There's.... a lot to unpack in this thread.
But a couple of points stand out.
Yes, the NSMBA will be working on signage on CMHC ground. I lol'd a little bit at the reference to it being an "opportunity" - its going to take a very significant amount of work, so its less "opportunity" more "significant task" that will take volunteers, or money, or both. I'm hoping it'll maybe be done in 2019. We're currently talking to a couple of different people about taking on parts of the project, but there's a lot to it. Like, a lot a lot. Signage standards for all the land mangers on Seymour currently exist, and yes, they're all different. Don't expect that to change, really. DNV is re-doing signage on Fromme, in theory I'd assume they'll use the same standards for Seymour, but I wouldn't guarantee it. The LSCR does.... what the LSCR does. They also have signage standards - and especially with both the DNV and LSCR, the NSMBA is merely one point of input to the land manager on this, they can do what they want. RSTBC (who manages CMHC land on Seymour) looks to the NSMBA a bit more for this. Basically they're capacity limited managing everything from landslides on the Kettle Valley Railtrail to 4x4 trails to backcountry horse trails in Prince George, so signage gets put on the NSMBA, really.
Currently, everything on Seymour is multi-use, and really its all multi-directional; so while it may not be the "best" idea to go hiking up Boogie Nights, there's nothing that says you can't. The point of additional signage will be to set user expectations more than anything. Most trail users will follow signs, but not all.
As with ALL trail interactions, remember you're an ambassador for mountain biking at all times. If you see someone hiking up the Piledriver, point out that it might not be a great idea, and get yelled at... take the high road, fill the other party in on facts (make sure you KNOW the facts, too) or just disengage. Brocklanders nailed it "Being nice and not condescending is for sure the best approach."
I'd love to live in a world where all trails are multi-use and multi-directional, where everyone is always aware there may be other trail users coming the other way. But that's unfortunately not the world we live in. Directional trails will be looked at as a potential tool to reduce user conflict and set user expectations during signage (remember when I said it was a bigger project than just puttin' some signs on 4x4 posts? Who sets the direction of trails? What users are allowed where? Has anyone measured the trails and all features/TTFs to ensure they conform to the signed difficulty rating?).
We will work to replace some of the kiosk maps, yes. Again, they're all on different land managers land, so its not incredibly simple. And it requires GIS, cartography, and graphic design skills as well as ensuring the legalese is up to snuff. RSTBC signage standards (for CMHC land) include the option for minimaps. We'll try to include these as much as possible, but its yet another time consuming task to add to the list. As I mentioned on Andrew's Black Friday article - we're generally not short on ideas. If something seems to make a ton of sense, but isn't happening, odds are there's a reason for it.
Its worth clarifying as well - mountain bikers weren't banned from CMHC lands, all recreational users were. Kudos to our community of trail users and recreationists for working together, engaging politicians, and getting sh*t to happen and convince CMHC this was not the best course of action!
I like DanL's inclusion of the "legitimate". Given the asymmetry of user interaction between foot traffic and bikers (ie, encountering a mountain biker is generally more disruptive to a hiker than the other way around), its on the mountain bike community to be extra nice. Access is a privilege, not a right. You can bet all your $$$ that hikers are emailing land managers more often than mountain bikers. Its my dead horse to floss - if you appreciate having mountain bike trails, or would like more mtb primary (or only) trails, those emails count. If you appreciate the work the NSMBA does, those emails count. There's all of the appropriate contacts you need here. I tend to only check in here when someone emails me or messages directly about a thread - but you're always welcome to shoot me a note and I can help direct your email/comments. [email protected]
