----- Forwarded Message ----
From: BlaineandLois <blwheeler@...>
To: Mike Wellborn <klownprinze@...>; Anita Olszyk <olszyk@...>;
Bill and Lorraine Hine <bandlhine@...>; CarolatSorigCntr@...; Carole
Bernhardt <cbrw540@...>; Carolyn Burreson <cbburreson@...>; Jim
Lazar <jim@...>; stephen.hunter@...; Steven Kant
<stevenk@...>; Terry Zander <tezzer1@...>; Tony Usibelli
<usibelli@...>
Sent: Thursday, April 6, 2006 10:15:37 AM
Subject: Re: Chehalis Western Trail - April 2006 Update

Mike - Please pass this on to the club and the Yahoo email list for me.


All of you at one time or another in the last year have used the trail
and either asked me how Jay Emry's action to have the gates changed is
doing, talked to Jay yourselves, or commiserated on the frustration of
getting through some of the gates on the trail. As you see from the
message to me below, Jay is making things happen.

So, the next time we see a Jay or a county Park or Highway person while
we are on the road or trail let's thank them for the improvements and
encourage them to make it even better for all the users of the trail;
bikes, horses, runners and walkers.

Jay Emry wrote:
> Blaine - Capital Bicycle Club
> Bob - Tacoma Wheelmen's Bicycle Club
> Michael - Thurston County Parks and Recreation
> Jodi - Federal Highways Administration
>
>
> *_April 5, 2006 Trail Update_*
>
> The access complaint has been reviewed by local Federal Highways
> Administration staff and recently forwarded to Washington D.C. for
> final disposition. And, the county has made some changes on the trail
> - but the major issues like whether we'll have gates or bollards; or
> the appropriateness of STOP signs for trail users at golf
> cart crossings and private driveways are yet to be resolved.
>
> */Recent Trail Improvements/*
> Access openings on the yellow gates have been widened slightly to
> just over 60 inches - but the abrupt chicane turns, the dangerous
> handlebar height gate arms, the bottlenecks and possible head-on
> collisions, and the single access openings on a high-volume trail
> remain. Both WSDOT and AASHTO access standards call for a
> single bollard on the centerline (creating dual access openings - one
> for each direction of travel). In earlier correspondence, the
> county suggested the gates are necessary to slow cyclists so they
> won't dart into the street and get hit at trail crossings.
>
> While the yellow gates are now easier to negotiate, they remain a
> particular challenge for some - like disabled cyclists on non standard
> bikes, and those with longer bikes or bikes with trailers. The gates
> also require a level of precision that can be a serious problem for
> those new to the trail; inexperienced, inattentive, older or heavier
> riders; and the occasional trail user.
>
> In addition to the work on the yellow gates, the county:
>
> 1. Filled the dip just before Mosman in Yelm;
> 2. Repaired some of the pavement heaving between Manke and Tipsoo.
> (That entire section is a washboard and likely needs to be redone);
> 3. Filled the bumps at the edge of the two Chamber's Lake bridges
> in Lacey;
> 4. Removed one of the bollards just before the parking lot at Fir
> Tree in East Olympia;
> 5. Removed one of the bollards on each side of the driveway at
> Latigo (between 89th and 103rd) in East Olympia;
> 6. Removed both bollards (about 800 feet) beyond the entrance to
> the American Orient Express;
> 7. Removed one of the bollards at Military Road;
> 8. Widened the bollards at the parking lot at the Trailhead at 67th
> (by Indian Summer Golf Course)
> 9. Replaced the gate at the entrance at 45th in Lacey with triple
> bollards;
> 10. Put in a pathway in between the trail and the sani can at
> Monarch Monuments. They also signed a joint-use agreement with
> the owner at Monarch Monuments so trail users can use
> her (handicapped accessible) sani can.
>
> The county is also working on the right-of-way for the bridges over
> Pacific Avenue, I-5, and Martin Way. Construction could start as
> early as this fall. Once the bridges are complete, a roundtrip ride
> from Woodard Bay to Yelm, to Tenino and back will be about 70 miles.
> However, access and safety for the gates on the Woodard Bay trail will
> need to be addressed.
>
> */Kudos to County Parks/*
> Next time you zoom pass the bollards at the private driveway half way
> between 89th and 103rd, remember there was less than a foot clearance
> on the paired bollards three weeks ago - and there's now 3 feet
> clearance on a single bollard. It's a big improvement - more
> inviting, safer and far more accessible.
>