08 – How will the safety of trail users and motorists be maintained where the trail intersects a roadway?

Answer

Standard shared-use-path design employs several types of warnings to trail users that they are approaching an intersection. The warning may be in the form of signs, striping of the travel surface or a travel surface that differs from the rest of the trail. Bollards or gates will placed at each intersection to further warn users and slow them down. In some places, a user-activated crossing light may be used. The Route 117 and Hudson Rd. crossings are prime candidates for such lights. If the rail trail crosses Route 20, users can employ the push-button activated crossing light that already exists. Special striping, crossing lights and signs are among the means for warning motorists that a trail crossing is ahead. Designers of rail trails try to lay out a trail such that it crosses roads as close to perpendicular as possible. This enhances the safety of both trail users and motorists.