Call it like it is …

Frontiersman editorial board

George Orwell warned us about the danger of words mislabeling and obscuring our reality. "Ignorance is strength" was one of the mind-benders in his novel "1984."

The language used to title one Wasilla city project seems to be illustrating the confusion that can occur over a simple word: pedestrian.

That word was linked to "trail," without the addition of another crucial explanatory word: snowmachine. And confusion and mistrust resulted.

A group of neighbors with homes east of Lake Lucille attended a Wasilla city council meeting Monday to speak out against the multi-use trail that would connect Wasilla Lake with Lake Lucille.

The plan presently routes snowmachine traffic through their neighborhood, and that's something the residents in attendance were not prepared to take sitting down.

But the ordinance designating the trail -- which the city council passed unanimously in July 2001 -- was somewhat deceptive. The title states the ordinance designates "portions of Wasilla Street and Park Avenue as a pedestrian trail for access between Wasilla and Lucille Lakes." But the document includes a section that defines "pedestrian" as including "snowmobiles, between December 1 and April 1 when the trail is covered in snow."

We understand that laws often include definitions of their terms, but this particular definition of pedestrian simply defies logic.

The neighbors and the city will hopefully work out arrangements for resolving their dispute, perhaps limiting the hours for snowmachines on the trail will help. It is true that snowmachiners need a safe place in town to protect them from the hazards of mixing with larger vehicles, and we believe that snowmachines trails are worth planning.

It's also true that mixing built-for-speed snowmachines and pedestrians is dangerous, and that a potentially noisy snowmachine trail skirting the backyard is, to some, a considerable nuisance.

We hope that the next time any local government sets out to work on a multi-use trail, they'll call it what it is. That way the noise issue -- and let's not kid ourselves, it is an issue any time a motorized vehicle is involved -- and the issue of safety for those on foot, bicycle, skates or skis can both be addressed.

In the meantime, there's still the matter of words obscuring reality in Wasilla's ordinance. It defies common sense to call a trail a pedestrian trail and then allow snowmachines on it. In this case, it hampered the public process and obscured the true issues.