[bikeCOLORADO]

Mountain Biker Voices Needed! Colorado Springs, CO

Red Rock Canyon Site

Hiker voices are working to LIMIT biking!

Tomorrow evening (May 5th) is the last meeting of the planning phase for Red Rock Canyon. The "final draft" plan for the park will be revealed and public input will be solicited and considered for the final plan.

This park has the potential to be an amazing place to bike - with fantastic terrain and views.

There are some real concerns in regards to Mountain Biking in the park. Not enough trails are being left open to Mountain Biking, not enough are being planned as "technical singletrack". There are access issues and some potential user conflict issues with the way that trails have been laid out as well. I'm afraid that many of the trails will be wide open NEARLY paved roads...not too exciting on a Mountain Bike.

Please attend - listen carefully and VOICE YOUR CONCERNS when given the opportunity!

There were quite a few comments from people at the last meeting that there should be more hiking only trails. These comments, in the big picture over all of the meetings, do not accurately reflect the opinions of most of those that have participated (multiuse comments have outnumbered the restrict bikes/hiking only comments by a 5:1 margin. However, if we aren't there to remind them, we may see a lot more restrictions on biking. Your VOCAL presence at this next meeting is sorely needed! Every cyclist attending needs to stand up and comment that we need well-constructed MULTIUSE trails & that cyclists conceded one hiking-only trail in the split up groups (remember, the comments were 5:1 for all mulitiuse) since there seemed to be enough support for one.

5:00pm Wednesday 5 March
West Center for Intergenerational Learning
(West Junior High School)
25 North 20th Street
Colorado Springs, CO 80904

 

[$tinkle]

didja go?
i didn't see any minutes recorded on the city's agenda & minutes page, nor on the red rock page

 

[bikeCOLORADO]

Yes - I went.

Quite a few bikers showed up too - thank God!

It will be interesting to see how the trails are built - most of them overlay current dirt ROADS (even the so called difficult "black" trails). So there's a lot of "deconstruction" and reconstruction to be done.

The Freeride park is a go - it's a little smallish, but it's a big start and certainly a first timer for Colorado Springs. It does have a bit of elevation relief so it won't be a total flat dump too. Still working to see what kind of restrictions or regulations we'll be up against as far as construction, but the "powers that be" fully anticipate MAN MADE STUNTS within the designated Freeride area.

I'll certainly be posting back when it comes time to round up construction supplies and volunteers to put it all together. We've contacted some well known builders and are working on some "best practices".

There are a few "hiker only" trails unfortunately - but we also made some great progress towards putting a friendly, responsible face on Mountain Biking and Freeriding. In light of the fact that a bit over ten years ago during the Garden of the Gods planning process - bikers were relegated to something like 10% of the trails and Red Rock Canyon will be about 90% Mountain Bikeable, I think it's a major success.

 

[LordOpie]

Originally posted by bikeCOLORADO
There are a few "hiker only" trails unfortunately...

why unfortunately?

 

[bikeCOLORADO]

Kinda self evident isn't it?

 

[LordOpie]

Originally posted by bikeCOLORADO
Kinda self evident isn't it?

no

 

[bikeCOLORADO]

Sorry man.

A "multi-use" park has part set aside for one activity.

A wee bit of frustration here - there were five meetings, right? In light of how many bikers whine and complain about their "rights" to trails, etc, I don't feel like too many bikers showed up overall. One of the five meetings - there were VERY few bikers. It was at this meeting that hikers spoke up about expanding the hiker only area...and there were not enough bikers present to counter that effort.

I'm not frustrated with hikers, I'm frustrated with bikers for not getting out there and defending our rights. With all the bikers I see on all the trails in town - it is pathetic how few show up for things like this...and VERY pathetic how few show up to maintain trails.

I almost want to respond to the questions of "So - how did the meetings go" with "If you'd friggin been there, then you'd know wouldn't you"?

How many hundreds of hours a year does the average, even mildly avid biker spend on the trails? A small investment of a few hours a YEAR isn't so much to ask - a very SMALL price to pay for all the enjoyment we get from the trails.

I certainly did not explain that part of the "hiker only" trail that is currently planned would leave the western most side of the park closed to bikers - killing the opportunity to crank out a full loop of the park. A large part of the hiker only trail will be "black" or high difficulty...and it will traverse one of the fins (rock formation) - a very attractive area to bike for me.

 

[LordOpie]

Originally posted by bikeCOLORADO
A large part of the hiker only trail will be "black" or high difficulty...and it will traverse one of the fins (rock formation) - a very attractive area to bike for me.

see, that's different... the hiker only trail contains a section that you particularly enjoy. You made it sound like it was unfortunate that there were ANY hiker only sections.

I'm all for hiker only areas and I wish there were biker only areas as well.

 

[bikeCOLORADO]

Yes - but imagine this.

A hiker only section.
A biker only section.
A equestrian only section.
A "contemplative" quiet section (for real).
And so on, and so on...

Before you know it the park is so split up you've got barely any place to go to enjoy your particular activity. I don't see why we can't just "all get along" and deal with it as a true multi-use park.

 

[LordOpie]

Originally posted by bikeCOLORADO
Yes - but imagine this.

A hiker only section.
A biker only section.
A equestrian only section.
A "contemplative" quiet section (for real).
And so on, and so on...

Before you know it the park is so split up you've got barely any place to go to enjoy your particular activity. I don't see why we can't just "all get along" and deal with it as a true multi-use park.

how often do you hike?

Me... i go backcountry. I go places where bikes can't go. And I like it that way. I don't want bikes or horses around when I'm hiking. The thing is, many people don't have the skills, whether physical or orienteering, to go where bikes can't. I see no reason why some old farts or fatties can't wander some places in peace.