Safe Trail Forum: Management and Maintenance of Trails and Greenways railtrail studies, share use, conflict crime accident report liability insurance risk

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Making trails and greenways safer: resources on liability, insurance, and legal issues; trail maintenance and management for better user experience; crime and accident reporting; safety for trail users; a forum for discussion of these issues. Also see the maintenance topics index for more on management.

Road and Trail Intersection Safety from National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and Parks & Trails New York
Trail Intersection Design Guidelines (Florida)
Where rails cross trails: the safety solution: Grade crossing of a trail in Baldwin, FL uses typical highway railroad crossing; by Craig Della Penna
Rails-with-Trails: A Preliminary Assessment of Safety and Grade Crossings, November 2005 (pdf 1.4mb)
Trail builders: Beware of damaging underground facilities

Recreational Path Intersection Safety: using the Cross Alert System
Trail Lights in Grand Forks, North Dakota: they'll tell you— they've seen the light
Better park design can prevent crime
Operations, Maintenance, and Stewardship 101
Increase in dog waste growing into big problem on trails
More articles and resources on managing and maintaining trails and greenways

Kicked off trails: Utah County bans boarders for safety reasons, from the Deseret News
Golf and greenways coexist, with some debate and fencing, in Nashville
Spring snowmelt poses hiking risks: hikers die crossing makeshift log bridge
Sidewalks and Shared-Use Paths: Safety, Security, and Maintenance is a Policy forum sponsored by Delaware Department of Transportation and Institute for Public Administration at the University of Delaware
Atlanta woman killed while bicycling on Silver Comet Trail (pdf 108kb)
All about the Safe Trails Forum
Denver Metro Area Multi-Use Trail Safety Forum
Trail Safety Forum Notes, April 2006
We invite you to submit your ideas and experiences with safety, crime, liability, and related issues to American Trails.

Anchorage "Trail Watch" makes trails safer for users
Characteristics of Emerging Road and Trail Users and Their Safety (pdf 80 mb)
Bicycling and Walking Attitudes Survey (FL): bicycling facilities and safety
Improving Multi-Use Recreational Trail Safety through a Coordinated 911 Sign Project
Trail Grooming Awareness: what you should know about groomers on the trail, from IASA (pdf 252 kb)
Thru-Hiker's Medical Guide by Stewart Anderson, MD
Review: Off the Wall: Death in Yosemite, reviewed by Lynn Arave, Deseret Morning News
Review: Shattered Air: A True Account of Catastrophe and Courage on Yosemite's Half Dome
Staying safe during a storm in the backcountry, from Washington Trails Association
Fatal Bicycle Collision on Denver Area Trail
Riders and hikers encouraged to "Use Trails, Not Rails"
Trail Incident Report form from Michigan Mountain Bike Association and National Mountain Bike Patrol (pdf 20 kb)
Rail trails and safe communities (pdf 593 kb)
ATC Backcountry Sanitation Manual covers human waste management in the backcountry (pdf 1.6mb)

New insurance program available for OHV clubs and parks
Hawaii Trail hazards and physical assessment
Hawaii Risk management principles for trails and outdoor recreation
Hawaii Trail Surveys and Risk Management Summaries
Hawaii Design and Placement of Warning Signs on Improved Public Lands
Risk management and insurance takes planning by Doug Wyseman Goals of a Risk Management Program for trails
Protection From Liability: Promoting The Use And Development Of Recreational Trails
Equine Law and Horsemanship Safety: A resource for horsemen, lawyers and law students
Limiting government liability for "hazardous recreational activities"
Designing a Risk Management Program for Mountain Biking
Rail-Trails and Liability: Trail-Related Liability Issues & Risk Management Techniques (pdf 932 kb)
Rail Trail liability and risk assessment issues
Sample easements, licenses, and other agreements for trail rights-of-way
Sample liabililty release: Blue Ridge Trail Riders (pdf 28 kb)

The ATV RiderCourse teaches safe and responsible use of All-Terrain Vehicles
"Defensive Horse Safety" Training Course available online
All-Terrain Vehicle Safety Institute implements a national program of ATV safety education
Mountain Bike Search and Rescue Training Manual from IMBA's National Mountain Bike Patrol program (pdf 1 mb)

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