Let's ride
Cyclist Eric Metzler says bikes won't erode properly designed trails. His group, the Genesee Region Off-Road Cyclists, is fighting for the right to ride in county parks. Photo by Matt DeTurck.
Bike god
Eric Metzler on the trails at Dryer Road Park in Victor. Photo by Matt DeTurck.
At Victor's Dryer Road Park, mountain bikers maneuver their way through rugged, twisty trails designed specifically for them.
It's the closest public park to Rochester where mountain biking is legal, and it's become a destination for the sport's local enthusiasts. While Monroe County has an extensive park system, bicycles are prohibited on the trails.
Dryer Road Park's trail system was designed and built through a partnership between town officials and volunteers, and mountain bikers help with upkeep. Adult volunteers also teach courses for children to learn to mountain bike. Town officials and the bikers consider Dryer Road Park a major success.
"It's been a nice addition to Victor for the past five years and it's brought us a lot of honor and distinction," says Brian Emmelson, director of the town's Parks and Recreation Department.
Now, there's a strong push to do something similar in Monroe County. The Genesee Region Off-Road Cyclists, a mountain biking group with more than 600 members, wants the county to allow off-road cycling in its parks, with an initial focus on Tryon Park. The members are active in the county's ongoing effort to prepare a new master plan for the Ellison Park area, which includes Ellison, Tryon, and Irondequoit Bay East and West Parks.
"It's our feeling that public lands should be 100 percent inclusive," says Scott Likly, a founding member of GROC and owner of Towpath Bike in Pittsford. Nationwide, mountain bikers are the second-largest users of trails, he says. Bikers have the same rights to the parks as everyone else, he says, and to exclude them is unfair.
But it's not just a matter of opening existing trails to cyclists. There are serious issues to consider - environmental impacts and the safety of other park users among them. That's what's on the minds of two groups, the Genesee Valley Chapter of the Adirondack Mountain Club and the Federation of Monroe County Environmentalists. Both support a trial program for mountain bikers, albeit with caution.
GROC's requests and position papers written by the Adirondack and Federation groups have been turned over to the consultant that the county hired to help with the master plan, says Larry Staub, the county's parks director. The consultant expects to issue a report, complete with recommendations, in October, he says.
To GROC, TryonPark seems like a good place to start, though ultimately they'd like to see more, if not all, of the county parks opened to mountain bikers, says Eric Metzler, the club's president. Tryon is rugged and undeveloped, though there are some trails already cut. The club has offered to work with the county to develop the park, Likly says.
"Our goal is to fix erosion problems on existing trails and perhaps cut new ones," he says.
The club builds trails according to International Mountain Biking Association guidelines, which protect against erosion and excessive wear, Likly says.
On improperly designed trails, like those that follow too steep of a grade, erosion and wear tend to be a problem, whether it's hikers or bikers using them, Metzler says.
Opening trails to bikes will also keep people out of places that they aren't supposed to be, Likly says.
But before any mountain bike trails can be developed, the county needs to change its parks law to allow off-road cycling.
The AdirondackMountain Club and Federation of Monroe County Environmentalists have each presented the county with a position paper supporting a one-year trial limited to a single park. That should be followed by an evaluation, they say, with the chance to expand access if all goes well. Both groups say that they don't want to see a blanket approach that allows bicycles on all foot trails.
"If they had separate trails, I think the mountain bikers would be happy," say Tim Noble, co-chair of the Adirondack Mountain Club's Conservation Committee and the author of the Federation's position paper. One benefit: bikers wouldn't have to worry about running into hikers or people walking dogs, he says.
Adirondack Mountain Club officials, like GROC members, see Tryon Park and Irondequoit Bay Park West as good candidates for mountain biking. Both parks are hilly and have the type of terrain - rugged and hilly - that mountain bikers like, Noble says.
"Right now there's a lot of people that are doing biking in Tryon Park," he says.
But there's the question of resources: the county needs to make sure it can afford the upkeep on any mountain bike trails, say the two groups. If the county decides to allow mountain biking, GROC should put together a plan for trail maintenance, they say.
"We feel that if a comprehensive environmental and safety approach is defined, approved, and enforced by Monroe County Parks, the hiking and biking users of the parks, along with the condition of the park lands, will strongly benefit," says a position paper from the Federation of Monroe County Environmentalists, a coalition focused on land use and planning.
