A public meeting has been set for March 3 to let residents know how the Dawson Road Trail in Wolf Creek is to be used.

In an interview this morning, Doug Hnatiuk, the city’s manager of parks and community development, responded to concerns of the trail being designated as non-motorized.

He cited the meeting as a piece in a public education initiative as the city continues implementing its trail plan.

At Monday’s city council meeting, Dawson Road residents Doug Larsen and Gregg Jilson brought forward a petition signed by 17 of the 18 residents from the road.

It calls for the trail to be reinstated as a multi-use artery rather than the non-motorized designation it’s been given.

As Hnatiuk explained though, the trail has been designated as a non-motorized trail since the approval of the city’s 1997 trail plan. That designation remained in the 2007 trail plan.

Nothing about the non-motorized status of the trail that has changed.

The city, however, has been moving forward with implementing the trail plan. That includes adding signs and educating the public on what trails have been designated for motorized and non-motorized use.

“We’re doing that all over town,” Hnatiuk said.

A number of signs have gone up on area trails to ensure the public is aware of whether they can ride motorized vehicles on the trail, he added.

He noted there’s been a number of meetings about the Dawson Road Trail in Wolf Creek over the years.

The city has been looking at a number of issues, from the area’s environmental sensitivity to the impact on residents in designating the trail for non-motorized use.

At Monday’s meeting, Larsen and Jilson argued against the designation.

They pointed out that it connects to two motorized trails.

They also questioned what process was followed in making the designation, suggesting residents were not consulted on the matter and presenting the city with the petition.

They also suggested the trail’s environmental sensitivity has been overstated, with Wolf Creek protected from the impact of motorized vehicles by levies.

In answering questions by council, Larsen said that though he’s not an avid snowmobiler, he does have a snow machine and occasionally has used the trail to take his grandkids out for a short ride.

He’s much less likely to take the kids out on the snow machine if the trail is non-motorized.

Meanwhile, Jilson often enjoys the trail when he’s out for a walk.

In the winter, it’s in much better condition for walking after a snow machine has been over it, he said.

“The trails are so dramatically improved by snowmobile traffic, I’d hate to see that disappear,” Jilson said.

The two delegates noted they’d like to see the matter go back to the city’s trail and greenways committee with an ultimate recommendation to council that it be designated for motorized use.

As Hnatiuk explained though, that designation has been in place for years now. The city is moving forward with implementing the trail plan, including placing signs at trailheads throughout Whitehorse to inform users of the designation.

Enforcement by bylaw officers on the Dawson Road Trail has not been happening, Hnatiuk said, explaining the city pursues education before enforcement.

To that end, the city put posts in the ground last fall before the ground froze so its signs could be placed on the trail as soon as possible.

Those posts were vandalized, so the education campaign for that trail was put off. It’s expected new signs will be placed on the trail in the spring.

That will be in addition to the March 3 information meeting set to get underway at 10 a.m. at Sport Yukon.