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Open House Comment Forms

Fall 1999 Open Houses
Atlantic, Cherokee, Des Moines, Ottumwa, Waverly

The following written comments are compiled from those submitted on the Iowa Trails 2000 Open House comment form. Comments have been paraphrased and then sorted into ten major issues.

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Issues

Bicycles:

Bicycle riding is a major component of the Iowa trail network and bike riders were well-represented at the open houses. There were discussions from bicyclists as to the need for bike trails or for wider shoulders on roads to allow for bicyclists.

Bike lanes on all new and rebuilt roads.
Bike trail signs on county roads.
Bike trails on road shoulders.
Variety in bike trails: level rail-bed trails, more difficult trails paralleling highways, recreational trails, and functional trails downtown through cities.

Design:

Trail design standards need to be developed. Surfacing techniques were discussed at all open houses. The comparison between crushed stone, and concrete/asphalt and how they fit the concept of multi-use trails were the main topics. Additional detail for support facilities should be incorporated in the design phase of trail projects. Sharing of rights-of-way was offered repeatedly as an alternative to using railroad right-of-way.

Connect existing trails and corridors.
Maintenance safe water crossings.
Cross-country trails with camping.
Fencing should be installed when trail built.
Good trail maps and markings.
Hard-surfaced trails.
Include amenities with trail.
Interconnecting trails.
Linear trails, including roads with camping areas.
Need a general trail design guide supported by interstate resource center.
Provide hard surface trails; they are safer and more useable. No gravel shoulders.
Sufficient lighting on trails, placed in open areas.
Connect Spencer to Lakes Trail.
Use old railroad right-of-ways.
Signage of where trails start and how to continue when there are breaks on multi-use trails.
Paved or crushed limestone surface for bike trails.
Grass for horse trails.
Plantings along trails for noise control, windbreaks, shade, and visual interest.
Make trails like Minnesota, Illinois, Wisconsin, Wyoming.
Look to Wisconsin as a model for trail system.
Build wider shoulders on roads for bikes.

Education:

Trail use education may offer a solution to multi-use trail conflicts. The school system, potentially, could offer education opportunities by demonstrating various trail user groups and their specific requirements for outdoor enjoyment.

Develop informational packets of landowners who support trails and why, for distribution to others who might be affected by new trails.
Educate the users on the rules of the road.
Establish rules for trails.
How bike trails can be added to promote tourism and physical exercise.
Safety classes in schools.

Equestrian:

Horse ridership had limited presence at the open houses, however, they where represented by several small organizations that promote equestrian trail development. The potential for multi-use trails that include horses was expressed. Combination with OHV use, however, was not desired.

As an equestrian, I work for double-trail, multi-use trails for bicycles and equestrians.
Equestrian trails and multi-use. Need to keep OHV out.
Allow horses on trails.
Equal opportunities for equestrian riders.
More riding areas.
Equestrians in the multi-use system.

Funding:

Lack of funding and too much funding was discussed at each open house. One consistent theme was the development of user fees. Motorized users felt slighted due to the fact that they pay registration fees and bicyclists don’t. It was apparent that more money is desired and required to construct trails, locally and statewide.

Additional funding for development.
Funding and intended uses of the trails.
Important that funds be available to locations across the state. Any money going to northwest Iowa? Connect Spencer to Lakes Trail.
Lack of dollars available from state.
Road Use Tax Fund should not be used.
Tax funded for all uses, not just bikes.
Too much money on so few people.
User fees should be started.
More funding to meet existing goals.
Registration costs.
No DOT money should be used for trails.
Trails groups should raise their own money for trails.
Approved grants should be awarded to project based on facts rather than on future hopes.

Maintenance:

Maintenance, or the lack thereof, was frequently mentioned. Maintenance cost should be analyzed at the design phase and trail maintenance should be prioritized concurrently with new construction.

Involve counties in planning and maintenance.
Have state take over trails.
Maintenance of existing trails.
Legislative effort to put rails-to-trails under the jurisdiction of the DNR for construction and maintenance.
Keep up existing trails.
Maintenance on parks needed.
Local maintenance on trails.

