[BuddhaRoadkill]

Anyone ever have something impounded? Like a car or bike? How does the process work? Do I get my impounded item back once the fine is paid, or is it
totally forfeit like a seizer?

The cruel world has finally caught up to our little riding area. Trails have been there for 20+ years but the surge in mtb popularity, combined with wanton feature building and new trail carving, have forced the land owner's hand. We now have the local Sheriff waiting at the bottom. Lovely, no? Tickets, impounding of rides, and threats of jail time are circulating throughout the community. I'll risk a ticket, but not the loss of my ride. Any legal knowledge is greatly appreciated.

 

[Reactor]

Generally you pay the impound fee/storage fee and your ticket and you'll get the bike back. The exact methodology depends on your location. If the case is more serious, or the sheriff claims the bike is "evidence" it may take a court order to get the bike back before the case is over.

 

[SirChomps-a-Lot]

That sucks.

So has your bike been impounded or are you just worried it will be?

Side-o has been illegal for years and I've never heard of anyone getting a ticket. You just have to be sly about it.

I don't actually think they have the authority to jack your bike. You could ax lawyer, perhaps.

 

[H8R]

That sucks.

So has your bike been impounded or are you just worried it will be?

Side-o has been illegal for years and I've never heard of anyone getting a ticket. You just have to be sly about it.

I don't actually think they have the authority to jack your bike. You could ax lawyer, perhaps.

I got a warning coming down ioff side-o once, ranger was on horseback after the bottom near Claremont. He only told me to slow down though.

 

[BuddhaRoadkill]

Bike has not been impounded ... yet. Just didn't want to risk losing it forevers.
It's a local college forest with a few legit multi-user trails - which are of course dumbed down and boring. The vast majority of trails are illegit, technically challenging, and have actually been there longer than the legal ones. As mtb'ing has gained momentum the college has tried various methods to try and curb their usage. Signs, entrance blocking, interns with pamphlets trying to educate users, etc... This is the first year they've brought out the big guns. Enivitable I suppose, but still depressing. A quality trail system within a 15 minute ride from your door is not an easy luxery to let go, haha.

I want to strangle a college kid. :angry:

 

[ioscope]

What college, I want to make sure not to go there.

 

[dexterq20]

Side-o has been illegal for years and I've never heard of anyone getting a ticket. You just have to be sly about it.

I had a slightly different experience the last time I rode Side-O... http://www.ridemonkey.com/forums/showthread.php?t=96776

 

[BuddhaRoadkill]

What college, I want to make sure not to go there.

Oregon State ... you wouldn't want to come here anyway.

In all fairness, the college kids do more than their fair share in trail maintance and I'm just as guilty by riding their new creations. neaky: Ah well, I doubt the coppers will be out standing in the rain this winter. :devil:

 

[SirChomps-a-Lot]

On Saturday morning at about 9:00 am, two friends (RM users Heath Sherratt and Manziman) and I were doing some shuttle runs on an unmarked and signless trail in the Berkeley (CA) hills.

We reach a trail junction about 1/3 of the way down the run at the same time as a hiker is coming up the trail. We stop to let the hiker pass, and Heath is in the lead, followed by Manzi, and then me.

The hiker comes up to Heath and says, "Bikes aren't allowed on this trail." Heath says, "Oh, ok, we'll just go to the bottom and be done then." Then the hiker says, "No, you need to walk your bikes back up to the top." Heath replies with a hearty "No", and then he tries to go on down the trail.

However, the hiker grabs Heath's handlebars and tries to push him and keep him from going down the trail. Heath shoves the hiker and yells at him to get the hell away from him, so the hiker lets Heath go. Then it's Manzi's turn, and the guy starts to do the same thing to him, trying to block him from going down the trail.

Manzi starts trying to negotiate with the hiker, so I just go around him, and the hiker then grabs my handlebars as I try to go past him. I have to pry him off of my bike and push him away, and while I'm "wrestling" with this trail Nazi, Manzi is able to scoot on by without incident. The psycho hiker finally gave up, and we continued our ride uninterrupted.

Now remember, this trail has absolutely NO signage, so we were not riding an illegal trail. This was not the first hiker who had told us the trail was illegal for bikes, but we have also encountered many hikers on this trail in the past who said that bikes ARE allowed.

Would there have been any other way to handle this situation? This is the first time I've ever heard of (or experienced) a hiker trying to get physical with 3 DH riders, 2 of whom were significantly bigger than he was. I've been thinking about this for a little bit now, and it's really been bugging me. What do you guys think?

You weren't sly about it. If you hit an illegal trail, there's no stopping and having a picnic. You ride the trail and have a picnic when you are off it. I've had plenty of hikers bitch at me. Just be nice to them. Don't give the situation a chance to escalate. Like don't slow down enough for them to try to physically block you. Be gone before their feeble hiker brains have a chance to realize that they just saw bikes.

 

[BuddhaRoadkill]

A simple bump for those edumicated types with office jobs that might actually know what "impounding" entails.

Other than this new found fear of the Po Po, it was really nice to get out and ride after a month of nye. Workaholism is not cool. Food on the table, however, is. Choices ... always about friggin choices.

 

[DRB]

A simple bump for those edumicated types with office jobs that might actually know what "impounding" entails.

Other than this new found fear of the Po Po, it was really nice to get out and ride after a month of nye. Workaholism is not cool. Food on the table, however, is. Choices ... always about friggin choices.

It really depends but impounding something during the commission of a crime usually ends with the impounded item being "disposed of" at auction or other method. NOT returned to the user. The obvious exceptions are vehicle towing for illegal parking.

You need to be very careful about this as you could definately lose big.

 

[DRB]

Don't. It's that simple. Wait for the heat to die down.
Go find new trails, go dj or ride street, but avoid those trails like the plague for the nex tmonth our so until the heat dies down.

This is the best advice you have been given so far. Learn it, live it LOVE IT.