- Mar 16, 2009
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Is his good or bad. I can envision many problems but it could also free more monies for more bike paths. Anybody ever drafted a mobility scooter?
Motorized vehicles - used by the disabled - could be allowed on bicycle, hiking trails
You could soon see a Segway or some other electric vehicle - as long as it's used by someone with a physical disability - on bicycle and hiking trails.
The U.S. Department of Justice has issued a rule, which will take effect on March 15, requiring all trails to be accessible for power-driven vehicles used by those with a disability, such as someone who relies on a wheelchair.
Most of these trails now ban motorized vehicles, including Los Angeles County bicycle and hiking trails along the riverbeds or Schabarum Park, the Greenway Trail in Whittier and those in the Whittier hills.
As a result, city and county officials who manage the trails say they are now determining how to comply with the new federal regulation.
"We're taking a hard look at it," said Kaye Michelson, special assistant with the Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation that administers hiking trails in the hills, such as for Schabarum Park in Rowland Heights.
"We have hundreds of trails - most of them non-concrete," Michelson said. "We need to evaluate the rule with the use we have on our trails."
The kinds of vehicles in question include Segways but also scooters to large trucks, according to the website of American Trails, a national advocacy group that works for trails.
"The definition doesn't limit the width, weight, horsepower, or power source of a device when used by a person who has a mobility disability," it stated.
Motorized vehicles - used by the disabled - could be allowed on bicycle, hiking trails
You could soon see a Segway or some other electric vehicle - as long as it's used by someone with a physical disability - on bicycle and hiking trails.
The U.S. Department of Justice has issued a rule, which will take effect on March 15, requiring all trails to be accessible for power-driven vehicles used by those with a disability, such as someone who relies on a wheelchair.
Most of these trails now ban motorized vehicles, including Los Angeles County bicycle and hiking trails along the riverbeds or Schabarum Park, the Greenway Trail in Whittier and those in the Whittier hills.
As a result, city and county officials who manage the trails say they are now determining how to comply with the new federal regulation.
"We're taking a hard look at it," said Kaye Michelson, special assistant with the Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation that administers hiking trails in the hills, such as for Schabarum Park in Rowland Heights.
"We have hundreds of trails - most of them non-concrete," Michelson said. "We need to evaluate the rule with the use we have on our trails."
The kinds of vehicles in question include Segways but also scooters to large trucks, according to the website of American Trails, a national advocacy group that works for trails.
"The definition doesn't limit the width, weight, horsepower, or power source of a device when used by a person who has a mobility disability," it stated.
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