Nothing says "Don't bother coming back" like a parking ticket.
Don't let the door hit your ass on the way out. Too bad you'll be missing an awesome riding experience because you don't want to put in the extra 10 minutes of riding. But that's your call.
Above Coleman is another 4 blocks to disperse parking. As people have said, not everyone will park up there if you're doing a loop, so reopening this area should alleviate congestion. Curious, why are these four blocks sacrosanct whereas Coleman and below, not so much?
Uhhh … because people want to park as close to the trails as possible? Once you are forced park a certain distance below, its no big deal whether you ride 8 minutes, 11 minutes or 13 minutes to get to the gate. That was what the District thought was the best solution to congestion.
One thing missing in the opinion here is that not everyone does a loop, I see lots of kids walking their bikes up to Bobsled. Assuming if they need to walk up, they're not doing a loop.
What's wrong with making kids get up the hill without a car, whether its on pavement or gravel? There are 2 other Mountains within a 20 minute drive that accommodate shuttling. My 12-year old and his buddies do it and accept it. I see also 10-year-olds riding up that hill.
Another thing missing is that bikers aren't the only people who use the trails. 5 blocks through residential to take your dog for a walk?
Do you actually own a dog? Its called "walking the dog", in case you hadn't noticed.
Despite how climbing Mtn Hwy seems to be a badge of honour for some, its a shitty climb and totally unnecessary outside of the seeming opposition to allow people to park close to the trails. Not sure why some people don't want to make the experience as inviting as possible?
Because:
1. It will worsen traffic problems in and around the top of Mtn Hwy
2. It will eat into money that should be spent on trails.
3. The District's priorities should be to encourage car pooling, walking and cycling as means of transportation. Building a parking lot does none of these.
4. A parking lot will cause the destruction of green space and result in more pollution in the forest area. Air pollution (from vehicle exhaust) as well as ground and water pollution. In case you haven't noticed, the parking lot will be on a hill. All the residue (oil and fluids) from parked vehicles over the months and years will wash downhill into Mountain View Park.
Also, I see lots of riders coming down from the gates on Mtn Hwy at about 70 km/h.
I see a lot of cars speeding down too … given that a car weighs over a ton, the consequences of a mishap are much greater. And the more cars coming down the hill, the worse the problem will be.
Sounding kind of NIMBY in here. FTR, I live above Coleman in the permit only area. I also don't really care about who rides up, walks up, gets dropped off, how gnarly you are or what loops you ride. What I do care about is people in power putting up barriers that excludes, rather than includes people when it comes to a shared resource.
Sharing also means RESPONSIBILITY, not take, take, take.
