Most cities have developed designated bike lanes to protect riders from the faster moving cars and trucks as well as hikers from high-speed bikers. Out here it’s no different, except on the trail to Spruce Lake where mountain bikes are the faster moving vehicle compared to hikers and horseback riders.
Conflicts arise when mountain bikers speed down the trails, turn a corner, and come face to face with a hiker, horseback rider, or even a grizzly bear. Unfortunately, we can’t convince the bears to follow signs, but we can work with the human trail users to protect everyone’s safety.
On single track trails, with multiple users, horseback riders have the right-of-way, followed by hikers, followed by mountain bikers who are required to yield to all other users. This hierarchy generally prevents most conflicts, but with blind corners and steep grades the risk is high. By designating a separate trail for mountain bikers, high-speed and low-speed users can safely enjoy the trails in this beautiful area.
Most of the trail from Jewel Bridge to Spruce Lake has two routes available. We want to officially designate one of these routes exclusively for mountain bikes and thereby protect everyone’s safety by reducing encounters between mountain bikers and horseback riders. By developing different trail maintenance policies, bike trails can become more technically appealing.
Sunday, June 1, 2008
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
0 comments:
Post a Comment