A sign manual for Fredericton's recreational trails

Abstract

The demand for recreational trails is increasing. Concern for the environment, the desire to adopt an active lifestyle and an aging population are just a few of the factors generating this demand. The increasing demand is leading to the development of recreational trails across Canada. The abandonment of rail lines is facilitating the development of the Trans Canada Trail, the New Brunswick Trail and the local Fredericton trail network. In Fredericton, the current trail network is being extended through the development of new trails and by linking the existing trails. As development continues, people will begin to use the trail network not only for recreation, but as a route to and from a destination. For this reason, the recreational trail system in Fredericton will become part of the transportation network and thus must be engineered as a transportation system. The engineering of a trail network as a transportation system requires the use of a standard signage system. Currently, there is not a standard recreational trail signage system in Canada that considers trails as a transportation network. This report will review and assess several recreational trail signage systems and will combine these systems with highway sign standards set by the Transportation Association of Canada to produce a recreational Trail Sign Manual for the City of Fredericton.