Parks staff told the Ames City Parks and Recreation Commission on May 15 that they will send a public survey next week asking residents about park use, trail safety, allowable devices and rules such as foraging and dogs off leash.

The survey is intended to gather public feedback on how often people use park trails, whether a uniform speed limit for wheeled personal transport (bicycles, e-bikes, scooters) should be posted, and whether foraging should be allowed in some or all park areas. A parks staff member said the commission will review survey results during a June facilities tour and return with recommended draft policies at the commission’s July meeting.

Why it matters: Commission members and staff said trail safety and the rise of e-bikes and personal mobility devices have prompted renewed questions about rules and enforcement on multiuse paths. The survey will guide whether the city adopts posted limits, targeted signage and an education campaign.

Commission discussion focused on enforcement, question wording and how the public would interpret options on the survey. Commissioner Jeff Isles said enforcement would be “extremely difficult” and predicted many users will rely on common sense: “People are gonna be using common sense on it anyway.” He and other commissioners urged clear, nonleading survey language and suggested adding sliding-scale or “feel safe/unsafe” options rather than yes/no questions. A parks staff member acknowledged enforcement limits and recommended combining posted limits with education, signage and community outreach.

Commissioners also raised specific drafting points for the survey: add a response option that allows respondents to say foraging should be permitted in designated areas rather than only yes/no; include a “no posted speed limit” option for those opposed to limits; and avoid leading wording such as pairing a safety question with a prescriptive policy suggestion. Staff said they will revise ambiguous items before distribution.

On e-bikes, commissioners asked the staff to consider device weight and assisted-start speeds when proposing any numeric limit because some e-bikes accelerate above 10 mph with minimal effort. The staff noted the city may ultimately set a single posted speed — as some other cities have done — and rely on public education and signage to encourage courtesy and safety where monitoring is impractical.

Staff said the survey will be distributed via the parks e-newsletter and left open for several weeks. The commission invited further edit suggestions prior to publication.