KITCHENER — In the last four months, more than 180,000 people have used and enjoyed the Iron Horse Trail.

"That's an amazing number," commented Coun. Frank Etherington, one of about 60 people at a public meeting Tuesday on a new strategy for the popular trail that connects Kitchener and Waterloo along a former rail line.

City staff working on the strategy, which will be presented to city council for consideration this fall, set up automatic counters at three points along the trail from early February to June.

The counters also revealed that the trail is heavily used every day of the week, and throughout the year. The northerly section, close to the border with Waterloo, is the most popular, averaging 837 users a day in summer, and 296 a day in winter.

The least-used section was the southern section near Ottawa Street, with an average 324 users a day in summer and 100 a day in winter.

Those numbers are quite striking, said Kitchener resident Heather Bigelow. She noted that people even use the trail between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m., when it's technically closed.

"I think the numbers tell a really compelling story, that this is an important transportation method for people," Bigelow said.

Josh Joseph, the city staffer leading the project, said he too was struck by how popular the trail is. "I was most surprised by the support," he said. "People love it, and it means a lot to them, and they use it in their daily lives, to get to where they want to go."

Ernie Ginsler is one of those fans. "I'm here because the trail is a hugely valuable asset for the city," he said.

He uses the trail every day, summer and winter, and appreciates its more natural feel, the fact that it's clear of snow in winter, and that it's an interesting, traffic-free place to walk.

The city heard from more than 500 people, through an interactive survey atwww.communityremarks.com/kitchener — people can still comment until July 2 — three trail feedback stations, and a brainstorming workshop, Joseph said.

Comments covered several areas: the need for better connections between the Iron Horse Trail and other city trails, as well as better links to the businesses, parks and neighbourhoods that are closest to the trail; the need for improved signage and better amenities such as benches and lighting;

Safety was another key theme, with the No. 1 comment being about ways to make some road crossings safer, such as the ones at Victoria Street and at the Stirling-Courtland intersection. As well, some comments suggested that people perceive that some sections of the trail — near Victoria Park where thick vegetation lines both sides of the trail — feel less safe.

The fact that so many different types of people use the trail, including cyclists, runners, skateboarders, older adults and young families, led to several suggestions for ways to reduce conflicts between different users.

And people expressed their appreciation for the trail with suggestions for things like creating a "Friends of the trail" group of volunteers that would help care for the trail, or encouraging festivals and other events along the trail.