Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Caution on the bike path


During the last week, a motorist illegally drove onto the Wood River Trail between Myrtle and Croy streets in Hailey, killing a chocolate Lab and greatly threatening the life and safety of its owner. The board and executive director of the Blaine County Recreation District along with the City Council and mayor of Hailey would like to express our deep sadness over this incident and our commitment to safety on the trail and the enforcement of its safety.

The Wood River Trail bike path is approximately 30km long and stretches from Bellevue to north of Ketchum. It is truly one of the reasons we believe this valley is such a wonderful place and a physical link that binds our community. The trail currently allows for a 10-foot entrance at crossings and contains signage clearly indicating that motorized vehicle traffic is not allowed. Law enforcement manages enforcement of the trail and the Blaine County Recreation District manages the trail amenities daily.

In the past, the Blaine County Recreation District augmented the signage and installed barriers at key, high-traffic crossings to deter motor vehicle access. Unfortunately, bikers, (especially those pulling trailers with children), and other users endured greater safety issues with these barriers, due to collisions primarily, and the barriers were removed. Both the BCRD and the city of Hailey have met and are committed to ensuring the highest level of safety on this public-access trail, but our challenge is to do that without causing incremental problems. To that end, the BCRD started the Wood River Trail ambassador program in the summer of 2008. This program enlists the help of volunteers from the community and trains those volunteers to monitor the trail for proper safety procedure and respectful usage. Please contact the BCRD for more information on our Wood River Trail ambassador program.

The Wood River Trail is truly a tremendous asset, and one of its greatest values is its access to all citizens in the county. With that benefit, we truly appreciate the community's support in assisting with the responsibility of keeping this trail as safe as possible and enforcing proper usage when merited. In this case, the most effective way to address this incident is enforcement. We request any information regarding this incident to be forwarded to 788-3531 to Hailey Chief of Police Jeff Gunter, who also is managing a $3,500 reward for valuable information. This reward is made possible by the responsible and active citizens of our valley. We also ask the public to consider the use of reflective attire and flash lights if using the trail during periods of low visibility.

Thank you in advance for your help in making our trail system as safe as possible for all of the residents and visitors of the valley.

Jim Keating

Executive director, BCRD

Rick Davis

Mayor, city of Hailey




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