Durango skips trail speed limit, adds striping and enforcement on Animas River Trail

The Animas River Trail will not get a posted speed limit, but it will get more striping, more patrols and more education before summer traffic peaks. The City of Durango said it will not pursue a formal speed cap on the trail at this time, choosing instead to focus on the way people actually move through the corridor: where riders pass, where walkers bunch up, and where conflicts are most likely to flare.

That decision followed two focus group sessions and broader community feedback. More than 80 people applied for 10 seats, a sign of how much attention the trail drew from pedestrians, cyclists, accessibility advocates and frequent users. City staff said the group reached strong agreement around better enforcement of existing rules, especially leash violations, unauthorized motorized use and reckless behavior.

The city’s plan for this summer is practical rather than symbolic. Crews will begin adding centerline striping in the busiest stretches, then watch whether the markings help organize traffic and reduce close calls. Police Cmdr. Devin Conroy said the department’s priority is catching conduct that could put people in jeopardy, and ranger presence will increase during the summer. The city also plans targeted outreach on responsible cycling, e-bike regulations, yielding behavior and leash enforcement, including work with Durango School District to reach young riders on the crowded stretches between Rotary Park and the Durango Recreation Center during commuting hours.

The move closes the door, for now, on a proposal that would have set a 10 mph limit on hard-surface multi-use trails within city limits and made it enforceable by a $100 fine when others are present. That ordinance, proposed Oct. 3, 2025, would have covered bicycles, scooters, skateboards and similar devices, motorized or not. Council postponed it in November, and on Dec. 2, 2025, staff recommended forming the community focus group instead. City staff had noted that comparable communities often use 15 mph limits on multi-use paths, and they pointed to U.S. Access Board guidance as part of the discussion.

For daily users, the message is that the trail rules are staying largely the same, but the city expects more visible enforcement of the rules already on the books. Durango’s own e-bike policy allows Class I pedal-assist and Class II throttle-assist bikes on hard-surface trails, including the Animas River Trail, while Class III bikes are not listed as allowed there. That matters on a corridor the city describes as a paved shared-use trail stretching more than 7 miles through Durango, with another tourism description calling it an 8-mile river trail.

The summer striping is only one piece of the trail work ahead. The city is also planning separate improvements on three older segments, widening them to at least 10 feet, replacing deteriorating asphalt with concrete and upgrading areas that need better lighting, railings and safer crossings. On the Rank Park to Memorial Park stretch, the plan includes replacing the Demon footbridge with a wider bridge and redesigning the Rec Center spur and railroad-crossing area. For everyone on the trail this season, the change is clear: Durango is betting on better markings, better enforcement and better behavior instead of a posted number.