David Brickley walks on the rail bed in King George County that he plans to open for hiking and biking this summer. Critics of the trail fear crime, but advocates insist that fear is unfounded. FILE/SUZANNE CARR ROSSI/THE FREE LANCE-STAR Visit the Photo Place

View the King George County community page

Critics of the King George rail-trail have offered no real evidence

The folks criticizing the King George trail should have some evidence

Date published: 7/6/2006

WE ARE ALL ENTITLED to our opinions, but the legitimacy of our opinions should be measured by the facts that support them. When asked to substantiate their claim that "trails increase crime," trail opponents offer little more than second- or third-hand anecdotal evidence.

They reference no study. They cite no statistics. At best, opponents relate the story of a single crime, or they talk about trails in the abstract.

Trails neither cause nor increase crime. This isn't an opinion; it's a fact, established by numerous studies on the issue.

The most comprehensive study on the question of trail crime is a 1998 study done by the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy in cooperation with the National Park Service. Titled "Rail-Trails and Safe Communities," the study looked at 372 trails nationwide.

One of the first paragraphs in the study states: "Stories of trails attracting drug dealers, murderers, and rapists are perpetuated by trail opponents with only a handful of newspaper headlines to back up their assertions rather than empirical research. Despite numerous studies that have concluded that rail-trails do not generate crime, concerns persist and fear of the unknown continues to provide fertile ground for trail opponents."

The "Rail-Trails and Safe Communities" study goes on to cite four separate studies conducted between 1979 and 1997 that concluded rail-trails do not increase crime.

Comparison of major crime statistics from 1995 provides a useful frame of reference. In 1995, the national average for assaults occurring in rural settings was 203 assaults for every 100,000 people, with rail-trail assaults of 0.01 for every 100,000 users.

In other words, you were 20,000 times more likely to be an assault victim off a trail than on one.

Results for study of minor crimes were similar. According to the study, only one-fourth of rail-trails reported any type of minor crime such as graffiti or littering, and letters from law enforcement officials attested that the volume of these incidents was "minimal."

Follow us on

Date published: 7/6/2006