ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, October 10, 1996 TAG: 9610100055
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-2 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: ROBERT FREIS STAFF WRITER
The asphalt had scarcely cooled before the new Huckleberry Trail became inundated with users.
Construction of the first 3.2-mile trail stretch between Blacksburg and Merrimac Road may be completed within a week. Already the pathway is crowded, particularly on weekends.
Officials say the Huckleberry Trail's immediate popularity justifies the rails-to-trails conversion project, which has taken eight years and about $1 million to build.
But the phenomenon has also created some growing pains, as members of the trail's Engineering Committee heard Wednesday.
There have been physical injuries, such as an in-line skater who fell and broke her hip. Speeding bikers have jostled strollers. Parking is limited or nonexistent in some areas and adjacent landowners aren't happy.
"It's gratifying to see so many people out there," said Bill Ellenbogen, president of Friends of the Huckleberry.
Still, Ellenbogen said, trail users will have to learn what he called "mutual consideration."
"It's a low-speed facility. It's not meant for people to commute at 30 mph. If people think they're going to be able to go fast, they're going to have a ton of trouble."
One biker wrote to complain about the yellow trail barriers called "bollards," placed to keep motorized vehicles off the trail. The trail user said they should be removed because they slow him down.
The committee's reply was emphatic: Slow down!
Other safety concerns involve trail crossings at places such as Hightop Road and Tech Center Drive, where automobile drivers aren't yet accustomed to watch for pedestrians or bicycles.
Trail users who parked their cars along Huckleberry Lane have upset residents and blocked driveways. Alternatives for parking are being sought, particularly outside of Blacksburg.
Officials hope to bid the trail's second phase, from Merrimac Road to the New River Valley Mall, this winter and build the remainder of the six-mile trail during the summer of 1997.
Some paperwork regarding the donation of some parcels of land and rights-of-way across Norfolk Southern Railway property must be completed before work on the trail's second phase can begin.
Later this year, a committee will begin to discuss trail enhancements such as benches, bike racks, historic signs and landscaping. Ellenbogen said some additional public or private fund-raising may be necessary to pay for those amenities.
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