In response to the fatal accident on the Katy Trail a couple of months ago, the city has announced a new trail safety plan, according to District 14 Councilman Angela Hunt. Following the accident, Hunt says, she challenged Friends of the Katy Trail, park staff, public works staff and police to come up with an immediate action plan to address trail safety within 45 days. The plan they have outlined will impact not only Katy Trail but also White Rock and all of Dallas’ trails.

Immediate improvements include increased police presence on Katy trail, restriping Katy trail, updating trail-safety guidelines, improvements at street crossings near Katy. For the longer term, a Trail Safety advisory Committee has formed to discuss topics such as width, separation and other design elements on all trails, user behavior regulations, necessary/applicable city ordinances and enforcement. The City will also launch a “dynamic advertising campaign” to promote safety.

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I’ve always thought public education was a big part of making the trails safer — we see a lot of simple ignorance of the rules out there — so hopefully something productive will come out of all this. And I saw no mention of speed limits for cyclists, which may or may not make you happy. You can read more about the plan on Hunt’s website/blog.