MTB Fighting for Life in Portland
You probably know Charlie Sponsel from his satirical MTB site Team Robot, but he’s taken an active role in advocating for MTB in Portland.
River View Protest Ride
Two weeks ago Portland Parks and Recreation announced a bike ban in River View Natural Area, the last and only real place for mountain biking in Portland, Oregon. Without the trails in Riverview, mountain bikers have only 1/2 mile of legal singletrack in nearby Forest Park and roughly six miles of crushed gravel multi-use trails at Powell Butte, located 12 miles from downtown.
Mountain bikers have been riding in River View for more than 20 years, and when the city purchased the land in 2011 mountain bikers began working with the city on a long term plan and a sustainable multi-use trail system for River View. Mountain bikers donated hundreds of hours of service to close or reroute unsustainable sections of trail, replant native species, and clear out decades of trash from River View. The city ignored years of cooperation with the MTB community, ignored the input of their citizen and professional advisors, and ignored the public process itself when they decided to issue a unilateral edict to ban bikes in River View. That bike ban goes into effect today.
Portland’s mountain bikers have seen this pattern enough, and we’ve organized a mass protest ride at Riverview to show the city what we think of their decision.
River View Protest Ride
Monday March 16, 2015 to protest the River View Bike Ban.
4 pm at the corner of SW Palatine Hill and Brugger St. in Portland
The City abandoned the public process. This ride is not so much about access to trails for mountain bikers, it’s about access for citizens to the democratic process. After years of cooperation between mountain bikers, Portland Parks and Recreation, Portland Metro, the Bureau of Environmental Services, and the surrounding neighborhood associations, and after two years of public committee meetings, Parks and Rec stopped all public communications regarding River View Natural Area eight months ago. A week ago PP&R announced River View will be closed to bikes. This is counter to their own River View Technical Advisory Committee, which stated their top environmental concerns were dogs and off-trail use. Instead of listening to the experts, they arbitrarily decided to ban bikes. When asked to clarify the evidence behind this decision, Commissioner Amanda Fritz said:
“We don’t have studies or findings. We made the decision exercising an abundance of caution.”
Nick Fish and Amanda Fritz value citizen engagement and the public process, so long as it gives them the answers they want.
Bikes are completely compatible with the resource protection goals of River View. Mountain bikers will continue to work with the city to preserve and maintain River View, as we have for 20 years. We have maintained trails. We have helped to close trails. We have partnered with PP&R to reroute and rebuild trails that were unsustainable, and to replant native species. We share the same common goals for resource protection and sustainability.
We want to help PP&R achieve their equity goals by making mountain biking accessible to the inner city. Mountain bikes are a positive outlet for kids and young adults, but not everyone can drive an hour and a half to ride Sandy Ridge. Without River View, many communities don’t have access to this healthy, constructive outdoor sport.
Write Amanda Fritz, write Nick Fish, and write Mayor Charlie Hales. Tell them “We want the River View Bike Ban reversed” at
Please try to ride to the ride or Park at Lewis and Clark College. Please carpool.
DO NOT PARK on lawns or in neighbors’ driveways.
Meet at the top of trail system, at “the hub” where the six main trails converge.
This is a peaceful protest. Don’t start riding until we start riding as a group.
This ride exists to provide a productive avenue to express your frustration. Please do not undo this good by riding or constructing illegal trails.
See you at 4!
Portland seems to need a bit of help realizing how important a healthy MTB contingent is to their recreational community…
Comments
Ginko
9 years ago
I was gonna head down to Portland this summer with a crew to check out the trails, guess we'll have to go somewhere else now. You loose Portland, what a narrow minded decision. What a load of balls.
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Lalena Desautels
9 years ago
To all my friends down in Portland, and the rest of the biking community… good luck and right on for standing up for what's important.
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usedtoliveinPDX
9 years ago
"hikers find it really disconcerting when a bicycle comes around a corner at high speed, then they have to jump out of the way" Amanda Frtiz
I have been riding the tight trails (with mostly blind corners) in my area for a little while now and the only time I've have an issue with anyone not hearing me while going down hill was another biker with both earbuds in with his head down. Ive never had any issues with Hikers, trail runners, walkers, or horseback riders knowing that I am making my way up or down a trail. Only the one close call with the one biker with his head down. Amanda Fritz's quote from above seems like the same argument I've heard from anyone found guilty of or suspected to be sabotaging trails and putting other trail users in danger. Just seems like some really narrow minded
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Ben Aton
9 years ago
This needs national attention. This is another example of wealth doing exactly what wealth wants to do regardless of the majority's desires. It pains me to be a part of a city whose policies are so convoluted and shrouded in red tape. best of luck to us all!
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jordan roy
9 years ago
Great to see Team Robot on the case!
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Come ride Colorado
9 years ago
Wow that's crap. Unless they see an economic impact it might be hard to change.
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Bob
9 years ago
One response I got back after emailing them….
"I am happy to respond on behalf of Director Mike Abbaté. We appreciate your concern about the decision to not allow mountain biking at Riverview Natural Area. The decision was made by Commissioners Fritz and Fish in an effort to protect a significant environmental asset.
Portland Parks & Recreation recognizes the existing and growing need for additional nature-based mountain biking experiences in our City park system. We believe that a comprehensive biking plan will identify the most appropriate biking opportunities, while protecting the conservation values of our natural areas and the enjoyment and safety of all park users. Towards this end, funding for a Citywide Off-Road Cycling Plan is included in the requested PP&R Fiscal Year 2015-2016 budget. The best thing that the community can do to support the development of this Cycling Plan is to advocate for that funding. Opportunities to engage in the citywide budget process are outlined here: .
The Mountain Bike community has been an important and valued partner in PortlandParks & Recreation’s approach to Mountain Biking. Additionally, the Mountain Bike community has contributed a significant amount of time and resources into maintaining and restoring Gateway Green and River View Natural Area. We greatly value these contributions, and we truly appreciate your feedback. Thank you so much for taking the time to express your concerns."
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mightyted
9 years ago
Good luck down there in Portland. Looking forward to positive news!
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