Miami Valley RailTrails Newsletter
January 2004

Good Afternoon MVRT Members - 7 February 2004.  

Yup!. It's still Winter! I'm looking out the window in my office at home as I write this and it's snowing again! That means for most of us, using our wonderful system of multi-use trails in the Miami Valley will be delayed for awhile. 

Of course there are those brave souls that bike all through the Winter. If you'd like more information from a website of a person that uses her bicycle all winter, try out this link to IceBike.   

I was contacted last year by some folks in the Dayton area that use our trails on snowy days for cross county skiing! Since most of our trails are ex railroad beds they are usually flat and have no obstacles on them. This makes them almost perfect for skiing. I run on the Creekside Trail throughout the Winter but some days when the snow and ice gets to be too much, then I run on a local road that has a good paved shoulder. 

There is some discussion in both Kentucky and Ohio that children under 18 should always wear a bicycle helmet. 

In Kentucky the bill is House Bill 142 and fines for non-compliance will be paid by the parent or guardian. First offense is a warning. Second offense is a fine of $25 and the third offense will cost you $50. The entire text of the bill can be seen at:
http://www.lrc.state.ky.us/RECORD/04RS/HB142/bill.doc  

In Ohio there is a similar bill SB 157 which has similar language with a $25 fine for non-compliance. You can find the bill's language at: http://www.legislature.state.oh.us/bills.cfm?ID=125_SB_0157 

There are many things that affect helmet use by children. But I think the most important factor in getting kids to wear approved bicycle helmets is if their parents wear helmets. As you know "Do what I say, Not what I do" is usually not going to work. I always wear a helmet and it has saved my head at least once when I took a fall. 

What do you folks think about mandatory helmet use for kids under 18? You can reply to me or (better) post to this forum for discussion. By the way the information I gave you above came to me from:
Mr. Don Burrell, 
Senior Planner Bicycle/Pedestrian Coordinator 
OKI Regional Council of Governments

If you'd like to get his newsletter about cycling matters in Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana (OKI) just write him at dburrell at oki.org 

Well. This is about all for this cold Winter day. If you haven't looked at my website in some time at http://www.miamivalleytrails.org   I put up a lot of new information last Fall about the new trails in the Miami Valley. It makes me feel good just to look at all those beautiful Fall pictures of, for example, the new The River's Edge of the Piqua Linear Trail in Piqua. You can get there by using: http://www.miamivalleytrails.org/rivers%20edge%20trail.htm

There are other good looking new trails to look at. For example the "Great Miami River Recreational Trail" being built North and South through Miami County. In part it is being built on the old "Miami and Erie Canal and last year they built a 1.6 mile section along the old Towpath of the canal. Take a look at: http://www.miamivalleytrails.org/miami_county_trail.htm 
I've got a link on that page to a nice 24 page brochure on the old canal that you can download. The Task Force got $420,000 in Fall 2003 to add another 3 miles to this beautiful trail. 

This Spring 2004, why not think about riding (or running, or walking) some trails here in the Miami Valley that you have never experienced. They are all on my (and Your) website, the Miami Valley RailTrails website. 

By the way, I will have to be moving my website soon to another server and that means another URL. I'll tell all of you in advance where I am moving and I'd appreciate you telling your friends the new address.

For now, Spring Is Coming and we will be using our wonderful multi-use trails system soon. 

Regards to all, 

Thomas J. Recktenwalt
Webmaster
Miami Valley RailTrails
http://www.miamivalleytrails.org  

If you find these newsletters and my Miami Valley RailTrails website of use to you, pass the information on to your friends and neighbors who might enjoy our wonderful system of multi-use trails in Southwest Ohio. They are wonderful for walking, running, bladeing, birding and cycling. You see more wildlife from one of our trails. 
All of my newsletters are posted to my website at the same time I send you this text version. The URL for your use is: http://www.miamivalleytrails.org/join_our_mailing_list.htm 

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