Want to ride more trails in California State Parks? Act by Dec. 4!

[Empty_Beer]

If you're familiar with trails in your local State Park that would be perfectly good to ride, but currently aren't legal to do so, please spend at least a minute or two submitting a comment to State Parks while they are asking for them. It's easy to do in the link below.

California State Parks (CSP) is currently accepting public comments on its recently-released report: the Draft Program Environmental Impact Report, Road and Trail Change-in-Use Evaluation Process (PEIR).

The new process will be used to facilitate the addition of mountain bikes on existing state park trails. The process is a major step forward for CSP and will positively effect mountain bike access on existing trails in state park units.

California State Parks has worked over the last several years to create a fact-based, objective system to determine appropriate trail use. The key feature of the report is that it will allow for the addition of mountain bikes on specific trails without the need for additional environmental analysis. Future project decisions to allow bikes on trails will merely need to reference the PEIR. This is a major step forward for bike access in state parks.

Here's the comment form: Submit Your Comments to California State Parks | IMBA

This NorCal thread covers the topic in much more depth: DPR to streamline "Change in Use Policy"

If you're lazy, at least copy and paste all or some of IMBA's talking points into the comment section:

Dear State Parks,
Thank you for the opportunity to make comments on this is important topic. I appreciate the major steps that CSP has taken to promote multi-use trails and I urge CSP to use the PEIR to provide much needed trail opportunities for cyclists. I welcome the acknowledgement that there are effective tools and methods to successfully manage multi-use trails. I appreciate the in-depth study of trail use conflict showing that, after more than 30 years of mountain bike trail use and millions of trail users' encounters, complaints are few, incidents are fewer and accidents are rare. The trail conversion analysis may prove to be cumbersome and time consuming, and may lead to expensive trail alterations. Therefore, it is important to point out that there are hundreds of trails in parks that have never been specifically altered for multi-use, yet have functioned adequately for years. Care must be exercised in the conversion analysis to prevent the over-engineering of trails to account for every potential form of user behavior.

The report references a State Code (P.4.14-3) that limits development in parks that would be considered "attractions in themselves." The code was intended to limit the construction of restaurants, amusement parks, athletic fields, etc. in park units. It is a poor analysis to apply this code to trails. Trails are much more than just a transportation system. Trails that are sustainable, blended into the natural environment (sinuosity) and designed to showcase a park's natural features should be enjoyed as such. They are works of art that compliment the sense of place. I come to parks to enjoy the trails.

Thank you.

Better yet, write your own thoughts. To do nothing would be a disservice to the mt. biking community.

Thanks!

[slocaus]

Thanks for posting this.

We went through a pre conference workshop on this 14 page Change of Use form at the CA Trails and Greenways Conference three years ago as the preliminary testers as trail advocates, to provide feedback to State Parks. They intentionally paired equestrians, hikers, and bike riders on the same teams to get the best understanding of the issues.

We are in the final stages of a huge reroute project that will have the Change of Use system applied to allow mountain bikes onto parts of a trail network where they were forbidden 25 years ago.

What I am stating, is the process works. Write, show up, speak up, advocate and you have a very good opportunity to get MORE TRAILS TO RIDE!

[007]

Done.

[Diesel~]

Just filled mine out. Still time left for those who have not done so.

-D

[bankerboy]

This so needs to happen.

Done!

[slocaus]

For those who don't get it (double entendre intended), this from today's IMBA Southwest Regional News:

California to Take Major Step Forward in Opening Trails to Bikes in State Parks

California State Parks (CSP) recently released a report detailing the new process for adding mountain bikes to existing state park trails. The key feature of the report is that it will allow for the addition of mountain bikes on specific trails without the need for additional and often prohibitively expensive environmental analysis. The process is a major step forward for CSP and will positively affect mountain bike access. CSP is accepting public comments on its report until Dec. 4. IMBA created a simple form that allows you to easily and quickly voice your support.

[Empty_Beer]

Bump. Please submit your comment before tomorrow, Dec. 4th. Thank you!

[Drewdaman]

Done, and that was easier than I thought it would be!

Then again, my input was all of 2 (long) sentences, but I'm thinking that it will be read and noted anyway...

Lastly, just a minor clarification: the deadline to comment is "no later than Dec. 4", so you still have time to make a difference...

[Drewdaman]

Correction, the actual deadline for submitting comments must have been December 3rd, as the official website has a statement on it that the commenting period is now closed.

Draft 2012 PEIR

Apparently, the IMBA website provided above is incorrect when it states, "no later than Dec. 4th" ...

My apologies for any confusion and/or wasted effort my original message may have caused.