COURSEY: Sharing the trails
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I've got a pretty good idea of what happened to Odessa O'Brien Schexnaydre.
Not that I was there when the 39-year-old runner and fitness instructor was hit by a bicycle on the Santa Rosa Creek Trail. In fact, the only other person who was there – the bicyclist – took off and hasn't been heard from since.
But I have walked and biked on that trail ever since portions of it were first paved more than a decade ago, and I can imagine what happened because I have seen it play out in my mind there and on other trails hundred times:
The runner and the cyclist are tooling along in the same direction, both enjoying the day, the trail, the exercise. The runner is unaware of the cyclist's approach; the cyclist is unaware of the runner's intentions. One of them – or more likely both of them – makes the wrong move.
In this case, it left Schexnaydre with a fractured skull and other injuries.
Since we live in a society that likes to assign blame and appoint villains, a lot of the discussion of this incident has been about who was at fault. You won't find that discussion here. Instead, let's talk about how we all can safely enjoy our trails together.
As I said, I speak from experience. I ride my bike at least once a week on the Prince Greenway, the Santa Rosa Creek Trail, the Rodota Trail, the West County Trail, the Brush Creek Trail, the trails at Howarth, Spring Lake and Annadel parks or other multi-use trails around Sonoma County. These are safe, convenient, fun and scenic places to enjoy the outdoors in our community. For bikers, hikers and runners, they are car-free corridors that either serve as connectors to other places or destinations unto themselves where users can pedal, walk or run without worrying about cars. For families and children, they offer a safe place to enjoy nature and get some fresh air. They are popular with roller skaters, skateboarders, parents with strollers, wheelchair users or anyone else looking for outdoor recreation.
And, they are getting increasingly crowded. On a sunny weekend, the trails of Spring Lake are a lot more congested than the local mall.
That's a good thing. But it requires some cooperation among users.
First, cyclists need to understand the difference between a trail and a road. Just like you wouldn't drive your car 65 mph down your neighborhood street, you shouldn't ride your bike at full speed on a local trail. If you want to hammer, take your bike out on the streets where you can compete with cars to see how fast you can go. Don't do it where moms are pushing strollers and kids are trying out their training wheels.
Second, pedestrians need to understand they aren't the only ones on the trails. Just like on the street, traffic moves in both directions here, and some users move faster than others. Walkers and runners sometimes have to get out of the way.
In the end, though, we're all out there for the same reason. Whether cycling, walking, running, rolling or skating, we're all just trying to get a little exercise and enjoy the day.
Can't we all just get along? Absolutely. And here are a few suggestions to help us toward that goal:
