The city is moving ahead with plans to show trail users where to go and urge them to mind their manners.
During Monday’s council committee meeting, an update on trail wayfinding and etiquette signage was provided.
Council approved a 2022 budget request to put $70,000 toward sign designs. When that process is complete, the cost for each sign will be determined.
“The use of wayfinding signage helps ensure that people can easily see their starting point and find their destination,” staff wrote in a report. “Wayfinding serves to assure both residents and visitors that they are going in the correct direction and this type of signage is a necessary part of a high-quality trails system.”
Etiquette signs, meanwhile, “help to convey information to trail users about bylaws, right-of-way, what types of trail users are permitted, speed limits, and trail courtesy.”
With the exception of personal mobility devices and e-bikes, motorized vehicles are not allowed on city trails.
The signage that will be installed “will provide an accurate description of the e-bikes that are permitted (equipped with an electric motor, steering handlebars, pedals that are operable to propel the bicycle, and no more than three wheels, include a manufacturer’s label stating that the vehicle is a power-assisted bicycle, is not capable of exceeding 32 km/h, and requires drivers to be 16 years of age or over and must wear a CSA-approved bicycle helmet with chin strap).”
They will also state dogs must be leashed and that littering, smoking and vaping are not permitted.
“Trail etiquette is something that needs to be there, and also so people need to be informed about what that means,” said Coun. Mason Ainsworth.
Coun. Pat Hehn said one of the “biggest complaints” she receives is about e-bikes, as people often can’t hear them coming. She asked if the city could include in the etiquette signage something about the need for bells or other devices on e-bikes to warn trail users.
That is “standard trail etiquette,” said John McMullen, manager of park planning and development, who noted it will be addressed in the signage.
The goal of staff is to have the signage installed in August or September.
