Saturday, May 21, 2011

House sets limits on liability for recreational trails



I'm a big fan of bike trails. Connecticut has a wonderful assortment of hiking and bike trails, such as the Air Line Rail Trail or the Farmington Canal Greenway.

So I was pleased to read Christine Stuart's recent article in CT News Junkie:
A bill limiting recreational liability for municipalities overwhelmingly passed the House Tuesday by a vote of 142-1.

Rep. Andrew Fleischmann, D-West Hartford, was the only one to vote against the proposal, which limits the liability municipalities have when it comes to public use of open space, trails, and other recreational lands.

The bill was modified to maintain liability for certain structures such as roads and playground equipment.

The legislation was partially prompted by the $2.9 million jury award to a bicyclist who was injured after hitting a gate at the West Hartford Reservoir.
This is a reasonable, common-sense bill that will allow municipalities to open up more trails and encourage citizens to enjoy the outdoors. I wonder why Rep. Fleischmann voted against this bill, though.

Anyway, remember to wear a helmet and take responsibility for your own personal safety.

2 comments:

lakezoarian said...

I'll be riding the most dangerous trail of all tomorrow- the "Province Lands Bicycle Trail." Super-steep hills, blind curves, sand across the pavement. All three simultaneously in places. Oh, also low tunnels the extremely dumb could crack their heads open on... But it's under Federal responsibility because it's in the Cape Cod National Seashore. No way this could be built today regarding safety. Click on my name for info.

CT Bob said...

My family vacationed in Truro back in the 70s, and I remember doing that bike trail then. I don't remember much detail about it, except it was hotter than hell in July and I didn't bring any water.

Actually, single serving bottled water didn't even exist back then. I remember thinking at the time how great it would be if you can put a quarter into a soda machine and just get a can of cold water rather than the usual super-sweet pop.

My friends all thought I was a lunatic! Then along came Perrier and the rest is history.