With warm weather arriving, hiking trails around London can expect to see increases in traffic.
The Forest City is home to 16 "Environmentally Significant Areas" or ESAs, which offer locals year-round hiking trails and select cycling paths.
"Bike trails within Environmentally Significant Areas in the city are restricted to areas that are multi-use paths, so these would be paved trails and a few select chip and dust trails." said Brandon Williamson, Upper Thames River Conservation Authority Land Management Technician.
Safety concerns during this time of the year include flooding around trails in low lying areas and the potential of running across coyotes.
"The biggest thing is simply to keep your pets on a leash and carry some type of signalling device, especially during dusk and dawn." added Williamson
Rules to remember in London's ESAs ;
-Enter trails through official access points
-Bicycles only permitted on asphalt or crushed gravel paths
-Access is allowed from 6am - 10pm
-All pets must be on a leash
-Do not feed fish or wildlife
**this story was written by Alec Ross, a student in the Broadcast Journalism program at Fanshawe College. Alec is currently performing an internship with BlackburnNews.com
