It’s called the three “S” s – Safety, Security and Shade.
That was a major theme that emerged from the Tarrant Regional Water District’s new Recreation Master Plan. People wanted to feel safe and secure when using the Trinity Trails. And a tree to sit under would be nice.
“Those are the three things we heard loud and clear from the public,” when holding public hearings as part of writing the plan, said Darrell Beason, TRWD’s chief operations officer. “And this plan delivers.”
The master plan, adopted by the Tarrant Regional Water District Board of Directors last month lists numerous projects to improve signage, striping and lighting along the more than 70 miles of trails along the Trinity River.
Some of the work is already underway, while others will be considered as the District develops a financial strategy to pay for the work. The plan lays out an ambitious program that will take decades to complete.
But an urgent need by many who use the Trinity Trails to walk, jog and bike, was that they desired improved safety in the high traffic areas, enhanced security measures and more frequent rest areas and trailheads.
As a result, the Master Plan recommends improving signage and striping along the Trinity trail system in three phases – on the Clear Fork, the Lower West Fork and Upper West Fork.
It also proposes a strategic tree planting program at $25,000 a year in partnership with the City of Fort Worth, Streams & Valleys and the Botanical Research Institute of Texas. This would be implemented sometime within the next 10 years.
Three lighted loops along the Trinity Trails also are recommended in the master plan: at Westworth Village crossing; Riverside; and Overton.
The District is already testing security lighting and the use of “smart” poles. They include solar-powered lights, an emergency call box, video cameras and sometimes a gunshot detector. TRWD has been working closely with Plano-based Green Frog Systems on this project because of their experience with the technology and the data they were able to collect during the pilot project.
The lights would likely be operational from dusk to 10 p.m. and 4 a.m. to dawn matching the proposed hours of operation of the floodway.
Don Arnold, president of SAFE + Happy Trails, praised the District for listening to the public as it compiled information for its master plan. His group has already donated two “smart” poles to the District as part of its testing program.
“I think one of the recurring themes they heard at the town hall meetings was safety. The desire for safety is still top of the mind,” Arnold said.
The work along the Trinity Trails will complement what other groups, such as Streams & Valleys, and entities, like the City of Fort Worth, are doing to improve community recreational activities.
Getting the public’s input truly guided the writing and eventual adoption of the Recreational Master Plan, said Lexi McCalip, TRWD’s Floodway and Construction Director.
“It was energizing,” McCalip said. “We’re just trying to enhance what we’ve already got and work with our stakeholders and partners to make sure we are complementary to them.”
