Bike Trails Unsafe?

Hey everyone! I was wondering if anyone else had this issue in their community. Although my town is moderately safe, traveling on bike trails on your own is strongly discouraged. Are people just being paranoid, or is this a very common danger?

 

By what context? Danger as in crime or danger as in environment? It all depends on the context.

Where I live, there are lots of bicycle trails and paths but they intersect through dangerous parts of town. The committee who put them in didn't take into account that the area they wanted to service was completely surrounded by low income neighborhoods with crime. So generally it's now an unwritten but somewhat discussed agreement that people who want to ride bicycles on the trails should only do it during the day and to under no circumstance ride them at night.

 

My guess is your concern is that there aren't many people around when you're riding on a bike trail so if something does happen it would be difficult to get help? If that's the case, always carry your phone in a handy & accessible place & have easy to grab protection available.

 

I mean danger as in crime. I have heard stories of people kidnapped and the like on bike trails.

 

Lol, really? I've heard this for the first time in my life that somebody has been kidnapped on a bike trail am I right? Haha. How?
You can easily take speed and go away from the "kidnappers".

 

That's very much true. There's always murders and kidnappings on the bike trails in the city I currently live in. While city officials scratch their heads over the fact that people keep dying/going missing at night on the trails because they're living in a glass tower, the rest of us normal people have to keep telling newcomers to avoid the trails at night at all costs.

@ Lizel: Someone having a gun can even the odds of someone running away on a bicycle. Even if you pedal fast, a gun can fire bullets rapidly and travel far enough to hit the person to disable them for a kidnapping or kill them.

 

Exactly, you make a valid point. They can have not only a gun but some other kind of weapon which can be used to knock out the viction. Moreover, they could have a faster vehicle or a van waiting near by.

 

Wow - glad I'm not wherever you are.

 

Every trail has its certain risks and dangers. If it is your first time riding that path then I guess it would be considered “unsafe” because you do not know the details of this bike trail. Biking an area for the first time would be really be scary at first and slowing down and getting to know it is advisable. If you have already gone through the bike trails and will go though it again then I think it would be safe already because you already know the path and certain details like rocks, tree branches, deep holes, steep ground, etc. Get to know a certain bike trail first before going through it at full speed or a relaxed paced which you are not that focused.

 

To be honest I'm more concerned about riding in traffic or with people around than I am on a scenic bike route. However, that just has to do with personal experience. I'm assuming you have concern because you've been in situations where on said scenic routes crime has occured.

 

Well, it is not like where I live is very high in crime. On the contrary, it is known as a fairly quiet town. The trail does lead into a few towns that have a poor reputation. However, I figured most trails necessitated caution for the reason of potential perpentraters. They are usually not busy and somewhat isolated from others.

 

Generally trails in rural areas and safely rated suburbs are safer, but if you're in a dense urban area then you run into higher risks of being a victim at night. This city's been recently appraised by various city planning committees and architect firms, ect for the trails but they're totally oblivious to the reality that surrounds these areas. This year the murder rate so far is half of what it was last year, but people are still dying on the trails. However that's what you get when you're in the Midwest where there's a perfect crime radius feeding in from Chicago, Detroit, Cincinnati and Gary.

 

I don't know but sometimes there are creepy people on them that's for sure. I guess its like the internet but different. It just leaves the opportunity open. Depends upon how you carry yourself and just using your brain.

 

What with the current problems in European nations at the moment I'd be a little hesitant about going on one of the many trails out there for fear of bumping into undesirables. Then again there are some trails here that fall under the same umbrella, depending on the time of day....

 

It really depends, for me, on where the trail is. There are a some trails I ride that are fine at most any time, but just a few km away I really go on high alert if I'm caught on the trail after dark. Add to that the fact that some trails are very poorly maintained and very few are lit at all...

 

This really depends on the area you're living in, fortunately where I live there is not such danger. I've seen a crazy video though of a guy that was on his bike during the day and another guy pointed a gun on him, totally scary.

 

When you say bike trails, you mean like places outside of town? Or just bike trails along the sidewalk or the road? Because I have a long bike trail that is set out along the shore of the river which runs through my city, but there's also a pedestrian path alongside it and I never considered myself to be in any danger.

 

I prefer riding on bike trails since they are quite safe and have enough room to for riding safely. If I have to ride along the traffic I feel myself quite unsafe when cars are bypassing me.

 

The bike trails around where I live are safe to ride in regards to the terrain, but they can take you well off the beaten track so to speak, so while in summer I have no problem riding them alone, during the winter when it's a lot darker I wouldn't recommend it from a personal safety aspect.

 

They're pretty safe where I live. And people are very respectful as well. They tell you when they're about to pass (for the most part) so that you don't get hit while walking alongside.