Horses should be allowed on the bridge over M-24 and buggies permitted on the Polly Ann Trail.
That was the Oxford Village Council’s message to the Polly Ann Trail Management Council (PATMC) as it voted last week 4-0 to recommend ‘the trail be open to any and all non-motorized activity.?
‘The Polly Ann Trail was built for all non-motorized (uses),? said Councilman Tom Benner.
Benner was upset because at its Oct. 18 meeting, the PATMC voted 6-1 to adopt a ‘policy? that ‘no horses are to cross the M-24 bridge.?
‘I asked the council to make policy on it,? explained Trail Manager Amy Murray, who noted this includes both riding and walking horses across the steel bridge located between Church and Center streets in the village. ‘It’s foolish to put yourself and your horse in a situation like that where the risk is so huge.?
‘I am dead-set against any funding for the Polly Ann Trail if this is to continue,? said Benner, continue,? said Benner, who believes such a prohibition is a ‘direct violation? of what the trail and bridge were built for in the first place ? all non-motorized recreational activity.
Benner was also upset because the trail has barriers at certain points where it intersects with local roads.
While these barriers are meant to prevent motorized vehicles from driving on the trail, they also keep people from driving their horse and buggies along the entire 14.2-mile trail which runs through Addison, Oxford and Orion townships.
‘There’s no way you could take a horse and buggy down the Polly Ann Trail because they have it blocked at almost every road crossing,? Benner explained.
His fellow council members were very supportive of the idea of allowing all non-motorized uses on the trail and bridge.
Given the new state law which changed the vehicular speed limit on many local gravel roads from 25 to 55 miles per hour, Councilperson Teri Stiles said equestrian enthusiasts ‘need a trail more than ever? to pursue their hobby safely.
Stiles called the new gravel road speed limits ‘a disaster in the works.?
Village President George Del Vigna recalled when the bridge was first proposed, the ‘main thrust? of the argument in favor of building it was so horse riders could cross M-24.
In regards to the PATMC’s new policy now prohibiting horses on the bridge, Del Vigna said, ‘To me, you’re talking out of both sides of your mouth.?
To be fair, in a December 2003 interview with this newspaper, Larry Obrecht, manager for the trail and bridge project, said, ‘You’ve been out here in Oxford long enough to understand that horses can’t go across that tall of a bridge. No horses.?
Then in August 2004, Obrecht told village officials during a meeting, ‘Horses were never to be allowed across the bridge . . . Never, never was it anticipated that horses would go across the bridge . . . It’s always been said the Polly Ann (Trail) would be open to horse traffic.?
According to Murrary, the recent decison to adopt a formal policy prohibiting horses on the bridge was based on safety and common sense.
‘All the (equestrian) people I talked with kind of agreed that it was a foolish risk to take for anyone,? she said. ‘Even with a well-seasoned horse that is accustomed to crossing foot bridges, streams and things like that, something can happen to a horse like that to set them off at any time.?
From the sounds of the traffic below and the nearby fire station to the height of the bridge, Murray said there are ‘so many risk factors? and ‘so many unkowns? that could ‘spook any horse whether its well-trained or green.?
An out-of-control horse on the bridge, whether ridden or walked, is not only a danger to itself and its owner, but to others on the structure and the M-24 traffic below, the trail manager explained.
Should an incident involving a horse happen atop the bridge, drivers? attention would be directed upward, the ‘rubber-necking factor? as Murray put it, away from the traffic and pedestirans around them.
As someone who owns two horses and has about 30 years of riding experience, Murray noted, ‘I wouldn’t want to do it and I wouldn’t suggest anyone else do it.?
‘It’s just too risky,? she said. ‘I would say there are very few horse people who would try that.?
Besides most of the equestrian trail traffic stays east of M-24, according to Murray,
‘There just aren’t that many equestrian trail users who go into (Oxford) village as a means of getting from Lake Orion to Leonard,? she said.
As for the horse and buggy issue, concerns over safety and practicality are the reasons they’re not allowed.
‘When you see a horse and buggy accident it’s a pretty scary thing,? Murray said. ‘There are a lot more potential hazards.?
The topography of the trail is not conducive to this use in some areas.
In Addison, Murray noted there are ‘lots of places? where the former railroad bed turned trail is elevated and ‘drops off really steeply on either side.?
Also the width of the trail, which is generally 12 feet or slightly less, makes it impossible for a horse and buggy to turn around safely should it encounter another coming from the opposite direction.
‘It’s not a truck,? Murray said. ‘You can’t back it up, three-point turn it around and go the other way.?
The PATMC is open to hosting special events during which arrangements could be made for horse riders to safely cross M-24 or horse and buggy enthusiasts to use the trail.
For horse riders, local police could stop traffic, allowing them to cross M-24 on the ground, Murray said.
Special events involving horse and buggies could be managed by directing them all to travel in a single direction and posting signage alerting other trail users to yield and use care that day.
‘Anybody who has a special event or a one-time deal, we will be happy to work with them to see what we can arrange to make it available,? Murray said.