"An Englishman's home is his castle"

[Hay Dude]

The

They are currently ticketing bikes in masse on walking trails...

Not sure who will win as bikers rallying in very large numbers to overwhelm the rangers and several are quite outspoken owners of law firms and big donors to the park system.

A crime element has also cropped up with rapes, assaults and camps on the old right of ways now trails.

For decades the only restriction applied to motorized vehicles specifically targeted at motorcycles...

Then someone in an electric trail wheelchair was cited and it was big news not accommodating disabilities...

The popularity of mountain bikes now dominates and headed for a showdown as the trails are paid for through property tax special assessment, donations and volunteers...

I could see these trails being a place for the homelessness to build camps.
Related: we have no bus stops with covered shelters in my town.
Next town south of us just built a small, but very nice bus stop shelter so people could wait out of the rain.
Drove by yesterday and a homeless person with the obligatory shopping cart was asleep on the bench, while passengers stood outside in the elements waiting for the bus.
Anytime a park, trail, shelter, etc is built and open to the public, it doesn't mean you are going to get the “public” you want!

 

[RjCorazza]

I realize he allowed to retrieve their cars. But could he refuse access to do so? Jon

Don't know about the UK, but I suspect it's possible one could require that the vehicles be professionally removed.

 

[RoyJackson]

I have railroad tracks that run through my property but over 1/2 mile from my house and through a wooded area near my back property line. I would much rather have a trail back there than have the trains coming through at 2 in the morning blowing their whistles many times when they are coming to a rail crossing a mile away.

Since I live just across the River Road from the Mississippi River the levee is just across the road from us and 20 years ago they decided to build a trail on top of the levee. In a few rare spots people have a home on a small lot between the River Road and the levee, with the back of their lot facing the levee, which they regarded as their own private playground. They fought the proposed trail going right behind their homes but the majority of people in the area were all for having a paved trail to walk and ride bikes and horses on.

I bought this property just for this purpose since I have horses and there are not many trails left in our area. There are signs that say, "walkers yield to bikes, bikes yield to horses, horses yield to walkers", but today, as urbanization creeps in, there are very few horses on the path anymore and it is mostly enjoyed by walkers and bike riders.

The few horse riders who use it are mostly considerate and when they realize their horse is ready to relieve itself, will pull it to the grassy side for that purpose. Many riders rather ride on the batture side at the bottom rather than on the asphalt when it is not too sloppy down there. But I can foresee the future when horses will be outlawed from the trail as many cities are already banning people from owning horses in the cities.

Were the tracks there before you bought your property? If so, maybe you shouldn't have moved to where you live.
We're in a similar situation...trains coming through at night and, like you, they have to use their whistle when approaching crossings. I deal with that...in fact, most times I like it.

If you're unhappy with the trains, might want to consider moving.

I have seen well-kept rail trails and others that were pretty disgusting (not talking about horse dung...I can step around that). The ones not well maintained do need police presence, as much as I hate to say it. I really do think people who litter, use drug or otherwise ruin a pristine trail need to be removed... (put your own words here)

 

[tallyho8]

I can see why eliminating railroads would help you with your noise problem, but can you also see that the abandoning of a railroad means business or manufacturing is reduced, jobs are lost or possibly highways with more cars because public transportation has been closed?

Please understand that the reason rail lines are abandoned is because the businesses that used them no longer require them and there is no reason for the railroads to use those lines anymore. Rail lines closing does not cause businesses to close, businesses closing causes rail lines to close.

In our area many of the shorter rail lines were opened to carry timber from wilderness areas to mills and these areas have now become subdivisions that no longer cut timber so are not needed.

 

[Hay Dude]

Please understand that the reason rail lines are abandoned is because the businesses that used them no longer require them and there is no reason for the railroads to use those lines anymore. Rail lines closing does not cause businesses to close, businesses closing causes rail lines to close.

In our area many of the shorter rail lines were opened to carry timber from wilderness areas to mills and these areas have now become subdivisions that no longer cut timber so are not needed.

Yeah I’m aware, but rail lines abandoned doesnt seem like a reason to be happy. Maybe I misunderstood your premise of preferring trail noise to rail noise.
Im good, I dont want to drag this out.

 

[tractortroof]

Yep

At our town meeting regarding the abandonment of one of our RR lines, all the rails to trails supporters clad in their little smartglasses gave their PowerPoint presentation on their positive spin on rails to trails. Then one of our town elders, who had land along the tracks gave his own presentation of rails to trails over RR tracks in another town. It was covered in trash, needles and soiled diapers. Crimes had been reported & committed on them.

Nobody on the supporting side could answer (1) who would clean up the trash? (2) Who would patrol the trail for safety? And most of all, who would PAY for #1 & #2?
We also discussed how it could be used for drug use, and as a path to elude cops.

That was 20+ years ago and fortunately, the tracks are being reclaimed by Mother Nature. There aint gonna be no
”rails to trails” nonsense destroying property values here. Funny thing was the biggest supporter, who recently moved into the area, sold her house and moved. She wasnt here to stay, just to burden us with the bills for all her pie in the sky BS. Best things that could happen are leave em be or hopefully become a railroad again.

Had same thing happen with a walking trail on land behind one of our elementary schools. A $65,000 boondoggle. It was a paved 1 mile loop. Now its all cracked, with weeds growing through the cracks. No snow removal in winter. Now the worry is someone will trip and sue for a fall. The main supporter moved in from Chicago and also has moved from our community, whereabouts unknown.
Now we gotta pay to replace sections of it and maintain it. No money set aside for maintenance/repair fund.
Everyone that supports this nonsense seems to think building it is where the expense and problems end

We live next to a trail maintained by the city of jacksonville. They have ex cops patrolling it and it is used extensively and never have any problem with it. I invite people to access it via the canal by our property.

 

[ovrszd]

Maybe we are unique. When the rail that goes thru our County closed the land reverted back to the original land tracts. Most land owners dozed the brush and now use the land. If two land owners are involved, brush dozed and single property fence built.

I'm guessing that's not the case where these trails are made? So who owns the land? Who pays taxes on that land?

 

[ultrarunner]

150 years ago the original homesteader donated 1 acre of land for a one room rural school house.

The school was active 55 years and then continued several more decades for 4H and such.

In the end the county demolished the building citing extensive repairs needed...

The original deed said should the county no longer use the property for the intended purpose of a public school said property would revert back to the original parcel...

Commissioners we're not aware but when it was all sorted out the acre rejoined my brothers farm...

Never know what you find in old deeds...

Which has me thinking when property is donated for a school and named after the doner as part of the gift changing the name even a hundred years later should rescind the gift.

 

[MossRoad]

Maybe we are unique. When the rail that goes thru our County closed the land reverted back to the original land tracts. Most land owners dozed the brush and now use the land. If two land owners are involved, brush dozed and single property fence built.

I'm guessing that's not the case where these trails are made? So who owns the land? Who pays taxes on that land?

Here's a local example:

Penn Central Owned the land. It wasn't an easement. They owned it. They sold it to a non-profit, who then sold much of it to a local park system. So the parks own it there. I don't think parks pay taxes on park land. Interesting history in this link of how it was conceived and executed.

https://pumpkinvine.org/about/

 

[Hay Dude]

We live next to a trail maintained by the city of jacksonville. They have ex cops patrolling it and it is used extensively and never have any problem with it. I invite people to access it via the canal by our property.

Bingo “ex cops patrolling it”
We werent given that option.
We were given the “wild Wild West” option.