North Shore Trail Riding Etiquette and Behavior in a Global Pandemic

I went for a ride on Seymour this morning and was quite concerned that some people are still not getting the social distancing message. The last thing any of us wants is for trail access to be shut down so I thought I'd throw out what I feel are some common sense guidelines for discussion and to hopefully increase awareness. I am not a epidemiologist so if there is anyone who thinks I've got something wrong, speak up. Also, if you feel the need to flame me, feel free. I have a thick skin and we all need our outlets in these crazy times ;)

1) Stay at least 6 feet away from everyone in the area (roughly one bike length) that you do not live with. That means if you have to stop beside the trail, only stop on one side and pull well off. If you and people with you stop on both sides of the trail, you are forcing other people coming up the trail to 'run the gauntlet' If you or they cough or sneeze, how will everyone stay out of the line of fire? If you are blocking someone who wants to pass, stop and pull well off the trail to let them by.

2) Don't ride in large groups. I know there are lots of opinions on whether riding alone is a good idea or not so I won't say ride alone, but is it necessary to ride with more than 1 or 2 other people?

3) (Similar to 1 & 2) Don't bunch up at the top of a climb / beginning of a descent. If there are already people there taking a break either drop right in or find a place further up the trail or further back so that you are not sharing the same space.

4) Ride within your limits so you don't end up needing medical attention. Further burdening the medical system in the next few weeks or months will not win anyone any friends and non-life threatening injuries for an otherwise healthy person will likely be way down the triage list right now.

5) Don't shuttle or share rides with people you don't live with. Why take the risk? Either bike to the trail head or drive separately. If you must, bring a separate bag to keep all your stuff in and hand sanitize before and after leaving the vehicle and stay as far apart as possible - honestly a mask might not be out of place. Don't pack 6 bros in your Tacoma!

6) Last, don't be a d**k and think you are young and healthy so this isn't going to affect you. The longer and more severe this is, the more it will effect us all in terms economics, personal freedom and probably a million and one ways we don't even realize yet. If everyone gets on board we can make a huge difference in how this all plays out and keep our fingers crossed that the coming of summer could at least give us a bit of a reprieve.

Cam McRae's excellent editorial ( https://nsmb.com/articles/ride-or-not-ride-during-global-pandemic/ ) and the comment section goes over most of this as well and has lots of food for thought.

Cannot support this enough. If we don't self regulate better, trails will be closed down.

Thanks Xorrox.

This all seems so blatantly common sense, it's stunning that some people are unable to figure this out on their own.

Two days ago I watched two tour buses packed full of people unload for a baptism at the beach. 

People...they're the worst.

Witnessed a group of 6 to 8 young men yesterday who had just wrapped a ride at the Woodlot. They all cracked a beer and things were cool, no high fives, no hugs. The thing that struck me was the young guy who let a number of them take his new ride for a spin around the lot. Frankly, gave me the hee bee gee bees.

Not the end of the world I suppose, as long as none of them touch their face after riding their friends bike (before they get a chance to either sanitize or properly wash).  I have become so much more aware of what I do with my hands in the last two weeks but every once I a while I still forget and that's scary.

Posted by: Xorrox

Not the end of the world I suppose, as long as none of them touch their face after riding their friends bike (before they get a chance to either sanitize or properly wash).  I have become so much more aware of what I do with my hands in the last two weeks but every once I a while I still forget and that's scary.

But they're not just touching their faces. They are touching steering wheels, phones, keys, water bottles, etc and those things get touched by other people.

So how did Saturday go on the shore vis a vis numbers? The weather would have deterred people from riding but was it still a bit crowded?

Posted by: andy-eunson

So how did Saturday go on the shore vis a vis numbers? The weather would have deterred people from riding but was it still a bit crowded?

I went in the AM and the rain was pumping down.  I'd say typical numbers for a rainy Saturday. A few pairs of bikers and a few pairs of hikers/runners. One larger group of runners but they had spaced themselves apart pretty well.

Lots of SUVs with NorthShore racks full of bikes on the Sea to Sky today. 

Not cool!

They should have a road check like they do for tires

Posted by: Ddean

Lots of SUVs with NorthShore racks full of bikes on the Sea to Sky today. 

Not cool!

They should have a road check like they do for tires

Everybody on my strava who rode appeared to have done so in their home communities, so that's encouraging. But they might also be among those more plugged into things.

Posted by: Ddean

Lots of SUVs with NorthShore racks full of bikes on the Sea to Sky today. 

Not cool!

They should have a road check like they do for tires

Today was probably nuts. I didn't even bother.

Old Buck parking lot and part way to golf course full of cars.  Lots of bikers and trail runners.

Posted by: switch

Old Buck parking lot and part way to golf course full of cars.  Lots of bikers and trail runners.

Pretty easy to spread out once you’re out there. Short of staying home, I’d think getting outside (in a safe manner) is one of the better things people can be doing.

Most bikers/hikers/runners were obviously conscious of distancing.