Urban rail trails are popular and beloved by cyclists for good reasons. They can be great routes that are built through urban areas in ways that keep cyclists away from automobiles. Plus, turning unused former railway space into a multiuse pathway is often an easy sell because there is nobody around to complain about how it will impact car parking.
But in riding around the fantastic rail trails in and around Victoria, B.C., I realized there is one big risk of rail trails that shouldn't be overlooked.
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0:00 Introduction
0:54 The potential of rail trails
2:02 Urban rail trails around the world
3:24 Why cyclists love them
4:32 Why 'looseness' and 'friction' are important
7:04 So what's the problem?
8:41 Misplaced conflict
9:45 Thank you to members!