What's happening
This bill requires New York's parks office to develop and regularly update a statewide plan for non-motorized multi-use trails.
Why it matters
Improves statewide trail coordination. By mandating a comprehensive plan, the bill aims to create a more connected, accessible, and user-friendly network of non-motorized trails, making it easier for users to travel longer distances and access more communities across New York.
Promotes health, accessibility, and tourism. The required plan will address goals for universal accessibility and promote trail use for recreation and transportation, which can lead to improved public health, increased outdoor activity, and new opportunities for tourism and local economic development.
Brings data-driven planning and transparency. The bill calls for a Geographic Information System (GIS) inventory of existing and planned trails, public hearings, and regular updates, ensuring decisions are based on data and public input, and that progress is monitored and adjusted over time.
Encourages efficient use of resources. By identifying opportunities—such as using abandoned railways, utility corridors, and underutilized roads—the plan could make use of existing infrastructure, potentially reducing costs and environmental impact while expanding trail options.
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Who cares
Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation
The office would lead statewide trail planning, update the plan at least every five years and oversee implementation subject to funding being appropriated or identified.
- Likely support
Departments of Environmental Conservation, Health and Transportation
These agencies would consult on the plan at least quarterly and provide facilities, assistance and data to support the office’s work.
Bicyclists, pedestrians, skaters, joggers, cross-country skiers and equestrians
The plan would address their trail uses, connections between statewide and local routes, and goals for universal accessibility.
Trail and tourism organizations
The plan would recommend trail acquisition and development priorities, funding approaches, maps and signs, and coordination with other New York tourism opportunities.
Headline styles
Plan Multi-Use Trails Statewide
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
History
- Substituted by S4416B
- Ordered to third reading rules cal.591
- Rules report cal.591
- Reported
- Reported referred to rules
- Print number 5035b
- Amend (t) and recommit to ways and means
- Reported referred to ways and means
- Print number 5035a
- Amend (t) and recommit to economic development
- Referred to economic development
Companion bill
The same bill in the other chamber. A bill becomes law when one version passes both houses and the governor signs it, so either number can carry it.
Plan Statewide Trails Network
Signed by Governor · Sponsor Anna Kaplan
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
5035--B
2019-2020 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
February 6, 2019
Introduced by M. of A. FAHY, McDONALD, ENGLEBRIGHT, STECK, BURKE -- Multi-Sponsored by -- M. of A. GRIFFIN -- read once and referred to the Committee on Economic Development -- committee discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted to said committee -- reported and referred to the Committee on Ways and Means -committee discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted to said committee
AN ACT to require the office of parks, recreation and historic preservation to create a plan regarding non-motorized multi-use trails
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. (a) For the purposes of this act, the term "non-motorized multi-use trail" shall mean an off-street linear facility for recreation and transportation, paved or unpaved, designated to serve multiple types of non-motorized users, including, but not limited to, bicyclists, pedestrians, in-line skaters, joggers, cross-country skiers or equestrians.
(b) The office of parks, recreation and historic preservation, or for purposes of this act, the "office", shall create a plan for a comprehensive statewide system of non-motorized multi-use trails consisting of a network of non-motorized primary corridors linked to and enhanced by regional and local non-motorized multi-use trails. The draft plan shall be completed one year after this act becomes a law. The office shall consult concurrently with representatives from the department of environmental conservation, the department of health and the department of transportation to create such plan. A representative of each agency shall be appointed by the commissioner of their respective agency. The office shall meet with the representatives of such agencies at least quarterly. There shall be a sixty-day public comment period on such draft plan and there shall be at least one public hearing on the draft plan during such sixty-day public comment period. The final plan shall
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD09167-04-9
A. 5035--B 2
be completed and adopted one hundred eighty days after submission of the draft plan. The plan shall be updated no less than every five years. Such plan shall include five major components:
(i) A vision for a statewide network of non-motorized primary corridors linked to and enhanced by regional and local non-motorized multiuse trails, which will include trail uses to be addressed in the plan; goals for geographic distribution; goals for universal accessibility; and general goals for new trail acquisition and development.
(ii) A Geographic Information System (GIS) inventory of existing nonmotorized multi-use trails across the state, as well as planned non-motorized multi-use trails, or undeveloped corridors under consideration for future non-motorized multi-use trails.
(iii) Identification of new non-motorized multi-use trail opportunities including, but not limited to, transportation (rail, canal, trolley) corridors - existing, abandoned or under consideration to be abandoned; under-utilized or closed roads; utility corridors and natural corridors such as waterways and waterfronts.
(iv) A comprehensive set of non-motorized multi-use trail recommendations, including but not limited to acquisition and development priorities; guidelines for design and maintenance of different "tier" (primary, regional, local) non-motorized multi-use trails; guidelines for wayfinding, marketing and interpretive signs and informational resources, such as statewide and regional maps of existing non-motorized multi-use trails, to promote the use of such trails and their coordination with other tourism opportunities in New York state.
(v) Recommendations for funding the acquisition, construction, maintenance, and promotion of non-motorized multi-use trails as well as implementation.
(c) The department of environmental conservation, the department of health, the department of transportation and any other state agencies, departments, public authorities or programs with relevant expertise or resources shall provide the office with such facilities, assistance, and data as will enable the office to carry out its powers and duties. The office will have primary responsibility for implementation of the plan created pursuant to the provisions of this act, provided the costs of implementation have been appropriated or identified by the commissioner of the office.
§ 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.