Dear Action Line,
The city installed signs on the Animas River Trail telling users to “walk on the right.” Yet the poster shows two dog owners happily meandering on the left side. Is this proof that Durango is far left-leaning in politics as well as perambulations? Or is this just another preachy municipal poster made irrelevant by bad art? – Signed, Lefty Wright
The Animas River Trail gets a lot of action. If it’s not a speeding e-bike like we discussed last week, the groups of people or individuals walking every which way, riding against traffic, or zig zagging will cause confusion quickly.
Action Line always assumed this was a simple thing. Travel on the right side, just like when you’re driving on roads, and pass on the left. There is even a center line painted on some sections of the river trail as a guide. Of course, drivers don’t always follow those guidelines, so how can we expect them to do so on a shared path?
The sign seen by our reader definitely paints a confusing image. Two dog walkers are strolling on the “far-left” of the path, while two bicyclists appear to be passing on the right. Doesn’t this contradict the very message of “Pedal light, leash tight, walk on the right?”
Given the city of Durango logo on the signs, we reached out to the municipality and learned that the multimodal transportation division was responsible for the signs.
“When we made the sign, the background image was never intended to be demonstrative or portray the written message on the sign,” Devin King, multimodal manager said. “We were focused on catching people’s eye to read the sign and to provide a message that would educate by being catchy and short enough for people to remember when walking or riding by.”
We also wondered, along with our question asker, about how the city designed the sign. Is this another sign of the times and the world’s rampant adoption of AI-generated images?
“The image was made in Canva, so we were moving the people and elements around a bit to make sure the words were clear and visible,” King said. “We did try to make sure that the image fit our community as best as possible with varying ages, genders, races and ethnicities represented. Additionally, we ensured to provide a sign in Spanish at each location.”
It seems to us like King and his department made a genuine effort to spread a message about safe, responsible use of the river trail. Maybe some of us, on the left and the right side of the trail, can be a bit too cynical about local government sometimes. Even so, it is a funny juxtaposition.
It is a good reminder that predictable behavior makes things easier, safer and less confusing for all trail users. Remember to travel on the right and pass on the left. Don’t forget to leash your dogs (and kangaroos). And try not to take up the entire trail when traveling in a group.
The upside of the animated sign? People are reading and digesting public information.
As King summed it up: “I will say, it’s a good indicator that people are reading the signs and paying attention if they are noticing that the people are walking and cycling inappropriately.”
Submit questions to actionline@durangoherald.com or mail questions to Action Line, The Durango Herald, 1275 Main Ave., Durango, CO 81301.
