FAYETTEVILLE -- The Lake Fayetteville natural surface trail may become one-way for bicyclists in order to increase safety and enhance the experience for trail users.
The city's Parks and Recreation Department wants input from residents on whether to make the trail unidirectional for bicyclists. The Parks and Recreation Advisory Board on Monday voted to open up public input to possibly make a decision on the issue at its next meeting Jan. 9.
Representatives from Ozark Off Road Cyclists and Bicycle Coalition of the Ozarks proposed the idea as a way to reduce bicyclist collisions and trail conflict among bicyclists, joggers, hikers and walkers.
Users going in both directions has caused spread in many areas as the trail's popularity has grown, said Brannon Pack, executive director of Ozark Off Road Cyclists. Head-on collisions would become less likely, bicyclists would rarely have to stop to let others pass and the perceived solitude with more bicyclists during peak season would make for an all-around better experience, he said.
Plus, Pack said, the single-track trail serves as the first exposure for a lot of riders.
"We want to make sure that as as community we're fostering the right environment for that," he said. "We really see Lake Fayetteville serving the public as that."
Pack proposed a time-based system. Bike traffic could flow clockwise on even days of the year or counterclockwise on odd days, he said. Another option would be clockwise on Monday, Wednesday and Friday and counterclockwise on Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday.
Chairman Richie Lamb said bicyclists used to ride the trail one way as an unspoken rule, but confusion can cause serious wrecks.
"I'm not opposed to it being unidirectional, but we do have to do a lot to make sure people know which way you're supposed to be going on that day," he said.
Board members discussed different ways a sign could indicate which direction to go and when. Pack suggested a sign with a movable arrow and a breakdown of which direction fell on which day.
Temporary signs may lead to permanent signs in order to educate users during the transition. Pack said his group could contribute $1,000 to create permanent signs. The board also requested Pack come to the Jan. 9 meeting with an example of a sign.
Ozark Off Road Cyclists also offered to put volunteers on the ground to let people know about the system during its implementation.
NW News on 12/06/2016