..evaluating change in use for trails


please fill out comments form:
http://www.imba.com/form/submit-your-co ... tate-parks


From IMBA:
California to Take Major Step Forward in Opening Trails to Bikes
California State Parks (CSP) is currently accepting public comments on its recently-released report: the Draft Program Environmental Impact Report, Road and Trail Change-in-Use Evaluation Process (PEIR).

The new process will be used to facilitate the addition of mountain bikes on existing state park trails. The process is a major step forward for CSP and will positively effect mountain bike access on existing trails in state park units.

+ Take Action! Support mountain biking in CA State Parks. Submit your comments no later than Dec. 4.

California State Parks has worked over the last several years to create a fact-based, objective system to determine appropriate trail use. The key feature of the report is that it will allow for the addition of mountain bikes on specific trails without the need for additional environmental analysis. Future project decisions to allow bikes on trails will merely need to reference the PEIR. This is a major step forward for bike access in state parks.

+ Learn more

Thank you for your support! — IMBA Government Affairs Team

Suggested Comments:

Thank CSP for the opportunity to make comments.
We appreciate the major steps that CSP has taken to promote multi-use trails. Urge CSP to use the PEIR to provide much needed trail opportunities for cyclists.
We welcome the acknowledgement that there are effective tools and methods to successfully manage multi-use trails.
We appreciate the in-depth study of trail use conflict showing that, after more than 30 years of mountain bike trail use and millions of trail users' encounters, complaints are few, incidents are fewer and accidents are rare.
The trail conversion analysis may prove to be cumbersome and time consuming and may lead to expensive trail alterations. Therefore, it is important to point out that there are hundreds of trails in parks that have never been specifically altered for multi-use, yet they have functioned adequately for years. Care must be exercised in the conversion analysis to prevent the over engineering of trails to account for every potential form of user behavior.
The report references State Code P.4.14-3, which limits development in parks that would be considered "attractions in themselves." The code was intended to limit the construction of restaurants, amusement parks, athletic fields, etc. in park units. It is a poor analysis to apply this code to trails. Trails are much more than just a transportation system. Trails that are sustainable, blended into the natural environment (sinuosity) and designed to showcase a park's natural features should be enjoyed as such. They are works of art that compliment the sense of place. People visit parks to enjoy the trails.


http://www.parks.ca.gov/pages/712/files ... trails.pdf

_________________
Ambition is a poor excuse for not having sense enough to be lazy. ~Milan Kundera

bump

sorry to bump this. just takes a minute to fill out, and crap, we need to update the laws to include bikes as non-motorized, or whatever they are deemed now, in this state.


could be a big push to a more friendly outlook/acceptance of bikers by the local gov't agencies

hey, ya gotta hope

_________________
Ambition is a poor excuse for not having sense enough to be lazy. ~Milan Kundera

Thanks for posting jsatch, this is pretty huge as state parks has not been the most bike friendly agency. We have been fortunate with Cuyamaca where they have already opened a few trails to bikes and have told us they are considering opening more.

There is a trail day at Cuyamaca tomorrow if anyone is interested, plus a few more over the winter to re-route the Cold Springs trail. Currently it is not open to bikes but once the re-route is done it will be. I'm told they have several other trails for us to work on after this that will similarly open to bikes once the work is done. That will open up some pretty epic riding in Cuyamaca. And getting their rules changed at state level will only make it easier for them to open them up.

thanks evdog. would be cool if you could post up trail days on the advocacy forums.

i understand as well as anyone how little time we all have, what with kids sports schedules and the like, but if a trail day comes up that's local (to whomever) i'm sure you'll get some recruits.

sounds great the work you're doing in cayamaca. just good to hear of new trails.

_________________
Ambition is a poor excuse for not having sense enough to be lazy. ~Milan Kundera

are we gaining traction!?!?!?!

....or just more of the same




California to Take Major Step Forward in Opening Trails to Bikes in State Parks

California State Parks (CSP) recently released a report detailing the new process for adding mountain bikes to existing state park trails. The key feature of the report is that it will allow for the addition of mountain bikes on specific trails without the need for additional and often prohibitively expensive environmental analysis. The process is a major step forward for CSP and will positively affect mountain bike access. CSP is accepting public comments on its report until Dec. 4. IMBA created a simple form that allows you to easily and quickly voice your support.

+ Please add your support for MTBing in CA State Parks

http://www.imba.com/form/submit-your-co ... tate-parks

_________________
Ambition is a poor excuse for not having sense enough to be lazy. ~Milan Kundera

Done

_________________
The world does not revolve around you but your actions impact us all!

Done.

_________________
It is not enough to fight for the West; it is even more important to enjoy it. While you can. While it's still here. -Edward Abbey

Thanks jsatch that was easy.

_________________
"We'll ride it until they pave it."

-Big Clyde

i guess i'll try it too then

_________________
Ambition is a poor excuse for not having sense enough to be lazy. ~Milan Kundera

Unless IMBA makes a bike park it's top . . . no . . . only priority, I'm not buyin' what they're sellin'.

_________________
A bicycle is a splendid thing.
~Ernest Hemingway

Done. I'm sure they'll be blown away by my eloquence.