Trails committee starts review of trail ordinances, resolutions and guidelines to clear contradictions

At its May 20 meeting the Trails and Paths Committee opened a project to review the collection of trail‑related documents — local ordinances, town council resolutions and internal guidelines — after members found contradictions and references to documents that are difficult to locate.

Committee members cited examples where language in existing documents conflicts with current practice (for example, where a document discusses bicycle trail location relative to the road right‑of‑way). The committee discussed whether certain matters, such as enforceable speed limits or permitted trail uses, should be codified as ordinances (which can be enforced) or preserved as guidelines and outreach materials.

"Ordinances are enforceable, and that matters if we want to change behavior," one member said, while other members asked whether enforcement capacity exists to make ordinances meaningful. Members proposed beginning with a short list of candidate rules that could become ordinances, then producing clear guidance and a searchable repository for trail users and staff.

The committee also reaffirmed the trail map as the canonical representation of on‑the‑ground trail usages and said it would incorporate that map when drafting proposed changes. Staff agreed to circulate links to the town’s current ordinance search and the microfiche repository of older council resolutions so committee members could review the primary sources before the next meeting.

Next steps: committee members will propose rules they believe should be ordinances, and staff will supply links to existing ordinances and council records for review ahead of the next meeting.