OHV and Snowmobiles:

OHV users and snowmobile riders were the single largest group at the open houses. They addressed many issues, but primarily voiced concerns about the lack of riding areas and the lack of trails for OHV use. There was overwhelming opposition to the registration fees for OHVs being applied to bicycle trails. OHV riders favored more multi-use trails and questioned "problems" associated with trying to accommodate both motorized and non-motorized multi-use trail alignments. Town-to-town trails were strongly desired, rather than riding areas. Wisconsin riding areas where often mentioned as examples of good OHV trail planning.

Adjacent property owners must be free of liability.
More OHV trails.
Allow multi-use trails to exist.
ATV riders should be recognized in the state for the use of public trails.
Equal trail riding opportunity for snowmobiles.
Expand multi-use trails for snowmobiles in the winter.
Include ATVs in trail planning.
Increase number of trails for both snowmobiles and bicycles.
Iowa Trails Plan 2000 does not include trails for OHVs. These are legitimate forms of trail recreation in Iowa. Funding from user fees and registration and gas tax.
Legalize ATVs on gravel roads.
More ATV trails in Iowa.
More ATV trails. Include ATV in future plans.
More parks for OHV.
Trail system for motorized users.
More snowmobile trails, adjacent to roadways, help maintain them.
More snowmobile trails.
Motorized trails need their fair share. Pay fees and no trials. Bikes pay no fees and have trails.
Multi-use trails for ATVs and snowmobiles.
OHV trails.
Opening up more off-road riding areas. How to better get information out to users on events, concerns etc., and facing riding areas.
OHV parks need.
OHV registration fees going to trails that we can’t ride on.
OHV trails from town to town. Maintenance and support facilities needed.
OHV trails that go by cities, cross country trails. Maintain OHV areas.
Snowmobile trails needed, also multi-use trails, not just for bikes.
Snowmobiles in road ditches.
There are large numbers of motorcycles and all-terrain vehicles in the state. I would like to see development of point-to-point trails in our state, and if not feasible, parks in which a trail system could be maintained.
Use ATV registration fees on trails.
We need ATV trails in Iowa really bad. We pay Iowa registration fees and have no trails. We have to travel to Wisconsin or some other state to ride. Multi-use trails are possible. Trail system to include OHV Quads.
Make sure money for OHV Quads accommodating OHVs.
Dirt bike use included in trail system.
ATV’s use included in trail system.
More trail systems maintained like the trails in Waterloo and Ely–(currently maintained by ATV’s club).
Open Cedar Valley trail for quads and snowmobiles in winter and summer (‘for that matter’).
More ATV trails.
ATV trails town to town.
Consider OHV in Future trail.
Policing of existing ATV parks.
Open state parks for ATV in winter.
Motorized vehicles should ‘not’ be allowed on trails.
Address OHV trails.
Police existing ATV parks.
Open state parks for ATV in winter.
Separate trails for off-roads and ATVs.
Separate trails for ATVs.
Utilize river bottom ground for ATVs.
Utilize rail-beds for ATVs.
Widen bike trails so that they may be used by snowmobiles in winter.
Lineal trail systems for ATV/snowmobile use.
Separate motorized vehicles from other trail uses.
Keep bike trails open in winter for snowmobiles.
Need OHV trails in northeast Iowa, limited current access.
More ATV trails around Webster City and Fort Dodge.
More areas for quads and trail bikes in central Iowa.
More linear trails in IA for ATVs.
Registration fees for ATVs to help fund trails.
More OHV parks and linear trails.
Registered ATVs should have trails set aside and rules to follow.

Multi-use Trails:

Trails that accommodate more then one use are desired. Bike trail use by snowmobiles in the winter was often mentioned. Non-motorized users were concerned with speed, noise and pollution created by motorized users. Corridors could be utilized with multiple trails.

