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♦ Proposed guidelines for trails under Americans with Disabilities Act trail released from A.. Page 1 of 3 Trail Tracks Newsletter return to TrailTracks SPRING 2000 index - back to Trail Tracks directory Proposed guidelines for trails under Americans with Disabilities Act trail released By Stuart Macdonald, Chair, National Association of State Trail Administrators The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires us to make trails accessible, but doesn't specify how. New regulations being finalized will, how ever, affect all of us who plan and design trails. The final report of the Regulatoiy Negotiation Committee on Accessibility Guidelines for Outdoor Developed Areas includes soon to be proposed ADA Accessibility Guidelines (ADAAG) for trails, outdoor recreational access routes, beach access routes, and picnic and camping facilities. Currently the report is undergoing a regulatoiy assessment by the Access Board, an independent federal agency responsible for developing minimum accessibility guidelines under the AD.A. Next will be a review by the federal Ofilce of Management and Budget. Eventually, the proposed guidelines will be published in tlie Federal Register with an invitation for public comment over a 90- day period. The following questions and answers cover the highlights of the trail guidelines: First, what exactly is a trail according to the proposed ADA accessibility guidelines? A trail is "a route that is designed, designated, or constructed for recreational pedestrian use or pro\ ided as an pedestrian alternative to vehicular routes within a transportation system." What kinds of trails are subject (o the proposed ADA accessibility guidelines? The accessibility guidelines apply to those trails which are designed and constructed for pedestrian use. They are not applicable to trails primarily designed and constructed for recreational use by equestrians, mountain bicyclists, snowmobile users, or off-highway vehicle users, even if pedestrians may occasionally u.se the same trails. However, a multi-use trail specifically designed ;;nd designated for hiking and bicycling would be considered a pedestrian trail. Then is an urban bikeway a "pedestrian trail”? Accessibility guidelines apply to trails used as nonmotorized transportation facilities for bicyclists and skaters as well as pedestrians. Howe\ er. transportation routes for bicyclists and skaters have design needs which exceed the minimum guidelines for trails. In some cases, the AASHTO Guide (1999) may requ.res a greater level of accessibility than the ADA trail guidelines. The appendix of the Access Board report compares the AASHTO guide with the ADA trail guidelines. http://www.americantraiIs.org/trailtracks/SpringOOTrTracks/QandAonADASPROO.htmI 8/29/2002