I know what you are going through. I worked with a city engineer to check some 60 miles of creeks and drainage channels for bike and walking suitability. Most of the channels and larger creeks had narrow dirt roads on one or both sides for service vehicles. There had been a lot of talk about upgrading them for bike and foot traffic. There were gaps in the routes, one MUP had caved in, and a trail the city had paid for was not there.