On the other hand, there's Perinton's Crescent Trail. Officials allowed mountain biking on two town-owned properties in the 1990's as an experiment. They ultimately closed the trails to bikes because they were causing too many problems, says Dave Schaeffer, the Crescent Trail Association's trail master.
Members of the mountain bike community were supposed to help with trail maintenance, Schaeffer says, but they didn't. And they were riding when the trails were wet or too soft, and they weren't following trail etiquette, he says, putting other users in danger. On top of that, the trails weren't built to handle the wear and tear of the constant riding.
But those kinds of problems are in the past, Likely says. GROC has a maintenance program along with a mountain bike patrol, which helps enforce trail etiquette - mountain bikers are supposed to yield to hikers and pretty much all other trail users, and they aren't supposed to ride on earthen trails when the trails are soft or wet.
"In the past, we didn't have an organized club with people that are dedicated to keeping the trails open," Likly says.
Comments for "PARKS: Cyclists want access to county parks" (7)
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Joyce McDonough said on Oct. 02, 2008 at 7:04pm
The bike people want to use the parks, and they want to take responsibility for their use of the parks. This is great. I walk in Ellison Park several times a week, I welcome that attitude and I'd welcome the bikes. I have never had a single problem with people on bikes in Ellison or in any park. But the dogs....I sure have had problems with dogs and their owners and I have plenty of company. The bike people have something to teach us about civics.
Mike Vandeman said on Oct. 02, 2008 at 8:58pm
Bicycles should not be allowed in any natural area. They are inanimate objects and have no rights. There is also no right to mountain bike. That was settled in federal court in 1994: home.pacbell.net/mjvande/mtb10 . It's dishonest of mountain bikers to say that they don't have access to trails closed to bikes. They have EXACTLY the same access as everyone else -- ON FOOT! Why isn't that good enough for mountain bikers? They are all capable of walking....
A favorite myth of mountain bikers is that mountain biking is no more harmful to wildlife, people, and the environment than hiking, and that science supports that view. Of course, it's not true. To settle the matter once and for all, I read all of the research they cited, and wrote a review of the research on mountain biking impacts (see home.pacbell.net/mjvande/scb7 ). I found that of the seven studies they cited, (1) all were written by mountain bikers, and (2) in every case, the authors misinterpreted their own data, in order to come to the conclusion that they favored. They also studiously avoided mentioning another scientific study (Wisdom et al) which did not favor mountain biking, and came to the opposite conclusions.
Those were all experimental studies. Two other studies (by White et al and by Jeff Marion) used a survey design, which is inherently incapable of answering that question (comparing hiking with mountain biking). I only mention them because mountain bikers often cite them, but scientifically, they are worthless.
Mountain biking accelerates erosion, creates V-shaped ruts, kills small animals and plants on and next to the trail, drives wildlife and other trail users out of the
area, and (worst of all) teaches kids that the rough treatment of nature is okay (it's NOT!). What's good about THAT?
For more information: home.pacbell.net/mjvande/mtbfaq .
Jonathan Brown said on Oct. 08, 2008 at 8:19pm
Let’s try to look at all sides of the story, exclusivity and basic discrimination of opening our trails for multi-use is juist not a good strategy.
Some facts:
• Mountain bicycling is a very popular sport - on most trail systems we are the #1 or #2 user group (behind hiking).
