To:	Ellis area and Woodruff area Neighborhood Councils
Date: 	November 27, 1999
Subj.:	600 West Trail

You are probably aware that Logan is constructing a 600 West
Trail.  The part south of Center Street is already in place,
thanks to the ISTEA grant for the Train Depot renovation.  A HUD
grant has been received to continue the trail from the Depot to
1200 North where a new neighborhood park is proposed.  An
environmental assessment is being prepared for the continuation
at this time.

I am concerned that this particular trail may not be the asset to
the neighborhood and the community that we would at first
suppose.  I would encourage the neighborhood councils to consider
the hazards as well as the benefits of the trail.  The trail
built so far looks like a nice wide sidewalk, with ADA accessible
curb cuts and bicycle stencils and signs.  The purpose of the
trail seems to be to connect the Willow Park complex with the new
1200 North neighborhood park.

Recreational, multiple-use trails can be a valued asset to a
neighborhood and to a community. The trail being developed along
the Logan River, through the golf course, probably has that
value.  However, the 600 West Trail will be a very different
facility, with very different hazards, especially for trail users
who are riding a bicycle.  

The 600 West Trail is a roadside sidewalk.  Essentially every
major bicycle safety training program warns against riding a bike
on a sidewalk.  Training programs that I know of, with such a
warning, include: the Boy Scout Cycling Merit Badge, San
Francisco "Street Smarts" training, the Pennsylvania Bicycle
Drivers Manual, the Canadian "Can-Bike" program and the Effective
Cycling program of the League of American Bicyclists.  All
recommend that bike riders use the right side of the road, not
the left side, and not the sidewalk.

To non-cyclists, especially non-cycling parents, this
recommendation to ride in the road is often immediately and
instinctively abhorrent, but bear with me for a few moments. 
Riding a bike on the right side of the road leaves you vulnerable
to being struck behind by an unseen, overtaking motor vehicle.  
However, that hazard has been shown by research and collision
records to be tiny compared to the greater risks in front of the
bike rider when riding in an unexpected location (such as the
wrong side of the road, or the sidewalk).

Think about where you are looking when you are driving your car. 
Do you worry that you can't avoid running into things moving
slowly, straight ahead, on the road in front of you?  Probably
not.    Do you routinely look down the sidewalk when you approach
an intersection?  Probably not; you probably look for pedestrians
in the crosswalk or waiting to step into the crosswalk.  When
using a driveway do you look for "traffic" moving along the
sidewalk at eight or 10 or 12 mph, or do you look for pedestrians
about to step into your path?  When you are about to make a right
turn from a side street, do you look for "traffic" coming from
the right?  Do you look for traffic about to overtake you on the
sidewalk on your right?  Probably not; you are busy looking for a
break in the traffic coming from the left.  Have you ever been
surprised by a bike rider on a sidewalk or on the wrong side of
the road?  Do you suppose that the 600 West Trail will increase
those surprises?

You can probably overtake a bike rider on the right side of the
road without difficulty if the lane is wide enough (as it often
is around here) or if there is no traffic in the next lane.  If
there is no overtaking room, you can probably wait, maybe
impatiently, for an opportunity to continue on your way without
harming the bike rider.  You may be a better-than-average driver,
but in this regard most all drivers are good enough, cautious
enough and patient enough.

Sidewalk cycling is legal in Logan (except in the downtown
business district) and is safe enough for travel at pedestrian
speeds.   The conflicts increase with speed, however, as the bike
rider intersects the path of auto traffic from unexpected
directions at unexpected locations.  The Federal design standards
for bicycle facilities recommend against street-side multiple use
trails which have frequent intersections with cross streets and
driveways for just these reasons.

What changes would I suggest?  At the least, this trail should
not be designated for bicycles.  To encourage safe use of
bicycles along this route, attention should be paid to the
roadway. A shoulder or wide curb lane should be available along
both sides of 600 West (as it already is in certain places). 
That space should be well maintained and free of pavement defects
and debris. Special attention should be paid to the railroad
crossing at about 800 North.  To avoid falls, tracks should be
crossed at right angles by bikes.  Right now that means bike
riders must swerve toward the center of the road.  A "bulb-out"
could be paved on each side so that bike riders can swerve away
from traffic in preparation for crossing and swerve back to their
original shoulder position as they cross the tracks.

Finally, I have to point out that the generally hazardous nature
of a street-side trail pales by comparison with the route taken
by this trail as it passes in front of the Train Depot.  The
two-way trail swings out into the roadway to become a two-way
bike lane on one side of the road. In front of the Depot
building, the lane is only three feet wide. That has to be the
"poster child" of unsafe design.  It is ironic that a trail
facility, appealing for it's supposed safety, should include this
most unsafe bicycling facility known to the transportation
industry.  Everyone who knows anything about bikeway facility
design knows that a two-way bike lane on one side of the street
is always an unsafe facility.

I hope the neighborhood councils will consider these issues and
proceed with caution in any decisions to support Logan's 600 West
Trail development.  I can provide more details, supporting
documentation and other additional information.  If you are
concerned and interested in this issue, please contact me.

Bob Bayn 
Effective Cycling Instructor #685-C 
CMPO Pedestrian/Bicycle Advisory Committee, chair

1500 Highland Dr 
North Logan, UT 84341-2142 
752-8386(h)
797-2396(w) 
Bob.Bayn@usu.edu