Trail Etiquette or Rules Of The Trail

Trail Etiquette & Safety

Or the

"Rules Of The Trail"

The multi-use trails in the Miami Valley have been built for the use of all. This includes:

Parents with small children	Handicapped Users	Walkers
In-Line Skaters	Runners	Cyclists
Equestrians	Trail Safety	Bike Brochures from MVRPC
Digest of Ohio Motor Vehicle Laws	A Final Word on Safety

On this page we will provide for you the tools you need to practice proper Trail Etiquette or the safe and fair use of the trails. I will describe each user in velocity order; that is, I will describe the slowest trail users, "parents with small children" first followed by all the others. And remember: A little bit of courtesy goes a long, long way.

As Rails-to Trails Magazine says: ""Wheels yield to heels" . Bicyclists (and inline skaters) yield to other users; runners, walkers and wheelchair users yield to equestrians."

Digest of Ohio Motor Vehicle Laws - Before we begin let's look at the Law to see what it says about cyclists. As you can see bicycles are considered vehicles under the law. A bicyclist is to obey all traffic laws and ride with traffic. You will notice at the bottom of the laws that pertain to cyclists is a section on motorists responsibilities. They are to share the road with cyclists.

In 2006 The Governor signed HB389 which made bicycle laws consistent across Ohio. Please see Ohio Bicycle Federation for details of the new law and "Better Ohio Bicycling Bill: House Bill 389."

Street Smarts - Is an online booklet available for the Ohio Department of Transportation. It's titled "Ohio Bicycling Street Smarts, Riding Confidently, Legally, and Safely".

Trail Safety:

We have had several fatalities over the past few years . I am adding the information below to explain a bit about how you can safely use the trails.
- Stop at Stop Signs: I know this sounds a bit absurd but on our multi-use trails there are stop signs posted where the trail crosses a highway. If you don't slow almost to a halt and/or stop many times you can't see a car approaching the crossing. So please don't "blow through" intersections. Stop. Look and Listen like you were told as a child when crossing the street.
- Listen for Cars & Trucks when crossing a street - Adding to above. If you can't see the cars maybe you can hear them! To hear the traffic you can't be wearing a MP3 player. In fact anything that fits in your ear and does not allow you to hear traffic when you are crossing a street is OUT!
Miami Valley Regional Planning Commission (MVRPC)- has written a number of brochures about the following topics. Click on the link to MVRPC to download them. You can order the Miami Valley Recreational Trails Map here as well. If you order the map they will include the brochures. You can click below to get an Adobe Acrobat copy of each brochure that you can print. They are:
- Getting Started - Using Your Bicycle As Basic Transportation
- Bicycle Equipment Checklist
- Cycling Safely, Predictably and Visibly

Trail Use for Parents with Small Children

We have special rules for this group.
Keep your child under control. Don't let your kid run into the path of oncoming traffic especially cyclists who may not be able to slow down.
If your child is cycling, make sure they obey you when you tell them to "Get out of the way."
Teach your kids that they must share the trail.

Handicapped Trail Users

We have on our trails a number of handicapped people. They could be in a wheelchair, or a "racing chair." Both are about twice as wide as a bicycle and neither are as maneuverable as a bicycle.
A handicapped trail user may not be obviously handicapped. They may have hearing or vision problems. Some may have a problem with their balance. BUT. They are bona-fide trail users.
They may need a extra bit of courtesy when they interact with horses and riders since they cannot ambulate without the vehicle, so they can't escape off the trail.
A inline-skater overtaking a handicapped person should shorten their stride, so that the handicapped trail user can change direction or steer away or around the blade-user.

Trail Use Rules for Walkers

You are almost the slowest trail user. All of the others are faster and will be coming from behind to pass you. Make it easy for them.
Walk on the right side of the trail, slowest traffic keep right; pass on left.
Don't walk three abreast. Two people walking side by side fills up a lot of trail. When faster traffic comes up from behind switch from walking abreast to in-line to give them room to go by you safely.
Pay attention to the traffic. Don't wear a headset with the volume turned up so you can't hear those trying to pass you.

Trail Use Rules for Runners

You're faster than the walkers but not as fast and the skaters. When approaching slower traffic move to the left side of the trail (pass on left only) and say "Loudly" before you get to the walkers: "On Your Left". This will give them time to get out of your way. Of course astute walkers will hear your feet hitting the trail and your loud breathing before you reach them and move out of your way.

Trail Use for In-Line Skaters

You are much faster than walkers and runners. Follow the "On Your Left" rule for the runners. Special Note: Watch for cracks and tree roots that make the trail less than safe. Check to see if the trail is rough in advance.

Trail Use for Bicyclists

You are the fastest traffic on the trail. Some of you are riding at (perhaps) dangerous speed.
Warn slower moving traffic that you are passing. Sound your bell or say "Loudly" before you get to the other traffic "On Your Left"
Don't wait to make some noise until you are right next to the walker or runner. You'll scare them half out of their skin as I and my wife have been scared by a less than considerate cyclist.

Special Category

Trail Use for Equestrians:
- Equestrians are in a special category.
- Horseback riding is allowed on some but not all the trails in the Miami Valley. To see which ones see Horseback Riding
- Horses are large (1000 pounds or more), skittish and shy creatures. Small things will cause them to shy or buck.
- They can be startled by a bicycle, skater or runner so make verbal contact with the rider and be sure it is safe to pass.

A Final Word on Safety

At the end of this page on Trail Etiquette & Safety I would like to add a simple general rule that will guide you to safe use of our multi-use trails.
- The slowest traffic is on the right and all faster traffic should stay right and pass only on the left

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