North Shore Trail Riding Etiquette and Behavior in a Global Pandemic

Posted by: DanL

The other point which I think is getting lost is about ESSENTIAL travel to and within communities.

Both sides of my families are in other countries and subject to far more draconian restrictions on their travel.

Can people here honestly tell me that for the last 8 weeks that traveling into Lynn Valley, which is at the epicentre of BC's Covid-19 pandemic, to ride a bicycle can in any way be classified as essential travel.

It's not and let's be honest with ourselves here, it's an inconvenience of not getting to do a past-time for a small window of time that doesn't even compare to the big picture, real life shit that has hit everyone here.

This is a community that has locked itself down to protect hospitals, the vulnerable and the people on the front line and they/we get to watch out of their windows shuttle rigs dump 6 riders at a time off in their streets at the height of this reckless assholism. Of course people are spitting feathers.

To turn around and start talking about things getting all NIMBY or unfair comes off as little short sighted and insensitive. It's temporary and it's also incredible that we are actually moving forwards hopefully out of this.

No one is getting the coronavirus by mountain biking near each other. The entire province of BC had 15 new virus cases within the past 24 hours. Someone driving into North Van and parking on Mtn Highway is completely irrelevant.

Easy for you guys who already live in the immediate area next to the trails to rail against this.

100's of riders (including mountain bikes👍) heading up Mt Seymour this morning. The vast majority where keeping at least 2m apart, including one group of mountain bikers who thought it was a good idea to take up all three lanes (as I was heading downhill on my road bike at 70km/h!)

Fromme, on the other hand was eerily quiet when I went up there in the afternoon!

MTB were allowed on the Seymour road? I thought that was only for the slim-tire crew...

Posted by: Taz123

MTB were allowed on the Seymour road? I thought that was only for the slim-tire crew...

A bike’s a bike if you ride it from home. Corkscrew, BP, and Old Buck entrances are closed by BC Parks still. Parking is still restricted in the area. (See Trailforks)

Posted by: heckler

Posted by: Taz123

MTB were allowed on the Seymour road? I thought that was only for the slim-tire crew...

A bike’s a bike if you ride it from home. Corkscrew, BP, and Old Buck entrances are closed by BC Parks still. Parking is still restricted in the area. (See Trailforks)

I've heard of a couple of instances where MTBs, and even runners, were denied access to the road, presumably because road bikes aren't going to "accidentally" end up on Old Buck, the BP, or Corkscrew.

Maybe it was groups that should be denied?

The larger the group, that harder to distance without impacting other users. I saw and passed the three guys taking up the entire two uphill lanes side by side and I may have been the fourth douch in the downhill lane as I tried to get passed them. But I made damn sure that 6061 wasn't coming downhill at me first. Likely though it was someone else passing the 3 wide riders 6061 encountered.  Or it was me and 6061 impacted by the group of three staying far apart from each other.

An interesting little history lesson  

https://www.cbc.ca/radio/ideas/the-terrors-of-the-time-lessons-from-historic-plagues-1.5535941

the true story of this pandemic will be told from the perspective of how we treat one another today.

"I'm not using this as an occasion to enhance the divisions in society. I do think that when we read about plagues in the past, we end up thinking how well they behaved," Harding says.

MTB'ing isn't going anywhere anytime soon, so the residents that live close to the trail heads are going to have to get used to the bikes and parking.

One thing I am worried about is that with the bike park likely not opening for a while, there's going to be increased traffic on the Shore until it opens... so unfortunately this issue of bikers annoying residents likely isn't going to go away anytime soon. Hoping we can come up with a working solution... The Fromme parking lot and Seymour opening fully back up (both likely before bike park opens IMO) should bridge the gap a little bit but I definitely foresee this being an issue over the next couple months.

Posted by: tashi

Houses near mountain biking spots aren’t going anywhere so mountain bikers are going to have to get used to people caring how they behave outside their homes.

no matter what bikers/hikers do, the residents don't want people up there.  That's pretty clear and how it's always been.  It's the sheer numbers I would say that's causing the issue. They can't ban people going up there and even if they do, think it's going to stop anyone? Ban all the parking except locals?  E-bike sales will go through the roof and people will find other routes in.  DNV isn't going to ban mtb's...  too much $, even when the 1% email in to the mayor and council.

I keep telling people how great Squamish is.

Posted by: LoamtoHome

Posted by: tashi

Houses near mountain biking spots aren’t going anywhere so mountain bikers are going to have to get used to people caring how they behave outside their homes.

no matter what bikers/hikers do, the residents don't want people up there.  That's pretty clear and how it's always been.  It's the sheer numbers I would say that's causing the issue. They can't ban people going up there and even if they do, think it's going to stop anyone? Ban all the parking except locals?  E-bike sales will go through the roof and people will find other routes in.  DNV isn't going to ban mtb's...  too much $, even when the 1% email in to the mayor and council.

I keep telling people how great Squamish is.

I was just on Fromme for a late morning ride, there was no one around. This is a weekend thing that will clear up once the fromm  lot and other parks open up again. All the intagrammers will be back at Quarry rock.

I feel lucky I live near the trailheads, is Lynn valley a gong show even moreso on weekends currently? Ya for sure but in the grand scheme of things it's nothing. Try hitting the beach or greenspace in the Los Angeles area on a weekend, it's full mayhem.

Posted by: tashi

Houses near mountain biking spots aren’t going anywhere so mountain bikers are going to have to get used to people caring how they behave outside their homes.

I wish I could rep u for that. Mountain biking is a privilege not a right. Some need to remember this.

Posted by: tashi

City hall listens to their ratepayers over non-ratepayers every time.

Local business have a huge say and a good chunk of ratepayers are riders as well.  How many residents besides MC complain on a regular basis?  DNV doesn't manage all the land either.

They are not going to shut down riding... it's just impossible.  

People like to complain, especially in NV.  The center of NIMBY'ism.

Posted by: FLATCH

Posted by: tashi

Houses near mountain biking spots aren’t going anywhere so mountain bikers are going to have to get used to people caring how they behave outside their homes.

I wish I could rep u for that. Mountain biking is a privilege not a right. Some need to remember this.

Most excellent point.  Too bad there are too many that abuse that privilege and come up with the dumbest reasons as justification for the abuse.