Trails are being built in urban, suburban, and rural areas. They are being built on former rail corridors as well as in vast public lands. People use trails for: walking, jogging, biking, in-line skating, skiing; even equestrians, snowmobilers and people in wheelchairs use them. With all these uses in a variety ofsettings come a host of concerns about liability issues.
This report concludes that trail-related liability is primarily a management issue. Laws are in place to protect all parties from unwarranted lawsuits and the rest is up to proper design, maintenance and management.
Ownership of a recreational trail, whether by a governmental entity or a non-profit corporation, provides a host of liability considerations. Ownership of a railroad corridor 60 feet wide and many miles long upon which the public is invited for recreational purposes ensures that there will be numerous liability questions for which the trail organization must anticipate and plan. Indeed, much of the administration and management of a rail trail is directed to minimizing risks and reducing liability exposures by providing a safe and user friendly recreational experience for the trail patron.
An overview for estimating trail costs of land acquisition, design, construction, and management.
International Transmission Company (ITC) considers itself an asset to the environment and community areas we serve. To demonstrate this commitment, we developed a corporate policy that is intended to encourage municipal developments of our corridors (rights of way) for bicycle and pedestrian paths. The following provides an overview of the pedestrian walkway and bike path development procedures.
Although it is obvious that rail-trails are great recreation areas, what you might not know is that almost 40 percent of all rails-trails do double-duty as corridors for utility lines, pipes, and cables. The ability of abandoned rail corridors to serve our communities as more than trails is another reason to save old rail lines and put them back to use! If you are interested in sharing your corridor, read on—we have the answers to your questions!
