City officials in Sarnia are urging residents who walk, cycle or ride E‑bikes to follow good trail etiquette as the municipality adapts to a permanent change in allowed trail users.
Policy change and public education
In 2025, Sarnia city council voted to make the temporary pilot that allowed E‑bikes on the municipal trail network a permanent measure. The decision followed a trial and public engagement period that highlighted both benefits and concerns about the introduction of a new type of user to shared pathways.
Alister Brown, the city’s manager of development and transportation, said education on etiquette was a key consideration during that outreach. “One of the things from the public engagement during that period was that etiquette education,” he said, “is a critical and important aspect to allowing or introducing a new type of use.”
Scope of the trail network
Sarnia maintains about 52 kilometres of off‑road trails, multi‑use pathways and walkways that link neighbourhoods, the waterfront and institutional destinations. The network’s backbone is the 16‑kilometre Howard Watson Nature Trail, a former railway right‑of‑way that provides a continuous spine with connections to Lambton College, the waterfront and other parts of the city.
| Trail system | Length (approx.) |
|---|---|
| Howard Watson Nature Trail | 16 km |
| All off‑road trails, pathways and walkways | 52 km |
The city has moved to complement the policy shift with infrastructure work and signage intended to foster safe, predictable interactions among users.
Capital work and wayfinding
Officials say this year’s improvements include an extension of the Confederation Street multi‑use path, carried across Highway 40 to better connect the route with the Heritage Park neighbourhood. The city also installed a new gateway feature where the Howard Watson Nature Trail meets London Road, intended to mark a notable transition point on the network and cue users to shared‑use expectations.
Those changes reflect a broader push to make the trail system function as an integrated transportation and recreation asset. With walkers, runners, cyclists and E‑bike operators all permitted on many corridors, city staff say clear signage, consistent wayfinding and public education are essential to reduce conflict and keep people safe.
- Share the corridor: keep to the right, pass on the left and announce when passing, where possible.
- Speed management: E‑bike and bicycle operators should moderate speed in high‑traffic or limited‑sight areas.
- Yielding: cyclists and E‑bike users should yield to pedestrians and slower traffic; pedestrians should remain predictable in their movements.
“One of the things from the public engagement during that period was that etiquette education … is a critical and important aspect to allowing or introducing a new type of use.”
Local consequences and what to expect
For Sarnia residents, the changes mean that everyday decisions — where to walk a dog, how to commute by bike, or when to use a portion of the trail for exercise — will play out alongside a wider mix of users. The addition of permanent E‑bike access can expand mobility for people who require electric assistance, but it also requires adjustments from long‑time trail users accustomed to a primarily pedestrian and conventional bicycle environment.
City staff have said the etiquette push is part of ongoing work to monitor and manage the system. That will likely include reviewing signage, monitoring hot spots where conflicts arise, and continuing public outreach. For neighbourhoods near the network, the visible improvements — from the Confederation Street crossing to the gateway on the Howard Watson trail — are aimed at better connections and clearer points of access.
As Sarnia’s trail network continues to serve both recreational and commuter roles, officials are asking residents to take part in keeping routes safe and welcoming: share space, be courteous and watch for signage that outlines rules and expectations. The city’s approach blends infrastructure upgrades with behaviour change — an attempt to keep pace with evolving use while preserving the trails as a public amenity.
