Don trails bring an increase in crime and vandalism?
A – No. With all the studies that have been done to factually disprove this notion, it’s hard to believe there are people who associate trails with crime. When you hear someone make this claim ask them for the study that backs it up. Usually, the “proof” comes in the form of a second or third-hand story someone heard about a crime on a trail. The fact that a crime may occur on a trail doesn’t mean trails cause, increase, or bring crime. The unfortunate fact is that crime happens everywhere – in schools, on playgrounds, in shopping malls. Does this mean that schools, playgrounds, or malls should be opposed because they “bring crime”? The most comprehensive study done on trails was a 1998 study done by the National Park Service and Rails-Trails Conservancy titled “Rails-Trails and Safe Communities”. The study looked at 372 trails nationwide and concluded that rail-trails do not increase crime. Included in the study was a table comparing crime rates in urban, suburban, and rural communiti
