The People Trails are the signature bicycle and pedestrian facilities in Columbus. They consist of family-friendly, low-stress recreational routes throughout the City that provide access to schools, parks, arts and architecture, and other important destinations in Columbus. The People Trail is maintained by the Columbus Parks and Recreation Department and is designed for two-way bicycle and pedestrian travel.
The People Trail is a subset of the City’s overall bicycle and pedestrian network; it serves as a system within the larger system of bicycle and pedestrian facilities. The City’s overall network includes other types of bicycle and pedestrian facilities, such as bicycle lanes and sidewalks, that are not part of the People Trail network. Through the People Trail network and its connections to other facilities within Columbus’ overall bicycle and pedestrian network, the City strives to provide residents and visitors with a safe, convenient, and attractive alternative transportation option and recreational opportunity.
City of Columbus Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan
Columbus is a vibrant community with an active bicycling community and a city-wide bicycle and pedestrian network that is highly valued by residents for both transportation and recreation. The popularity of the network is evidenced by the increased use of these facilities over the past several years.
This City of Columbus Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan is an important tool for further developing the bicycle and pedestrian network in the City. The Plan provides a long-term vision for expanding and improving the City’s overall bicycle and pedestrian network, including the People Trail, to make the network more convenient, safe, and comfortable for users of all ages and abilities. The plan was adopted on April 5, 2022 .
For more info on bike | walk Columbus visit: The Bike Walk Columbus website is a resource for pedestrians and bicyclists in Columbus and will serve as a primary source of information as the City continues to improve and expand its overall network of bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure throughout the city
People Trail Wayfinding and Visual Identity
An important component of the City of Columbus Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan is a document titled Bicycle and Pedestrian Network Wayfinding and People Trail Visual Identity. This document describes a high level approach to wayfinding along the City’s overall bicycle and pedestrian network, as well as a visual identity system for Columbus’ People Trail network. This document, developed by Columbus-based designers Brooke Hawkins and Rachel Kavathe, will be used as a guide as the City moves forward with developing a user-friendly and intuitive wayfinding and visual identity system for the People Trail network.
Here is your guide! Wayfinding and People Trail Identity
Guiding Principles for the People Trail visual identity system and wayfinding system:
- Help users reach their destinations with the goal of reducing stress to bicyclists and pedestrians using the system.
- Focus on areas where the system transitions from one facility type to another, and at intersections, with the goal to not only assist user navigation and awareness, but also to increase safety.
- Design for both recreational users and transportation users, new users and experienced users.
The standards for the People Trail visual identity provide a framework for wayfinding, brochures, ads, websites, presentations, t-shirts, murals and other collateral material. By following these guidelines, the People Trail will have a strong and recognizable identity.
The inspiration for the visual identity and logo is based on the trail itself and the way we move along it. The identity represents connections: the physical connections the trail makes to places and the emotional connections we feel within ourselves and to our community when we use the trail.
What to expect next!
There are a number of facets to continuing the development of the People Trail network. All will take careful care and consideration, evaluation, planning and funding/fundraising to complete. In addition to adding more length of trail, the City is focused on implementing wayfinding along the People Trail. This entails identifying our trailhead locations and our wayfinding opportunities, creating the trailhead and wayfinding content, and identifying and securing funding. The process is lengthy and will likely not have a definitive end as the system is continually evolving and growing! We look forward to introducing elements of the wayfinding plan to our community over the coming months and years and look forward to seeing the way it improves and expands the use of our already impressive network!
Thank you to Brooke Hawkins and Rachel Kavathe for the design work on making our WayFinding signs possible.
