I’m a volunteer for a trails organization in PA. We still have amazing pockets of riding country for being close to megalopolis; however, to get from one patch of country to another we have to go on bridle paths along what several decades ago were quiet sparsely traveled country roads, but have since become heavily used high speed alternate routes to the congested highway nearby. Since these are mostly state roads the township cannot lower the speed limit below 45 mph, and much of the traffic goes 55-60. Riding beside this traffic is intimidating to people on green horses, parents of young riders, and many others, and has had a dampening effect on the numbers of people who ride XC here anymore.
I’m looking for model laws and ordinances that make riding beside traffic safer. The best I’ve found so far is New Jersey’s statute:
39:4-72. a. “When approaching or passing a person riding or driving a horse, a person driving a motor vehicle shall reduce the vehicle’s speed to a rate not exceeding 25 miles an hour and proceed with caution. At the request of or upon a signal by putting up the hand or otherwise, from a person riding or driving a horse in the opposite direction, the motor vehicle driver shall cause the motor vehicle to stop and remain stationary so long as may be necessary to allow the horse to pass.”
This is in the NJ driver’s manual, fines are specified, and motorists are notified of it by clear and highly visible signs posted in horsey areas. I think it is about perfect: since it does not impede the motorist when no horse is present (as a lower speed limit would) but does train the motorist to be on the lookout for horse riders, it is a win-win.
I’ve been asked to research other traffic calming, safety enhancing laws in equestrian area. Anybody got any?
If the police aren’t enforcing the 45 mph speedlimit, adding new laws isn’t going to fix the situation.
Can you fundraise to construct a fence blocking the road from the paths? At least then horseback riders won’t have to worry about their horse spooking into traffic.
I’m interesting in following as there was an incident in NY today involving a pickup truck and two mounted horses.
[QUOTE=Rondar;8120126]
I’m a volunteer for a trails organization in PA. We still have amazing pockets of riding country for being close to megalopolis; however, to get from one patch of country to another we have to go on bridle paths along what several decades ago were quiet sparsely traveled country roads, but have since become heavily used high speed alternate routes to the congested highway nearby. Since these are mostly state roads the township cannot lower the speed limit below 45 mph, and much of the traffic goes 55-60. Riding beside this traffic is intimidating to people on green horses, parents of young riders, and many others, and has had a dampening effect on the numbers of people who ride XC here anymore.
I’m looking for model laws and ordinances that make riding beside traffic safer. The best I’ve found so far is New Jersey’s statute:
39:4-72. a. “When approaching or passing a person riding or driving a horse, a person driving a motor vehicle shall reduce the vehicle’s speed to a rate not exceeding 25 miles an hour and proceed with caution. At the request of or upon a signal by putting up the hand or otherwise, from a person riding or driving a horse in the opposite direction, the motor vehicle driver shall cause the motor vehicle to stop and remain stationary so long as may be necessary to allow the horse to pass.”
This is in the NJ driver’s manual, fines are specified, and motorists are notified of it by clear and highly visible signs posted in horsey areas. I think it is about perfect: since it does not impede the motorist when no horse is present (as a lower speed limit would) but does train the motorist to be on the lookout for horse riders, it is a win-win.
I’ve been asked to research other traffic calming, safety enhancing laws in equestrian area. Anybody got any?[/QUOTE]
I am roughly in your area. Even if you get a law added it will not have the desired effect. Most people will not be aware of the law and even if they are won’t pay attention to it. I have had plenty of people intentionally try to spook the horse. People are so involved in their smart phones and getting whereever as quick as possible.
I don’t think the police will bother to enforce a law like that.
I do know that there are traffic calming tactics such as adding planted median, adding brick cross walks.
I second the poster that suggests adding a physical barrier such as a fence.
Regretfully I don’t think changing the law will have the effect that you want to have.
What trails organization to you volunteer for? I love to trail ride and would love to go to some new ones. I am also willing to help with trail clearing.
That law sounds nice in theory. In practice, it probably won’t do a whole lot. Where I live there are laws for: slow down/move over for emergency vehicles on the shoulder; allow 3’ of space when passing cyclists on the road; stop for school buses; yield to pedestrians in crosswalks; etc. I see those broken ALL THE TIME, even the school bus one that comes with a $700+ fine. Many drivers are either totally oblivious to anything other than other vehicular traffic or just figure they can get away with being uncivilized because their time is more important than anything else.
That NJ law would be hard to enforce because a police officer would have to be in the right place at the right time (whether by chance or through targeted enforcement…and how efficient is it for a cop to wait in one place all day in the hope that some horses walk by and some drivers happen to be passing at the same time and don’t obey the law?). The officer would also need radar or some other speed detecting device to enforce the 25 mph part, because it is so specific. On the other hand, “proceed with caution” and “remains stationary so long as may be necessary” are quite vague and would require detailed testimony and the clarification of case law.
I think Arapaloosa’s fence idea is more likely to create actual safety gains, but may not be feasible depending on how many miles of roadside trail you have.
Maine has that type of law, but I doubt anyone knows about it. A number of years ago a car full of kids passed a mom and daughter, honking, yelling, etc, and not slowing down at all. The daughter’s horse spooked, she went head first into a telephone pole and died on the scene (she was wearing a helmet). I doubt they ever found out who the driver was.
