Bainbridge Islanders love their trails, and the park district has a vision for a robust trail network — but what those trails may look like, who they cater to, and what kind of recreation they allow is up for debate.
Leaders at the Bainbridge Island Metro Parks and Recreation District discussed the long-form Trails Vision Plan, a part of the Comprehensive Plan that defines park district values regarding trails and outlines potential areas where new trails may be created through easements and other partnerships.
At the meeting, parks staff was directed to complete a draft map of the Trails Vision plan for review by the board at an upcoming meeting.
“The district needs to establish what its responsibility for new trail development is. [BIMPRD] should be primarily responsible for new trail development within parks and easements that it owns and controls,” said Commissioner Ken DeWitt. “The areas where trails are going to be planned in the future should be examined, as there are areas lacking trails that have previously had specific proposals which have not come to fruition.”
However, as new types of recreation gain traction on the island and begin to conflict with the needs of accustomed recreation types, park district leaders began to weigh the agency’s stated priorities against the benefits of single-use-type only trails.
The 2020 Trails Vision Plan outlines the district’s goal for its trail system: one that is explicitly “multi-use;” that serves the needs of a wide variety of users and recreation types; connects community infrastructure like the Winslow core, parks, recreation centers and schools; blends in with its natural surroundings; and highlights historical elements and unique features of the island.
To BI residents surveyed for the BIMPRD Comprehensive Plan, the park district’s trail network is one of the best things about the island — but many called for greater connectivity and more trails that are accessible to people with impeded mobility.
“The current trails vision plan is clear in stating that district trails are primarily multi-use, so it is important to know if the board is interested in changing that,” said parks executive director Dan Hamlin.
At the Dec. 4 park district meeting, Commissioner Dawn Janow noted that parks leadership and the district Trails Advisory Committee “have been looking at whether all BIMPRD trails need to always be open to all user types.” There could be trails limited to specific users, such as pedestrians, she explained, adding that e-bikes on trails and ADA accessibility need to be addressed.
Commissioners Jay Kinney, DeWitt and Tom Goodlin agreed.
“One idea is that new trails could be designated for specific users. That would allow for a different experience for users and not be a takeaway from others,” said Kinney.
Goodlin added that he’d like to see the park district “embrace single-use trails for pedestrians.”
“The data shows that there are quite a few elderly people on the island, and people have expressed concerns with the speed of bicycles and the size of horses. [I] think there is a need, and that changing existing trail designations from multi-use to single-use is doable,” said Goodlin.
