Recreation Trail Motor Vehicle Barrier - Protecting Rural Environments and Providing Access to People Using Mobility Devices

Recreation trails are a key component of the social, economic and health of rural communities. People with mobility impairments are often excluded from trails, shared-use paths, parks and other public areas where barriers are erected to prevent access by motorized trail vehicles (MTVs), to control livestock or wildlife, as an access point in a fenced area, or for a variety of other reasons. Many people who use wheelchairs, hand bikes or other personal mobility devices (PMDs) have been forced to crawl on the ground in order to enter, or cannot enter at all. As a result, vehicle barriers that are currently being used all over the country do not comply with the newest Architectural Barriers Act/Americans with Disabilities Act Accessibility for gates. The research goal is to develop a trail barrier that will prevent MTVs from using recreation trails while allowing access by people who use PMDs. During Phase 1 of this research, the size and performance characteristics that distinguish between MTVs and PMDs were identified and used to develop design concepts for barriers that would be accessible to hikers who use PMDs. Phase 2 of this research will further develop and evaluate these trail vehicle barrier design concepts to verify their effectiveness in allowing access for permitted users and restricting access of prohibited trail users. Phase 2 research will also establish the commercial viability and suitability of these trail vehicle barrier designs for use in a wide variety of trail environments and by diverse land management agencies (e.g., Federal, state, local, volunteer).