[pct-l] bikers on trail - Alternatives; trail configuration

[Timothy Nye]

After hiking from Sierra City to Belden last month I reached the same
conclusion as to the effort by bikers to create their own reality.  The
forest service, even when presented an opportunity for enforcement refused.
(A group of four mountain bikers on section M up to the A tree and back,
same jersy, pick-up vehicle decorated with decals of their club. I also
believe that absent something being done in the very near future that the
trail will legalized for mountain bikers.

Moutain biking wasn't in existence when the trail was chartered.  Also,
(subject for a much longer post in the future) the PCTA may now well view
the potential addition of mountain bikers as a new and lucrative source of
additional income....In fact, if the bikers got there act together and hired
a lobbiest ... Rather than relying on outside enforcement from a
disinterested or nonexistent agency in lean economic times self enforcement

While hiking it occured to me that the constant trail maintance actually
attracts bikers.  I passed a trail crew (Butte) after the A tree and they
merely shrugged about the proliferation of bikers stating that it wasn't
their concern and certainly they aren't an enforcement entity.  However,
the portions of the trail where slides occur and aren't repaired, or are
perceived as too dangerous appear immune to bike trespass.(Absence of
tracks)

It seems to me that changes could be made in trail maintenance that are
consistent with equestrian and hiker use, but inconsistent with mountain
bikes.  For example, increasing the depth and angle to the trail of drainage
steps would be a good start; so that at a foot and a half high the bike
rider would be forced to dismount and at such an angle to the trail that the
step could not be approached on the perpendicular again fostering the
necessity of a dismount. If such obstacles were every 50 feet or so for a
half mile or so every so often where they can't be easily circumvented thy
could be effective.  I noted that crews in section L from Donner to Sierra
City had in some places apparently deliberatly left dead falls, but these
were in places that tney were easily passed and new bike ways simply went
around them.

Sections L and M would be a good place for a demonstration project.  I live
in sacramento and would be glad to participate.

On Tue, Oct 26, 2010 at 5:34 AM, AsABat <asabat at 4jeffrey.net> wrote:

> It was two solo bikers, he had a badge, a ticket book, and a cop's manner
> of
> speaking with an attitude that got your attention. He told me they both
> laughed at him even until the judge hit them with the fine.
>
>  And, As A Bat, how does a single hiker give a ticket to 5-8 bikers? I
> > certainly would have liked to have had the power to have done so and not
> > just been an impotent old lady hiker.
> >
> >
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