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+--- Thread: Trails (/showthread.php?tid=378)
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RE: Trails - jamincan - 09-05-2016
I've been participating in Run Waterloo's Summer Trail Tour over the past few months and due to its success, it will be continuing in to the fall. I was preparing some material for a planned run at the Puslinch Tract (most likely this coming weekend) and checking out the planned route to make sure it is appropriate and thought people might find some of the pictures interesting.
Briefly, the property was originally used for aggregate resources in the construction and expansion of the 401; it only became a conservation area in 1999. It's characterized by a variety of different habitats and landscape - some open meadow, plantations, young deciduous forest and some more mature forest as well. The trails are a bit of a mess. Most simply, there is one main multi-use loop and a circuit of single-track trails built for mountain bikers. Due to a lack of signage, the resulting maze of trails is a bit overwhelming until you get your bearings established.
![[Image: QNWgtvY.jpg]](http://i.imgur.com/QNWgtvY.jpg)
![[Image: 8RyTWxF.jpg]](http://i.imgur.com/8RyTWxF.jpg)
![[Image: zRHoBEN.jpg]](http://i.imgur.com/zRHoBEN.jpg)
![[Image: C2cyhKA.jpg]](http://i.imgur.com/C2cyhKA.jpg)
RE: Trails - KevinL - 09-05-2016
I've not heard of this tract before. How can it be accessed?
RE: Trails - clasher - 09-05-2016
There's a parking lot on Wellington Road 32, just south of the 401. Just north of Puslinch lake and a bit east of the Town Line Road interchange.
RE: Trails - Canard - 09-06-2016
Absolutely beautiful, Jamincan! This is so close to my office. I'll have to check this out.
RE: Trails - jamincan - 09-06-2016
Definitely do! Make sure you have some sort of mapping for the area with you, though. Using GPX Viewer on Android, it is possible to set it up to use the OpenStreetMaps hiking and cycling map, which shows the trails. There is also access off of Sideroad 10 and Concession 2, though I think the parking is just along the side of the road.
RE: Trails - tomh009 - 09-09-2016
New signage on the IHT? At least I hadn't seen this before, it appears to be new, at the Borden Ave crossing. Are these already in place elsewhere?
RE: Trails - zanate - 09-09-2016
(08-29-2016, 09:19 PM)jamincan Wrote: Looking on Google Maps, it would be nice if they could extend the Forwell Trail west. There is one spot in particular where there might be difficulty squeezing past the parking lot of a business park off Dutton, but once past there, it could possibly go around the OMSF, connect to the Northfield LRT station, and then continue north along the rail ROW (in a similar manner to the Spur Line Trail) and provide a multi-use trail connection from Uptown to the St. Jacob's Market. A connection to Dutton would provide a much better connection to the Northfield LRT as well for the townhouses at Albert & Weber.
As part of the "Waterloop", the city of Waterloo plans to extend the trail alongside the Waterloo Inn properyt and then connect it up to Albert. Timeline uncertain, it depends on redevelopment plans at the Waterloo Inn property.
Anne Crowe on the Waterloo Trails Advisory Committee has also been pushing for extension of a trail up the rail ROW-- you might want to contact her (message me if you want contact info) to discuss. But I'm concerned that there's "no way through"-- the rail underpass at Weber won't leave much room for a trail, and getting past the OMSF seems like a big challenge too.
As usual, overpasses and underpasses cut off our cycling network.
RE: Trails - MidTowner - 09-09-2016
(09-09-2016, 09:57 AM)zanate Wrote: Anne Crowe on the Waterloo Trails Advisory Committee has also been pushing for extension of a trail up the rail ROW-- you might want to contact her (message me if you want contact info) to discuss. But I'm concerned that there's "no way through"-- the rail underpass at Weber won't leave much room for a trail, and getting past the OMSF seems like a big challenge too.
As usual, overpasses and underpasses cut off our cycling network.
I’ve long desired for the trail to continue up alongside the tracks to Northfield and further on to St. Jacob’s. The more I use Parkside, though, the more I think it’s an acceptable alternative. Upgrading the bike lane to a protected one would make it very attractive to more wary riders. If a trail were installed north of Northfield to St. Jacob’s connecting behind the fire station, that would draw a lot of people, and the numbers would justify really good upgrades on Wes Graham Way and Parkside between the existing trail and Northfield.
RE: Trails - Canard - 09-09-2016
(09-09-2016, 09:26 AM)tomh009 Wrote: New signage on the IHT? At least I hadn't seen this before, it appears to be new, at the Borden Ave crossing. Are these already in place elsewhere?
This is huge! I had tweeted a while back about the need for signage here. Fantastic to see a follow-through!!
RE: Trails - tomh009 - 09-09-2016
Much more visible than the tiny "you can walk your bike across the street" signs on the wooden posts.
RE: Trails - danbrotherston - 09-09-2016
I don't know, it's awfully close to a dismount sign, which is basically the white flag of surrender for bike infrastructure.
RE: Trails - timc - 09-09-2016
You mean it isn't a dismount sign? I guess it is missing the $110 fine text.
RE: Trails - danbrotherston - 09-09-2016
(09-09-2016, 05:03 PM)timc Wrote: You mean it isn't a dismount sign? I guess it is missing the $110 fine text.
Unless I'm mistaken, it's also missing the text. Quite frankly, if it is a dismount sign, I might have to stop using the trail.
RE: Trails - notmyfriends - 09-09-2016
It seems to just be allowing you to dismount. Better not see you do it at any crossings without that sign!
RE: Trails - timc - 09-09-2016
I'm not sure what the point of the sign is. That is a Dismount and Walk Sign, which means that you should do that. But unless I'm mistaken, it's really not intended to be used this way. Why should cyclists walk across this road?