Community fights for safe path

It's dusty, noisy, illegal and residents south of Palmer are fed up. They're letting motorists of off-road vehicles know they've eaten dust and gravel, been chased off the path or forced into traffic one too many times.

The trail that runs on the right side of the Old Glenn Highway was dedicated in the 1980s to allow those who live along the highway to safely travel through the neighborhood.

"There isn't even a shoulder [on the Old Glenn Highway]," said Butte resident Brit Lively. "There was no way for any of us here to walk along the road without getting hurt. In those days, we didn't even have a place where kids could go to learn how to ride a bike."

When the trail was established, it bore signs declaring that it was for non-motorized traffic only -- that, Department of Transportation officials say, was its intended use.

Over the years, the signs were removed, lost or stolen, and never replaced. Without a sign telling trail users who may and may not use the trail, restrictions are ignored or forgotten -- and, according to Alaska State Troopers, the restrictions are rendered unenforceable.

David Post, DOT's Mat-Su Area Planner, said off-road vehicles using non-motorized trails has been a growing problem, not only in the Butte area, but elsewhere in the borough.

"This is an issue that has been in existence at the Mat-Su Borough ever since I started working with the borough as a Mat-Su Borough planner," Post said. "It really came about with the greater prevalence of snowmachines and ATVs."

Over the years, Lively said, motorized use along the trail has increased to intolerable levels.

"In the last few years, motorized traffic has gotten so bad," Lively said. "The traffic, especially on weekends, has just been awesome."

She recalled shared stories from other residents who have been forced off the trail by people on motorcycles, then sprayed with gravel as the riders gunned their throttle to speed away. Her daughter, she said, was traveling on the trail with her miniature horse and cart when someone in an off-road vehicle decided to play "chicken" and forced the horse -- and her daughter -- onto the roadway to avoid being hit.

After being stalled when asking someone at the state or borough level to replace signs designating the area for non-motorized use only, Lively and other concerned community residents drew up a petition. In two hours, she said, about 60 signatures were gathered from people enthusiastic about having the trail back.

"It was overwhelming support," Lively said. "People practically grabbed the petition out of our hands."

With the petition in hand, they visited the Mat-Su Borough Parks and Recreation board and asked for their support. The board passed a resolution supporting more signage and that resolution, along with one from the Butte Community Council, was forwarded to DOT.

Ted Cox, president of the Butte Community Council, said the council passed a resolution supporting the signage in February.

"We supported doing the resolution because it is against the law, and it has been against the law," Cox said.

DOT's Mat-Su District Superintendent Curt Devan said the signs are now up. Fifteen signs have been posted between the Knik River Bridge and Palmer. Along with the signs, community residents and those visiting the area are likely to find flyers telling people why the trail is off-limits to motorized users and beseeching them to keep an eye on trail users. Although the community has been asking for the signs off and on for about 10 years, Lively said the hardest part isn't yet over.

"The kids here grew up using the path -- it's an education process, that's why we're doing it," Lively said.

Flyers have been placed on people's windshields, attached to the first signs prohibiting motorized vehicles on the trail and put elsewhere around the Valley. So far, the reception has been fairly good.

"Once people read it, they're really understanding," Lively said.

Post said off-road vehicles may still ride in the Glenn Highway right-of-way on the other side of the road. State law stipulates that such riding must be at least three feet away from the nearest edge of the roadway. At night, AAC 13.02.455 stipulates that off-road vehicles and snowmachines may only use the right-hand side of the road and travel with the direction of traffic. The trail, however, is off-limits night and day.