutMemo - Mail Packet - 9/15/2020 - Memorandum From Tessa Greegor Re: Trail Safety And Speed Awareness InitiativeDepartment Name
Address Line 1
Address Line 2
PO Box 580
Fort Collins, CO 80522
970.000.0000
970.000.0000 - fax
fcgov.com
FC Moves
City of Fort Collins
281 North College Avenue
PO Box 580
Fort Collins, CO 80522
970.416.2628
fcgov.com/fcmoves
MEMORANDUM
DATE: September 1, 2020
TO: Mayor Troxell and City Councilmembers
THROUGH: Darin Atteberry, City Manager
Kelly DiMartino, Deputy City Manager
Caryn Champine, Director – PDT
Dean Klingner, Deputy Director – PDT
John Stokes, Interim Director – Community Services
Mike Calhoon, Director – Parks
FROM: Tessa Greegor, FC Moves, Active Modes Manager
SUBJECT: Trail Safety and Speed Awareness Initiative
Background:
In April 2020, City Council adopted regulations to allow Class 1 and Class 2 electric-assist bicycles on
paved trails. With these new regulations, the increased use of the trail system in 2020, and the growing
demand for the use of other e-devices (e.g., electric skateboards), City staff from multiple departments
and community stakeholders are working collaboratively to support safe and legal trail use and promote
positive behaviors. The following provides a summary of ongoing and upcoming trail safety efforts.
Primary Goals:
• Maintain a safe and enjoyable trail experience for all users.
• Increase user awareness of trail etiquette with an emphasis on safe speeds (15 MPH courtesy
max speed limit).
• Educate users on the types of devices that are allowed and not allowed on the trail system.
• Collect data to determine ongoing trends and to support future plan and policy development.
Ongoing Trail Safety, Education and Enforcement Efforts:
• Parks Rangers conduct user education and enforcement to respond to observed behaviors and
complaints. This includes:
o Distributing flyers with information regarding trail regulations and recommended etiquette
while patrolling.
o Responding to complaints regarding excessive bicyclist speed by making contact with the
individual and by adjusting enforcement areas to address locations of concern.
• Natural Areas Rangers contact individuals attempting to utilize the unpaved trails with
unpermitted devices.
• FC Moves conducts ongoing bicyclist education through classes, printed and digital material
distribution, partner communications, and during outreach / events.
• Installation of trail etiquette signage (2012 – ongoing) noting slow zones, passing etiquette, areas
of limited visibility, and social distancing guidelines.
• Ongoing trail maintenance, such as concrete and bridge repairs, and trimming to address visibility
concerns.
• In addition, community organizations and local bike shops provide education to trail users.
DocuSign Envelope ID: C7342C27-9800-4503-A066-DBEDB437842B
Department Name
Address Line 1
Address Line 2
PO Box 580
Fort Collins, CO 80522
970.000.0000
970.000.0000 - fax
fcgov.com
FC Moves
City of Fort Collins
281 North College Avenue
PO Box 580
Fort Collins, CO 80522
970.416.2628
fcgov.com/fcmoves
Fall Trail Safety and Speed Awareness Initiative:
In addition to ongoing efforts, City Staff will be implementing the following strategies this year to
proactively address concerns related to trail safety and promote positive behaviors:
1. Trail Signage
• Installing permanent trail signage at trail kiosks with information regarding allowable devices,
trail laws, and recommended etiquette.
• Permanent signage will be supplemented with temporary yard signs to reinforce positive trail
etiquette messages.
• Further, Staff are exploring the possibility of piloting the installation of pavement stencils at
key locations on the trails noting the 15 MPH max courtesy speed limit.
2. Direct Education and Communication Strategies:
• Conducting “trail pop-ups” in September to distribute materials and trail safety messages to
users.
• Conducting online education classes, including new classes focused on e-scooters and e-
bikes.
• Updating and distributing printed educational materials at trail kiosks, online, during outreach
events, and through local partners.
• Updating and distributing digital materials through social media, newsletters, webpages, and
partner communications.
• Publishing a press release.
3. Data collection:
• Annual trail and intersection counts: Annual volunteer counts will be conducted September 15
and 19. This data collection will capture total bicyclists, pedestrians, e-bikes as well as other
users on the paved trails.
• Speed snapshots: This data collection will be conducted in September and used to capture a
snapshot of bicyclist and e-bicyclist speeds at different locations across the trail system. The
purpose of this data collection is to determine trends in user speeds to assess if additional
education or enforcement strategies are needed.
• Access Fort Collins: Trail users are encouraged to report conflicts or issues using Access
Fort Collins. This information is available on department webpages and will be included on
the new trail signage.
Moving Forward:
A cross-departmental team, comprised of Parks, Park Planning, Natural Areas and FC Moves, has been
established to implement the above strategies and maintain regular coordination to support ongoing trail
safety programming, specifically:
• Conducting ongoing trail education, use and safety monitoring.
• Annually assessing data and feedback to determine if additional strategies are warranted.
• Utilizing upcoming trail plan updates to evaluate policies and data to determine future policies
and management strategies.
For additional information, please contact Tessa Greegor at tgreegor@fcgov.com.
DocuSign Envelope ID: C7342C27-9800-4503-A066-DBEDB437842B