Trail Forum>Concerns>

Safety
Crime is one of the concerns that surface when a rail-trail is proposed for an abandoned railroad corridor. Will all people who use the trail bring crime with them?

The preponderance of evidence from rail-trails says NO. Rail-trails do not bring crime. For instance, Chief of Police Brian Searles of South Burlington, Vermont says that the recreation path is "one of the safest places in Burlington."

Does this mean that no crime will happen on the completed B&O Trail. No. There is no place on earth 100% safe. A man was murdered in North Salem during a church service. Children are murdered in schools. Women are abused in their own homes. Robbery happens in shopping malls and neighborhoods.

Survey after survey of the 885 completed rail-trails say rail-trails are safe. Most trails become safer than when they were abandoned rail corridors. Trail users become watch dogs for the adjacent neighborhoods. Russell Robbins of the New York Department of Transportation stated, "We have been building multi-use trails/bike paths for twenty years. In this time there have been no reported crimes associated with our trails, no vandalism, and only positive experiences. This is in a densely populated suburban area within the New York City urbanized area. Additionally, in fact, property values have risen within the corridor."

A newspaper article in the St. Petersburg Times (Florida) concerning the Pinellas Trail reports, "A bicycle officer initially was assigned to the two miles of trail in Clearwater, but [police spokesman Wayne] Shelor said the officer was soon reassigned because there was little crime. 'As a problem, it's minimal,' Shelor said. 'The sheer numbers of people on the trail during the day has an effect because crime lurks in the shadows.'"

An article from the Seattle Times concerning the Burke-Gilman Trail stated: Lagerwey (bicycle-program coordinator for the Seattle Engineering Department) stated that police stationed near the trail were very supportive of it, and statistics showed no increase in crime."

Everywhere you go you must use common sense. Trails can bring fun, relaxation, safety, and recreation to a neighborhood. In an April 5, 1997 Indianapolis Star article about the Monon Trail, Andy Bang was quoted as saying, "When people get out here on the trail, they're more relaxed, less pressured and more gentle."