All trails should be multi-use, including motorized.
Multi-use for snowmobiles, fees no trails.
Multi-use trails.
Multi-use trails needed.
Snowmobiles sharing bike trails, snowmobiles registered paying fees.
More multi-use trails.
Multi-use, multi-purpose trails.
All trails should be multi-use trails.
Design trails for year-round use.
More multi-use trails including horses; separate trail for motorized vehicles.
Trails open to all forms of vehicles.
Use nature trails in winter.
Allow snowmobiles on limestone trails.

Planning:

The principal topic for planning issues was railroad rail banking and whether the land should revert to adjoining landowners. Rail banking should be an educational objective: the legal questions need to be highlighted and public education about its purpose widely circulated. The opposition is very well organized, and this may affect many desirable corridors. Other planning topics were also raised in comments.

ADT should be priority.
Adjoining landowners should be given the opportunity to buy railroad.
Being able to commute on bike, bike facilities on buses. Advance recreational opportunities to attract young people to Iowa.
Decide to use rail beds for trails before land released to farmers who do not use.
It is time to hang on to or acquire land for public use. So much land is being developed for housing. The only way to have trails is to share public land. Most of us cannot afford our own private preserves.
Land taken. Right-of-way issues to be resolved.
Loss of tax base in taking right-of-way.
No to railroad right-of-way conversion, need to be taxed and productive.
Personal property rights.
Private property rights.
Property rights, loss of privacy, litter, fencing trespassing.
Snowmobile users on the committee.
The state should be involved in purchase of rights-of-way for future trail development. This should be part of the state trail development plan.
Trail corridors shown on old plan not built.
Trails are important, but feel strongly against taking prime farmland for them. Object to Laurens to Royal Trail.
Trails beside railroad tracks.
We bought and paid for the railroad right-of-way that goes through our farm and, like other neighbors, we think it should be left for private use. I don’t think a bike trail is a necessity of life like a highway; don’t condemn land for recreational use.

Proposed Trails:

Many attendees had specific trail location suggestions.

Connect Spencer-to-Lakes Trails.
Enlarge and enhance trails in cooperation with urban centers and visitor sites. Make trails primarily non-mechanized. Need more prairie like trails.
Get some trails.
Little Sioux River corridor excellent plant for trails.
More money for trails in northwest Iowa, connect Spencer to Lakes Trail.
Need T-bone Trail from Atlantic to Audubon. Historic trail.
Northwest Iowa should have summer trails connecting towns.
Spencer-to-Lake Trail system.
Spencer trail along Highway 71 bypass.
To connect trails from county to county so long distance touring would be possible. To increase and improve bridge crossing, to eliminate the necessity to ride on shoulders.
Trails for northwest Iowa.
Trails for northwest Iowa.
Trails in all parts of Iowa that connect, ADT top priority.
Trails in northwest Iowa.
Trails to lakes from Spencer.
Include Perry Hiawatha Trail into trail system.
More development on trails in rural communities.
Integrate Iowa trails with other state’s trail systems.
Connections to state or federal planned trails to existing trails should be given high priority to for funding.
Include 1.5-mile Grinnell-Rock Creek Rec Trail segment from Region 6 on ‘planned trail’ maps. Was funded by ISTEA funds.
Expand existing trails.
Implement new trails (‘so we don’t have to go to Wisconsin’).
More work on locating the Discovery Trail.
Route National Discovery Trail over the T-bone Trail from Audubon to Atlantic.
Link state, county and city parks.
More trails.
Linear trail across the state of Iowa.
More trails for equestrian.
Expand areas.
Build trails around Fort Dodge.
Build trails around Webster City.
Build trails around Brushy Creek.
Reconsider the 200 Aecel riding part of Millville.
Need riding area in northeast Iowa–unclear whether it is currently legal to ride.
Large area in south central without proposed trails.
Complete trails across Iowa.
Statewide access.
Link Bluff Creek with Rathbun Lake.
Connect Johnston trail to Des Moines.

Overall, the Iowa Trails 2000 planning process was well received by attendees. Suggestions and comments centered on specific user groups and their involvement in the process. Additional open houses were requested for more localized input in the process.