"The two mountain bikers whom undertook the investigation release the following statement:
We would like to thank the RCMP and Crown Counsel for their efforts on this independent citizen led investigation.
We will not comment on the sentence Mrs. Kraal received today.
Todays result closes this unfortunate tale of Mrs. Kraal and the Skull trail. This story isnt about user conflict. It is a story about the deliberate, persistent effort by one person to attempt to interfere with legitimate trail users she didn't even know.
Whats needed is respect: Respect for trail users of all types; Respect for the shared resource of trails of all types; and Respect for the land manager that governs use of these trails: the District of North Vancouver.
The District is managing the trail network by engaging with organizations such as the North Shore Mountain Bike Association (NSMBA). We informed the NSMBA at the initiation of the investigation as they are the legal trail stewards of the Skull trail. They were then informed again when we had approached the RCMP with the dossier of evidence. Lastly, they were informed of the arrest of Ms. Kraal on Jan 5, 2015.
With the culmination of this matter we need to focus forward. There are many types of activities that people undertake within the near country of our North Shore mountains- trail running, hiking, dog walking, mountain biking, and even picnics. Most all of these activities are trail based, as we know.
Let us NOT focus on the types of trail users, let us focus on WHY we are all there!
All of us have a responsibility to care for the trails. We also have a responsibility to others in understanding their right for their use and enjoyment too- this is key.
This case was only about one person, Mrs. Kraal, undertaking actions with the sole intention to disrupt anothers legal use and enjoyment of the trails that they are sanctioned for.
And she got caught."