Charlotte is discussing greenway safety

Mayor Jennifer Roberts referred the issue to the community safety committee in response to “recent incidents,” according to minutes from the meeting. In March, a woman reported being sexually assaulted and robbed while walking her dog on the McAlpine Greenway.

The city has 43 miles of paved greenways and 55 total miles — with 30 more expected over the next half-decade.

They present unique challenges for policing: While Charlotte parks have official closing times and go dark overnight, greenways are required to be open 24/7. And it’s impossible to get police vehicles back there to patrol.

There have been few crimes on greenways in the last two years.

The most common crime is theft from cars. Here are the stats, as reported by the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department.

• Little Sugar Creek Greeway: 2 robberies, 2 assaults, 1 larceny
• Briar Creek Greenway: 1 larceny
• McAlpine Creek Greenway: 1 larceny from auto
• Four Mile Creek Greenway: 3 larceny from auto, 1 aggravated assault

• McMullen Creek Greenway: 1 aggravated assault, 14 larceny from auto

What proposals are on the table?

“Blue light” boxes are a possibility, but it’s hard to find a good place for them in wooded areas. Plus, everybody has a cell phone these days.

CMPD is interested in getting funding for more surveillance cameras along greenways. They’ll also look into off-duty police officer patrols, but there’s limited availability.

There’s also a recognized need for more wayfinding trail markers so people better know where they are in case of an emergency.