I should really take the time tomorrow night, instead of going to the SDMBA meeting again, and write up the proposal I've been meaning to write to try and promote some Urban Mt Biking in San Diego along with the Master Bike Plan that the city has adopted. I talked to Council Member Laurie Zapf a month ago about it and she was excited, telling me that's how she got her start in politics working on trail legislation on the Tahoe Rim trail when she used to live up there. It's been on my mind for the last year or so, ever since I rode Tecolote Canyon from Genesee and Clairemont Mesa Blvd, South into Old Town, having to cross under Balboa dr along the creek tunnel, and jump a fence to trespass through the golf course. If any of you have looked at the Bike Master Plan, there's nothing in it involving any creation or development of unpaved trails for bike riding. It's about creating bike lanes and paved bike paths, the paved paths costing $2 million dollars per mile. I looked in to how San Diego compares to other cities as far as being bicycle friendly, and they were consistently on the bottom of any list, with Portland Oregon always at the top. It's good that the city is looking to change this problem but they're leaving out a big portion of bicyclists, the ones that don't wear spandex and know what their VO2 max is.

If you haven't seen the piano stairs video, it takes about a minute and is worth watching to understand the idea of why just creating paved bike paths won't work as well as creating fun bike trails through the city.

Oh yeah, and along with the urban mt biking proposal is a general agreement from the city to allow bike parks like they do with skate parks, and building one on top of the Arizona Landfill in Balboa Park.

So did you write up the proposal or go to the meeting?

I agree that urban trail development could be addressed. I have often ridden up from Mission Valley into Mission Hills using a trail just east of Presidio. The center of the city has a lot of potential for trail development. I don't know a good way to go about it though.

_________________
There's a lot of shame on a road bike. -- evdog

I made it to the meeting instead. Turns out it was a lot of fun, watching tons of people beat up on the guy from the city that came to explain why they are closing the East Elliot area in the new section of Mission Trails Park. If you haven't heard about the East Elliot debacle, the short and sweet of it (and anyone feel free to correct me or add your own two cents) the city has been acquiring land since 2001 to enlarge Mission Trails and accepted grant money from the USFS for some of the parcels of land, then requiring them to abide by the rules set forth by the USFS. After the USFS came in to inspect the East Elliot area, they discovered a mile of new trail since the last inspection they did a few years ago. And apparently the trails are encroaching on a threatened species, the California Gnatcatcher, (which I think is a plant?). So the USFS wagged its long finger at the city and said "bad", and the city cowered and said "don't worry, we'll close it down like you want", instead of standing up to them. There's more about the endangered species act that was a bit vague to me. Something about the city and developers teaming up in 1991-95 to introduce their own version of the federal act that "made things easier" for them. But since the city isn't following it in the East Elliot area, the USFS is threatening to revoke the city's version.

The guy from the city is the same one that came out to the Black Canyon rec center when there was the big meeting about Del Mar Mesa a few years ago, and he took a similar beating back then. You've gotta love this guy for continuing to come inform the Mt Bike community why the city sucks so much and can't get off its butt to make the city a better, more active community.

I have to say, I've never ridden this area before and should probably get out there before they start handing out the $1500 fines they're threatening to do.

If anyone wants to get involved, apparently Myra Herman is the lady to complain to. And Minette mentioned the people who are in charge of the USFS are doing a meeting in December in San Diego which could be fun to go to and bash on some more government officials. Theses ones might even be the ones that make the decisions, not just inform the public what decisions were made. Not sure on the details of the meeting, maybe SDMBA will put out the info, along with more clarification and updates on East Elliot

Good writeup Garett! Just FYI, here's an example of a gnatcatcher.

_________________
Velo Ergo Endo

awww.... so cute. Thanks for the clarification. Yeah, I should have just googled it instead of sounding stupid, but I saved like 15 seconds by not looking it up.

We had to deal with the Snowy Plover down on the Silver Strand. Stupid bird nests in the sand, of course it's going to be threatened because it hasn't evolved to put it's nest out of harms way like other birds have done. Wonder if this cute little guy has a similar evolutionally challenged problem.

Yeah. This cute little guy will only live and nest in costal sage scrub. That's primarily around costal mesas (where people build houses). The last few remaining canyons that we like to bike through are where they like to live. Their lives are just as endangered as our local trails are. I fail to see why a bike or a hiker affects a tiny bird, but then again I'm a reformed enviro nut and not an actual current enviro nut.

_________________
Velo Ergo Endo

Thats just it, we are not the problem. The ones to blame are the fuckers in this cities government that are in bed with the douchebag developers.

Yes, evolution is a much slower process than bulldozing. The developers are only required to mitigate loss of habitat for endangered species. No mitigation for loss of open space needed for bikers, hikers, kids, dog walkers, equestrians etc. We're all forced onto the leftover piece set aside for the little bird. Not his fault. He'd be happy to coexist with us given enough space.

_________________
Thus, if we are to understand the world, we should live somewhere between judgement and amazement — Alfredo Lopez Austin

This is no lie, and hopefully there's a statute of limitations on this sort of thing -- but one day, when I was about 13 or 14, my buddies and I killed about 20 of those with BB guns in the river bottom in Bonita (the area east of the Sweetwater Bridge that is now a golf course). Looks like the gnatcatcher is coming home to roost on my favorite trails.

_________________
A bicycle is a splendid thing.
~Ernest Hemingway

The Lord tells me he can get me out this mess, but he's pretty sure you're fucked.

_________________
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

You're the guy that always washes his minivan the day before it rains aren't you?

_________________
Ride it until they CDFW it.

Thank you for your frankness. Your message has been forwarded to the DF&G, EPA, WWF, PETA, NPS, IRS, and ICE. You should be receiving a response shortly.

--NSA

_________________
Obama's America: Our enemies don't fear us; our allies don't trust us.

Did I mention that they were coming right for us?

_________________
A bicycle is a splendid thing.
~Ernest Hemingway