I have to say I am reading the Millstone very regularly lately to keep up with latest twists and turns on the development of the rail trail. I have had the privilege to cycle across this great country from Vancouver to Newfoundland and several provinces on many occasions and I am deeply distressed to see Lanark County’s continual mishandling of it.
Mixed use trails do not work well in urban areas, four wheelers will keep the majority of active transportation users away, that is a known fact.
When I’m planning to use a trail if I see multi-use I will immediately look for another option.
I am in no way opposed to motorized vehicles but ignoring these facts on multi use doesn’t mean they don’t exist,and ramming through with there plan shows a lack of leadership at the county level. Mississippi Mills council worked on a compromise for a bypass around Almonte and showed a great willingness to be flexible and yet at the last minute the county gets a report from the OPP to say it’s not safe for a ATV to use this route.
Are these not the same roads that the county is suggesting are safe for cyclists and are putting up bike lanes on the shoulder of the road? So my 20 pound bike doing 20-40 km an hour on the side of the paved surface is safe for me and my family to cycle on but if we were on the shoulder of the road on a 500 pound ATV I’m no longer safe.
No intelligent person can read this and believe theses facts were used to come to the decisions that have been made to date on the rail trail, we all deserve better decision making from the county.
But that’s just my opinion.
Scott Smithson a proud almonte resident all my life!
