Barricades on trails are frustrating users
No advance signage on West Humber trail has raised the ire of public
Blocking off a popular recreational trail and failing to provide users with advance notice of it is a recipe for frustration, and maybe vandalism.
With the exception of two small snowfalls that melted away in a couple of days, it’s been a temperate and tolerable autumn, making it easier to get out and exercise to keep the COVID-19 blues at bay. That means parks and multi-use trails are still getting a lot more use than if winter had settled in. But the fun has lately come to a stop on the West Humber Recreational Trail.
Sam Bootsma emailed to say he and other cyclists who regularly ride on the trail have been stymied by barricades put up on either side of the point where it passes under Hwy. 27, south of Humber College Boulevard.
“I have a few problems with this,” he said, noting the absence of “advance signage saying the path ahead was closed due to construction,” and “no marked detour. “If motorists encounter a closed road, then there are detour signs directing them to roads to take to bypass the detour. For users of the West Humber Trail, there was nothing. Zilch.”
He also noted that the “trail ahead was clear. The construction was not on the path, but on the slopes adjacent to (Hwy. 27). They could easily have kept the path open but chose not to.”
Bootsma’s note also included comments about the problem posted to a Facebook cycling group, including one this one: “And construction crews wonder why the fence is torn down after every weekend.”
That squares with what I saw when I was there Sunday. Barricades on both sides of the Hwy. 27 overpass had been pushed aside, with a sign advising trail users to turn back hurled down the bank of the nearby Humber River.
STATUS: I got a note from the city with the following explanation: “A closure of a portion of the trail was required to facilitate storm sewer utility work on the west side of Hwy. 27. The city worked with the contractor to post signage regarding the trail closure. The advanced signage is located at the entry points of the trail, east and west of Hwy. 27, to inform trail users. Staff were at the site this week to review the closure and noted that the trail is now fully opened on the east and west sides of Hwy. 27.”