Hikers seem to be abandoning bike-heavy trails
Rex Madden’s May 14 op-ed, “Boulder sells itself as a cycling hub. Parks & Open Space didn’t get the memo,” opposing Boulder County’s proposed pilot for alternate use days for hikers and bikers suggests that mountain bikers are majority users of the trails being considered, that there is a 4% conflict rate among trail users, and that the solution is building more trails exclusively for bikes. This does not present a full or accurate picture.
Open space trails host visitors of all ages and abilities, including seniors or those with physical limitations, families with young children, and bird and nature observers with binoculars in hand, gazing into the trees and bushes. Even when riders give a warning when approaching a hiker, they come up quickly, resulting in a startle response and a need to react immediately to jump aside. Older people, people with special needs, and families with young children present may have difficulty executing those quick reactions.
The frequent result is that hikers abandon those trails and congregate on non-bike trails. The likelihood that those hikers would report trail conflict is very low; they just quietly don’t return. Thus, the 4% reported conflict number is certainly invalid. His numbers regarding large majorities of bikers on multi-use trails seem to confirm trail abandonment by others that could be remedied by alternating days of trail use.
The argument for building bike-only trails is an environmentally unsustainable proposal. New trail construction cuts through and fragments wildlife habitat and sensitive ecosystems, increases the introduction of invasive weed seeds that out-compete native plants, and leads to more erosion. Open space lands already host many trails, and if measures are to be taken to allow hikers to quietly and safely enjoy multi-use trails and reduce trail conflict, the environmentally responsible way to do this is to make use of existing trails, not create new ones.
Suzanne Bhatt, Boulder
Boulder can’t build its way out of this
The Camera’s editorial concerning rewriting the land use code was well written and makes a number of interesting points, but skips over the obvious … WE CAN’T BUILD OUR WAY OUT OF THIS. 8,700 more units at the north end of town. What are we thinking?
“Single-family suburban housing rarely pays its own way. The continuous maintenance costs for sprawling roads, utility networks, and emergency services typically outpace the property tax revenue those homes generate. However, denser developments and mixed-use urban neighborhoods frequently generate a fiscal surplus.” – We Conserve PA Library.
I hope Boulder keeps this in mind when the time comes to make a decision.
Carl Nicoletti, Boulder
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