34AEJ7D@CMUVM.BITNET (Bill Gorman) (05/01/91)
Index Number: 15277
Some of you may be familiar with the National Scenic and Recreational Trails
Act. Briefly, it says the fed is supposed to establish a system of
coast-to-coast hiking, bicycling and horseback trails all over the USA.
This has been on the books for years, without much action.
Now there seems to be a new dodge emerging,i.e., "privatizing"
development of this trail system. What it looks like we will get is a
patchwork where a different group, individual or organization decides
to each establish and maintain their own little bits and pieces of the
system. Among other things, these entities are then permitted to
decide what uses are permitted on their part of the trail. The default
"permitted use" is TAB hikers. ('Ain'tcha surprised? No? Gee!) Most uses
that would make this system accessible to the disABLED community, be it
use by bikes, tricarts, horses, wheelchairs, or anything else seem
rather conspicuous by their absence.
Sound familiar?
W. K. (Bill) Gorman