Uxbridge trail users fund trail improvements with $115,000 in parking revenue

The self-proclaimed Trail Capital of Canada has its own trail users to thank for the title, with parking fees at trail heads in Uxbridge contributing $115,000 for maintenance and infrastructure improvements in the last year alone.

The Trail Sustainability Fund has been implemented by the Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority (LSRCA), Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA), the Township of Uxbridge and Region of Durham at select parking lots to fund enhanced services and amenities at local trail heads.

The partners in the project, said the Township of Uxbridge in a news release, are collecting parking fees at the locations and are putting 100 per cent of the proceeds back into the trails to:

• Engage snow plowing operations for trail parking lots – this enhances safety and enables use of the trail parking for more days a year.
• Place a portable toilet at Concession 7 and Houston Road trailhead.
• Provide materials for boardwalk repairs in Secord Forest and Wildlife Area, with construction completed by Oak Ridges Moraine trail Association and Levis Company volunteers.

Additional improvements funded through parking revenues are planned for this summer, including a bridge replacement in the Glen Major section of East Duffins Headwaters Properties that will cost nearly $60,000. Green Durham Association and Durham Mountain Biking Association are matching the fund’s 50 per cent contribution on the project, which will protect and improve habitat for aquatic species in Duffins Creek and improve safety for tens of thousands of trail users.

The trail system within the Township of Uxbridge sees more than 100,000 visitors annually and this number is on the rise, making it increasingly difficult for the municipality, landowners, land managers, and volunteer groups to keep up with the costs of maintenance and needed visitor amenities and services.

The revenue generated by visiting trail users will help improve, maintain, and provide future infrastructure to all trail sites.