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Letter: Warnings needed on trails

First and foremost, a big “thank you” to those whose labors have given us a great network. Each fall season when we come, there are more trails and better signage. One problem remains, however, and that is there is no legal mandate for bicycles to be fitted with, and owners to use, warning devices such as a bell when approaching pedestrians. I believe it is just a matter of time before a hiker is serious injured or perhaps fatally injured by a cyclist on a shared trail, which could involve the local government body responsible for the trail in liability litigation. Yes, there are signs instructing cyclists to give audible warnings to pedestrians, but all too frequently this does not happen and the first warning a hiker has of an approaching bicycle is the shock of discovering one virtually on his or her “tail,” a rather traumatic event, particularly for the elderly.

As a hiker, I enjoy meeting other hikers and bikers on the trails and interacting with them, as conjointly we relish this wonderful God-given environment called the Roaring For Valley, but I feel a local mandate requiring that bicycles be fitted with bells and the owners of those bicycles be required to sound the bells when approaching pedestrians is long overdue.

Please take up this issue before someone gets seriously injured. A collision between a bicycle and pedestrian can result in trauma and injury for and to both.



Ian Sanderson

Snowmass Village