• America has 50 million mountain bikers - more than 1 1/3 times the total population of Canada. (32.8million 2006)
• There are more mountain bikers than golfers in America. In fact, there are 1 1/2 times more " 50 million bikers to 29 million golfers 29 Million according to NGF (2006)
• The voting strength of mountain bikers is more than 1 1/3 times the voting strength of Americans 65 and over
• MORE THAN 1 in 5 AMERICANS 16 AND OVER Mountain Bike. Source The Economics and Benefits of Mountain Biking 2008
“Bikes Cause Trail Damage”
One of the biggest misconceptions about mountain bikes is the
supposed damage bike cause on trails systems:
• Fact : Bikes do not cause any more damage on trail systems than hiking
• Over 5 studies have been done by many groups including IMBA International Mountain Biking Accociation
• These studies all come to the conclusion that mountain biking has no more impact on trails systems than hiking
“No scientific studies indicate that bicycling causes more degradation of plants than hiking. “
“Hiking and bicycling trample vegetation at equal rates” -Thurston and Reader
“A body of empirical, scientific evidence now indicates that mountain biking is no more damaging than other forms of recreation, including hiking. Thus, managers who prohibit bicycle use (while allowing hiking or equestrian use) based on impacts to trails, soils, wildlife, or vegetation are acting without sound, scientific backing. “
Sources: Natural Resource Impacts of Mountain Biking
A summary of scientific studies that compare mountain biking to other forms of trail travel
By Gary Sprung, International Mountain Bicycling Association
Trail Damage is most often found when trail are not designed to work with the geologic and environmental conditions:
• Badly designed trails will cause erosion, and damage to sounding
environments
• Proper monitoring and maintained of trail systems is a key to sustainable trails systems
Eric Metzler said on Oct. 08, 2008 at 8:50pm
Please take Mr. Vandeman's opinions for what they are, opinions. His paper and "findings" are based on his own theories that are not backed up by any factual evidence. It should be pretty obvious that Mr. Vandeman's links are all to his own website with no external links to scientific papers at all. It's hard to back up your own accusations when the references are links to your own opinion papers.
If you would like to read about the truth of mountain biking impact, go to the links below. The first one is a compilation of trail studies done by legitimate organizations and companies for a variety of clients including the NPS. Yes this is a link to a mountain bike website, but it is a compilation of the studies. They are not done by mountain bikers.
http://www.imba.com/resources/science/
Here is an article talking about why the NPS is starting to allow mountain biking and a note about National Forests containing over 130,000 miles of multiple use trails:
http://www.dirtragmag.com/print/article.php?ID=1186&category=departments
"No scientific studies show that mountain bikers cause more wear to trails than other users."
http://www.americantrails.org/resources/ManageMaintain/SprungImpacts.html
(real reference to an article not written by myself)
Brian Emelson said on Oct. 08, 2008 at 9:36pm
As a government official, I have worked in partnership with off-road cyclists ("Mountain Bikers") in the State of Maryland and in the State of New York. I have found these individuals to be knowledgeable about the outdoors and enthusiastic about caring for our lands. I'd say it's about time to be more inclusive around here.
Aaron (AJ) Mooney said on Oct. 09, 2008 at 6:49am
Born and raised in Monroe County, I have always cherished our local parks and the abundant opportunity they provide the outdoor enthusiast! As an outdoor enthusiast, I consider myself a mountain biker, a hiker and a dog walker. All healthy activities that I love, and fuel my passion for the outdoors and the beautiful landscapes that make up our parklands and much of the region. Unfortunately, after several knee injuries that started back in college, my dog walks are much shorter and my hikes much less frequent. My knees simply can't take the impact even from hiking. Thankfully, I can ride my bicycle all day long pain free! Currently, I have to drive out of the heart of Monroe county and into Ontario county to legally do this. Weather it's an injury, a disability or simply your personal choice that dictates what outdoor "recreational activity" you choose to do, only a multi-use trail system grants fair and equal opportunities to all. One more great reason to stay and raise a healthy, active family in Monroe county.
AJ said on Oct. 13, 2008 at 5:33pm
I was in Bay Park East on Saturday enjoying the beautiful day. Yes I was on my mountain bike. For the hour I was there I only saw two people. Actually I heard them first since they were talking so loudly. They caused much more disturbance in the park than I did. They also had plenty of inanimate objects along (boots, daypack, clothes) and they were walking two dogs off leash and left footprints along the trail. I was shocked. Fortunately, there wasn't a group of 20-30 ADK hikers there that day on one of their group hikes. Just me and the two people.
Trails, are by their nature, are ribbons of disturbance created so we can travel into natural areas. These parks sit in the middle of Monroe County with a population of over 700,000 people. They are urban parks and should be available for a variety of recreational uses. There are more than 20 County Parks. Is it too much to ask that one or two become multiple use parks?? There will still be trails for hikers to use and the organized mountain bikers have already committed to building and maintaining biking trails. Looking at the current use of East Bay Park (only 2 people on a beautiful Saturday) I would not say mountain bikeing will no be encroaching on hiking much at all. Can't we all just get along.....
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