Motorized vehicles warned to stay off
new bicycle, walking trail
By Doug Lowe
Staff writer
5-21-2020
MT. PLEASANT—Riding motorized vehicles on the new trail around Mt. Pleasant City Park can get you in big trouble.
Some people may soon be fined and even arrested for riding a motorized vehicle on the new blacktopped bicycling and walking trail, which encircles the city park, along with the old train station (now a coffee, coco and pastry place), and the string of box cars (now a unique type of motel) sandwiched between the depot and the park.
Because the new trail or path is still under construction, signage and pylons discouraging motorized use have yet to be put in place. And, apparently, some area residents have mistaken the new .7 mile blacktopped trail for a narrow road open to motorized vehicles.
In its mostly-finished condition, with a center stripe of freshly painted yellow dashes, the trail certainly resembles a somewhat narrower than usual roadway. Still, only bicyclists and pedestrians are legally allowed to use the trail.
According to Monte Bona, executive director of the Mt. Pleasant’s community development and renewal agency (CDRA), the trail has been built to federal government standards using some $186,000 in Federal Highway Administration funds passed thru the Utah Dept. of Transportation (UDOT.) Bona and other city officials envision the new circular trail as merely the first leg of a much bigger and longer creation that will eventually enable walking and bicycling all the way to Spring City.
In the near future, once the needed signage and pylons have been installed, a ribbon cutting ceremony will be held to officially open this new addition to the city’s recreational facilities.
In the interim, a “Name the Trail” competition, announced by Mayor Michael Olsen, will be inviting citizens to dream up a suggested name for the new circular trail with the chance of winning a $250 cash prize contributed by the Mormon Pioneer National Heritage Area.
Contest entries should be placed in an envelope, containing both the suggested name and contact information for the person submitting that suggestion, and then either mailed to Mayor Olsen at city hall, 115 W. Main St., Mt. Pleasant, UT 84647, or placed in the drop box located behind city hall to the south.