[QUOTE=Linny;8120452]
I’m interesting in following as there was an incident in NY today involving a pickup truck and two mounted horses.[/QUOTE]
Where?
I would try for added stop signs or signs increased enforcement of the existing laws.
There’s a similar situation where I’m from, except it’s buggy traffic that’s been there for over 150 years. People basically know the horse traffic is there; they just don’t care.
I’m a volunteer for a trails organization in PA.
Is any one in this organization working with the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) ?
Just wondering because back in the early 1990s I was on a board that help write the 1991 federal highway budget proposal to insert $30M/yr into the highway budget for Recreational Trails Program (RTP).
The Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 (1991 ISTEA, Public Law 102-240) included the National Recreational Trails Fund Act (Section 1302), which established the National Recreational Trails Funding Program. The program was authorized at $30 million per year but without contract authority.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: See http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/environment/recreational_trails/ and http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/map21/guidance/guidetap.cfm. Contact the Office of Human Environment (HEPH).
Locally we had a specific ax to grid as at that time there were no or few equine trails in north Texas.
Over the years since, working with the Corps of Engineers a plan was impleaded for 700 plus miles of interconnected, safe trails that is continually review and expanded.
link to each state’s agency that directly connected to Highway Funding programs
http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/environment/recreational_trails/rtpstate.cfm
Have to agree with the others, new laws won’t help. I am sure there are already general laws in place, to protect riders, walkers, bike riders, that are not enforced. Just making new laws won’t help fix the problem.
Perhaps additional signage, showing riders might be around, like the deer crossing signs, would alert drivers to possible rider dangers ahead.
The fence idea is great, just going to be costly even with Volunteer labor and vandalism might make it hard to keep in place.
Best of luck to you with your project and as a Trail Rider I REALLY appreciate your efforts to make things safer.
Clanter, thanks for the links.
I used to ride on or near roads all the time. Drivers would slow down and usually wait for me to wave them past. I haven’t ridden next to a road in at least ten years, the mindset of drivers has changed, most drivers here now have zero regard for the damage they can cause to a horse and rider. I haul to the trails, it’s a bit of a hassle but so much safer.
I’m from NJ and can tell you, while the law is helpful in some areas, not in all.
First they also created signs to be posted re the 25 mph near horses and stop if signaled by the rider. However, no one has been able to successfully get these signs on anything but local roads.
Roads are ‘owned’ by towns, counties, the State and the Feds. Horses aren’t allowed on Federal roads (interstates). State roads also tend to be divided highways or higher speed roads that are not appropriate for horse traffic. Unfortunately, most county road administrators will not post the signs or enforce the law on county roads,
One issue is the difference in speed. If the speed limit is 45 or 50, they feel there is more of a risk of accidents if people are going up and down in speed for passing the horses. The MUST do this for schools, but feel it is an issue there as well and trying to enforce this around a moving target is near impossible.
So you can get local roads posted with signage for the new law, but not county or state roads. Those, if crossed by trails WILL put up a yellow triangle caution sign with a picture of a horse and trail crossing or the like.
Some of the folks pushing the new law are very frustrated by not being able to put the new signs up and so they don’t push for the other possible signs that might help as well
Unfortunately, there are two issues you are dealing with. The increasingly angry and rushed driver wanting everyone out of his/her way so they can get to their destination (because we all know THEY are much more important than anyone else)…
And something that’s been going on since the introduction of cars at the turn of the last century
Clay McShane of Down the Asphalt Path writes that the real reason for the rapid switch from horses to cars had a lot to do with and change in attitude on what a road was. Up to the late 1800s, roads were part of the town, you met people on them, sold things alongside, kids played in them animals were driven down them etc.
With the intro of faster moving cars people started reimagining roads more as transportation lanes.
December Smithsonian had a cool article on the intro of the new driverless cars and how similar it is to the original intro of cars. In talking about the effects of cars on the 1800s roads, there was a big upsurge in accidents, particularly involving children. There was some talk about rate limiters on car speed and possibly banning them in some cities until the car manufacturers and enthusiasts invented the “jay walker” (Jaye being a country rube who doesn’t know better than to walk in the street that belongs to cars). Within a few years it was picked up by the press (can we say there were more car ads than pedestrian ads?) and it didn’t take long for roads to turn over to the cars. By the late 1940s-50s, road studies stopped considering pedestrians.
There is some pushback now from the bicyclists walkers etc, but it’s an uphill battle.
Personally, we should just bring back some of the old laws like those from PA where the driver of an automobile, on spotting a horse was supposed to stop and cover his auto with a cover painted to look like the natural area (camo). If the horse was still upset, he was to dismantle his vehicle and hide it in the bushes.
This is some of the research I’ve found when working on a talk about the change from carts to cars. Fun subject.
Arapaloosa , Sonny’s Mom, and Libby,
I think we may be able persuade our township to enforce a 25 mph speed limit law when passing a horse rider. They claim to be pro-horse: pictures of people out hacking on front and back covers of our Comprehensive Plan, etc. Our police officers like generating revenue from fines as much as any other officers. Nervous Moms walking with their Pony Club kids along the road to get to practices could snap pics of speeders. Word might get out.
The speed limit ordinance would be supported by “Yield to Equestrians and Pedestrians in Crosswalk” signs and “Watch for Horses in Roadway” and “Trail Crossing 300 Ft” warning signs. We only have a few miles along three or four problem roads, so it may be doable.
