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OT: Forest Park new trails opening to bikes?

 
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Wind Slither

Since 04 Mar 2005
2570 Posts
The 503
METAL



PostThu Oct 20, 16 7:30 am    OT: Forest Park new trails opening to bikes? Reply with quote

I know there are petitions out against it. Does anyone know how to support it?

http://nwexaminer.com/hikers-fear-bikes-on-forest-park-trails

Last edited by Wind Slither on Tue Oct 25, 16 12:41 pm; edited 1 time in total

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chrissmack

Since 08 Jun 2005
515 Posts
portland
Addicted



PostThu Oct 20, 16 9:43 am     Reply with quote

slither,

i've been following this for years. hoping for more single track close to home.

bikers want to add trails. last few years PPR sounds open to this.

oregon live....

http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2016/08/off-road_cycling_in_forest_par.html


City of Portland Portland Off-road Cycling Master Plan, site is supposed to have a questionnaire, i can't find it

https://www.portlandoregon.gov/bps/68157


no real talk of existing trails being opened for biking (keeping existing trails "foot traffic" only is a good thing IMHO).


WATCH OUT: Examiner is trying to stop any new bike access to the park.
very anti bike editor.
they have been misrepresenting by saying Wildwood will be open to bikes, trying to scare people. this is something that no one is talking about seriously, other than the Examiner

and we even have the "Friends of Forest Park" trying to stop any biking.

the "friends of ..." groups again! Mad Mad Mad

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pollywog

Since 07 Aug 2009
289 Posts

Obsessed



PostFri Oct 21, 16 6:16 pm     Reply with quote

When hell freezes we'll be allowed in FP. Groups of bikers have been trying for years. There's so much hate towards mountain bikers but no real science to back their claims of erosion from bikes exclusively. Sure, there's erosion. There is erosion from bikers, runners, deer, elk, horses... pretty much any thing that walks the same paths through the forests. It laughable the shit they claim.
So many well-off people live around it and they put their money where their mouth is..
If I win the lottery we're gonna be in! Now if I just buy tickets....

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quenyaistar

Since 21 Oct 2011
416 Posts
Cougar, WA
Obsessed



PostFri Oct 21, 16 8:26 pm     Reply with quote

Set up a protest with a bunch of mountain bikers and ride the trail and make a point. Or, since life is short, just ride it early in the morning or at night with a light. Hell everytime I have walked fp I have encountered at least one person on a bike. Grow a pair and go for a ride it'll be extra exciting.
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shane s

Since 19 Jun 2013
11 Posts
Hood
 



PostSat Oct 22, 16 12:13 pm     Reply with quote

A friend of mine has been working on this issue and is looking for people to get involved.

http://www.mtbpdx.com/

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chrissmack

Since 08 Jun 2005
515 Posts
portland
Addicted



PostSun Oct 23, 16 12:00 pm     Reply with quote

quenyaistar wrote:
Set up a protest with a bunch of mountain bikers and ride the trail and make a point.



Quote:
Established in 2016, MTBPDX.com was built after a killer ride on the Wildwood trail in Forest Park.



these are NOT paths to getting real mt biking up there. we all want the same outcome, but please don't unravel the hard work others are putting in.

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Wind Slither

Since 04 Mar 2005
2570 Posts
The 503
METAL



PostSun Oct 23, 16 4:34 pm     Reply with quote

chrissmack wrote:
these are NOT paths to getting real mt biking up there. we all want the same outcome, but please don't unravel the hard work others are putting in.


Agree. We're "Stronger Together" working with the hikers that want to "Make Forest Park Safe Again". They go low with their exclusive entitlement, we go high. Laughing

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quenyaistar

Since 21 Oct 2011
416 Posts
Cougar, WA
Obsessed



PostSun Oct 23, 16 6:41 pm     Reply with quote

I have owned a mountain bike since 1982 and rode bmx bikes before that, pretty sure nothing has changed at FP since then, so what do you think is going to change?

If you were dealing with logical fair intelligent folks people would be riding FP legally by now. There is no good reason to close any trails 24/7/365. You could simply make it open to bikes a couple days a week or at certain times during the day, then any easily spooked hikers can choose to not hike during those hours or days.

Bikes are not any harder on a trail than hikers. In fact I would argue hikers are like horses on trails they leave holes everywhere when they encounter soft conditions. Bikes leave lines and trail are by there very nature lines. If someone was riding a motorized dirt bike on FP you would have something to bitch about, a half horsepower human not so much.

This goes for wilderness as well. If I can't ride a bike there you can't use a wheel chair or pack a gun into the wilderness either. Sounds crazy to me that these would be ok and bikes no way.

No matter what you do there will always be bikes on that trail and a small percentage will always ride in an unsafe disrespectful manner.

Simply being polite goes a long way when you are riding somewhere not allowed. Slow down, don't rip around blind corners and when you encounter other users smile and say hi, have a great day, no matter how much stink eye they throw your way.

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leonard

Since 10 Sep 2016
4 Posts

Kook



PostMon Oct 24, 16 4:37 pm     Reply with quote

In the 1900s our mtn bike guides were disguised as hiking guides.

Our kiteboarding guides were disguised as windsurf guides early on to.

Twisted Evil

Exposure of areas with less than legal use on public forums is never a good move though .

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Wonder

Since 28 Nov 2007
129 Posts
Hood River, Oregon
Stoked



PostTue Oct 25, 16 11:24 am     Reply with quote

Relative Impacts of Various Trail User Groups

A comparison of impact to trails by hikers, bikers and equestrians.

Read the article here:

http://www.americantrails.org/resources/ManageMaintain/WKeenImpacts.html

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ldhr

Since 21 Jul 2009
1470 Posts
Hood River
XTreme Poster



PostTue Oct 25, 16 12:25 pm     Reply with quote

Wonder wrote:
Relative Impacts of Various Trail User Groups
A comparison of impact to trails by hikers, bikers and equestrian.
Read the article here:
http://www.americantrails.org/resources/ManageMaintain/WKeenImpacts.html

That's a really old study and I'm guessing they didn't experience the wet muddy season like we have here in PDX. Also the impact of modern bikes and the change in riding style (downhill oriented, skidding around switchbacks, generally riding way faster than we did in the 90's).

It's been a few years since I lived in NW PDX.... back then we could ride on the gravel road thru the park, but not on the singletrack.

I think if people were allowed to ride MTB on singletrack trails the bikers would get out of control..... they would overwhelm the hikers..... All those bikers and only one place to ride singletrack would cause a huge overuse on the weekends.

Also - the trails are pure mud for 6 months a year - bikers would cause deterioration.

Out here in the gorge we know to stay off the trails when they are muddy but there's a constant stream of PDX people driving out here and riding Post and chewing up the singletrack. They don't know any better and if you say something to them the response is - "we drove all the way out here - there's no closed signs - so we're gonna ride".

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Wind Slither

Since 04 Mar 2005
2570 Posts
The 503
METAL



PostTue Oct 25, 16 12:37 pm     Reply with quote

Yep, this initiative acknowledges that new trails would be needed that are designed for bikes. FP is huge. Even just one good loop trail with everyone going the same direction would be an awesome step forward. Leif Erickson is the worst. Besides being skull boring, somehow it seems uphill in both directions.

And yes, unless they really do it up, it would have to be closed during the wet.

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