Hikers Vs Bikers

some mountain-bikers? many? all?

the biker quoted at the beginning is an idiot first, only then a biker. there are some decent bikers out there, too. even such that stick to mtb designated trails only. the few that don't make a bad name for mt bikers, but i believe they are a minority.

not that that solves anything, just sayin' let's not throw all into one bag.

I do both the biking and the hiking, and have all my life. I've experiencced these issues in many different environments.
I would certainly abhor the idea of government involvement in this area at all.
The greater part of my enjoyment arises from leaving that behind.
In my experience, it doesn't matter one wit what the rules are, there will always be those morons with a sense of entitlement.
I live along the arkansas river, where access below the high water mark is public. The big thing around here is atvs, there are miles upon miles of trail on the river, yet so many want to ride in the off limits areas, dikes, private property, etc.

The same thing happens at our city lake, we have a huge area for the dog walkers, yet so many prefer to bring em down to the pond so the fishermen gotta deal with the land mines.

When I lived in the city, the same thing went on with the biking and hiking trails. And when you speak up for yourself, you get what Set mentioned, a raving arsehole telling you he can do whatever he wants.
You get the same problem with jet skis on the lake, I used to get so pissed off pulling little kids on the knee board and have some moron come along to jump the wake behind them. God, I get livid just thinkin about that horse ****.

I don't have any answers, good opportunity to spout off though.
The problem, as I see, is this sense of entitlement that so many people seem to have today. The worst part of it is, it eventually just brings more interference and regulation, making it worse for those who act with common sense.

On a lighter note, when my daughter was very small, I rode a lot and she had a nice seat on the bike, we rode most evenings on an urban joint use trail, she loved to sing back there and it was such a riot to approach walkers from behind, they all heard us coming and to a fault stepped aside to watch us pass with smiling faces. So much better than the passing on your left routine

I wonder if a great deal of this is not attitude. In Ohio, when i lived there, there were hiking paths and biking paths, and i don't recall these sorts of conflicts. As i said, until i came here, this was not an issue. Maybe the folks in Ohio just decided to get along? There was an extensive system of bike paths along the Scioto River in Columbus, and hikers used it too--and everybody seemed to just get along.

It's funny to see this topic for hikers and mtn bikers. We have the same issues in the forests in western NC with horseback riders and motorcyclists. I ride what's called dual sport bikes on the fire roads, they are street legal, quiet, dirt bikes. When we come upon people on horseback we stop, turn our bikes off, and take our helmets off, because a person with a helmet on scares a horse. Often, that isn't good enough, the horseback riders would rather that we aren't there at all. And, oh yeah, we don't leave horse **** on the trails.

Everyone wants there own way and want's everyone else out of there way.

I can't imagine anything worse on a wilderness trail than a horse. Give them a wide spot and a pint of water, they will make a fly infested mud puddle ten inches deap. They are the spookiest creatures out there, and I include squirrels in the comparison. Always make a point of talking to the horsies, of course. If you are on a bike, or carrying a pack they don't recognize you as human.

For what it's worth, horses have the highest right of way, followed by pedestrians. Cyclists are lowest, probably because they don't jump sideways or rear up on their hind legs and paw the air.

Wayne - many good points. Especially good is the one about bringing enforcement in. No one wants our nature reserve to be policed - not that any of the towns involved have the extra cash to police the land.

I think that the biker-pedi issue is becoming more apparent because there are more bikers. Possibly in this conservation land there are also more hikers. Very likely NO ONE follows all of the common sense rules and norms of a place like this. Hikers jump in the reservoirs, bikers go off trail, people walk their dogs off-leash..... At least so far there haven't been any dirt bikes in evidence (knock on wood).

Agreed.