| Title: | Bicycling |
| Notice: | Bicycling for Fun |
| Moderator: | JAMIN::WASSER |
| Created: | Mon Apr 14 1986 |
| Last Modified: | Fri Jun 06 1997 |
| Last Successful Update: | Fri Jun 06 1997 |
| Number of topics: | 3214 |
| Total number of notes: | 31946 |
In response to Sierra Club's new Off-Road vehicle
policy, banning bicycles from all public land, the
National Board of Directors of the Quiet Wheels
Mountain Biking Coalition proposes the adoption of an
On-Road Pedestrian Policy.
This policy calls for all non-Wilderness bike paths,
public roads, road shoulders, and right-of-ways to be
closed to all pedestrians, including hikers, joggers,
and runners unless (1) determined to be appropriate
for their use through the completion of a costly and
time consuming analysis, review, and implementation
process, and (2) officially posted with costly signs
at every access point as being open.
Penalties will be the equivalent of anti-bicycle
legislation. Currently this requires a zero tolerance
with no warnings, mandatory heavy fines, and immediate
confiscation of footwear.
The QWMBC policy is at least partly a reaction to the
following: Bikeways made virtually unusable by glass
and litter left by non-bicyclists.(Using the precedent
set by Sierra Club we will not differentiate between
motorized and non-motorized non-bicycle users as the
major contributors to this problem.) Also,
inconsiderate pedestrians wearing headphones, making
hazardous erratic maneuvers, and being generally
oblivious to other land users. Pedestrians blocking
right-of-ways by walking/running side by side, and
pedestrians walking/running illegally.(e.g.
walking/running "with traffic", jaywalking, running
stop signs etc.).
If any fellow bicyclists would like to see a more
moderate stance on this; we don't want to hear about
it.
We have carefully modeled this policy after the Sierra
Club anti-bicycle policy and therefore assume we have
the Sierra Club, *funded* primarily by arm-chair
outdoors people that don't really know whats happening
to our "public" land anyway, fully supporting this
policy.
Thom Iverson :^)
Quiet Wheels Mountain Bicycle Coalition
(The above satire uses almost verbatim the same
wording and approach of the "ecology" oriented Sierra
Club's policies against the efficient and
non-polluting bicycle. How would *you* feel being
responsible for that policy? )
| T.R | Title | User | Personal Name | Date | Lines |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 838.1 | If only we could | HPSTEK::EKOKERNAK | Fri Aug 26 1988 13:23 | 9 | |
I'd support that policy! How many times have we all been bothered
by such bike trail and road shoulder abusers? Why, on the Vineyard,
they have a road, a bike path and a sidewalk. Where do the mopeds
drive? Where do the pedestrians walk?
Geesh.
Elaine
:-)
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| 838.2 | .1 Has a point..... | SCOMAN::BOURGAULT | I have a story to tell..... | Mon Aug 29 1988 02:22 | 16 |
I visited West Germany back in 1973.... and remember seeing
separate surfaces for cars, bikes, and pedestrians. I have
one picture (taken next to Deutsches Museum... Munich??)
showing three traffic lights... the big one for cars, and
two smaller ones, for bikes and pedestrians.
Each surface was on a separate level... Cars was the main level,
up "half a curbing height" to the bike path, and up another
half curbing to the "sidewalk". I was impressed....
I'm sorry.... we didn't stay long enough for me to carry
my curiosity to asking things like "how is it enforced",
but maybe I will write (U.S. Army brother is over there now)
and find out....
- Ed -
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| 838.3 | Theirs' is serious | MIST::IVERSON | a Brubeck beat in a Sousa world | Mon Aug 29 1988 16:33 | 73 |
The following article was the prime source of
inspiration for the On Road Pedestrian Policy.(BTW,
the Sierra Club policy is serious, not satire.)
Sierra Club Board Votes To Close All Public Land
to Mountain Bicycles.
By Gibson Anderson, Executive Director IMBA
Over the objections of bicyclists from within
the Sierra Club, and despite arguments for a more
moderate stance by the Bicycle Trails Council of
Marin and IMBA, the National Board of directors
of the Sierra Club unanimously adopted a new Off-Road
vehicle policy on May 7, 1988. This policy calls
for all Non Wilderness public land to be closed
to all vehicles including bicycles "unless (1)
determined to be appropriate for their use through
the completion of an analysis, review, and
implementation process, and (2) officially posted
with signs as being open." In a concession to
bicycles, the new Sierra Club policy differentiates
between non motorized and motorized vehicles *but
makes no distinction when calling for land closures.*
The Sierra club is very influential nationwide
in influencing land management policy.
Bicyclists within the Sierra Club, including several
IMBA members, are continuing to work for a more
moderate policy. However, the real problem is
the conflict between different user groups over
diminishing resources. It is not all attributable
to hiking and equestrian organizations attempts
to lock out a competing user group. The Sierra
club's policy is at least partly a reaction to
trail damage by mountain bicyclists who don't repair
trails, inconsiderate bicyclists speeding past
hikers and equestrians and cyclists riding illegally
etc.
( The rest of the article is a plug for the IMBA.)
(Incidentally, for those unaware; bicycles are already
banned from *all* Wilderness areas, including
clearcuts.)
For those interested:
IMBA = International Mountain Bicycling Association
membership office: Gibson Anderson, Executive Director
P.O.Box 2007, Saratoga CA 95070 (408) 741-5254
(Basic membership $12)
Field office: Don Douglass, President and Research
Director Route 2 Box 303, Bishop, CA 93514
(619) 387-2412
I can not vouche for the IMBA personally, but I
am joining just because I get nervous about an
organization that purports to represent all mountain
bikers and is led by a person that has been known
as a *hiking* outdoors activist. Can't hurt to
keep an eye on him. :-)
For you roadies that think you can escape all the
anti-bicycle Forest Sales (errrr... I mean Service)
action. The Forest Service is beginning to ban
organized *paved road* rides on land in their domain
and make riding in "groups" (i.e. paceline) illegal.
Thom
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