Some bikers just barrel along the middle of the multi-use trails. I've started just staying in the middle as pedestrians have right of way over bikers on these trails; the signage is very visible and explicit. But a lot of bikers are courteous.
Also saw people walking down Empress bypass. Dumb, as the signage at the trailhead is pretty obvious.
Also saw a group of about ten people, with their dogs, sitting closely together on the golf course. Not too bright.
To get away from people stuck to riding my gravel bike. There was way too many people out on the trails this weekend. Be surprised if they don't get shut down. Which will suck for those of us actually doing to solo thing.
They had traffic control only letting 45 cars in the Rice Lake lot at one time. So there was a lineup of cars waiting at the cemetery to go up. Some guy was crying it wasn't fair as I rode by that bikes didn't have to wait. What a wanker.
our health care workers aren't just risking their lives, but also the lives of their family members.
if the shit hits the fan all this recreational use needs to stop to ensure that no health care resources are spent on avoidable recreational injuries. maybe we're not there yet, but the time may come when riding becomes an extremely selfish act. i do not agree that the risk can be managed. many people have serious accidents on easy sections of trails.
waiting for the trails to get shut down. won't be disappointing. at that point if you go riding, just be prepared to bleed out or crawl home and pray your bones heal in some usable manner.
if you need to workout to maintain your sanity there are less risky ways to do that. if you think it's riding or nothing, see my selfish comment above.
Posted by: oldmanbuilder
our health care workers aren't just risking their lives, but also the lives of their family members.
if the shit hits the fan all this recreational use needs to stop to ensure that no health care resources are spent on avoidable recreational injuries. maybe we're not there yet, but the time may come when riding becomes an extremely selfish act. i do not agree that the risk can be managed. many people have serious accidents on easy sections of trails.
waiting for the trails to get shut down. won't be disappointing. at that point if you go riding, just be prepared to bleed out or crawl home and pray your bones heal in some usable manner.
if you need to workout to maintain your sanity there are less risky ways to do that. if you think it's riding or nothing, see my selfish comment above.
Well people slip and fall in the shower, do we ban showers too? How about lightning strikes, they kill people, can we ban those? Alcohol causes issues too, better stop selling that. And cigarettes. And anything with sugar in it. And, and, and... Just how many people have serious accidents on easy sections of trails? What is the nature of these serious accidents, just how serious are they? Do you have ant data or info to back this up?
C'mon man, you haven't really thought through your statement and are trying to support it with a dubious claim. People can manage the risk, I saw lots of them doing it on Sunday.
However, I will give you points on the thought of whether some people are responsible enough to manage the risk, but that's a deeper conversation.
Be nice to hear from someone who works at the ER at Lionsgate how many people in fact are coming in with sport related injuries.
I'm sure the parade of the unwell is still as strong as ever there from smoking, obesity, and other poor health issues from not looking after one's self. Love driving by Lionsgate and seeing people smoking in their hospital gown. I'm sure at the moment the sports injury crowd is miniscule compared to the repeat offenders who are in the hospital constantly due to being shitheads who don't look after themselves. Maybe we should toss them out and make room?
There- that's my whataboutism rant.
Regardless everyone I have talked to has toned it way back. So I haven't heard of anyone mangling themselves.
I according to my Stava/Trailforks log, I have done about 1000 rides since I started riding again in 2012 after a hiatus. In that time, I have been to the ER twice, both times for stitches. Once was practicing for an enduro on jagged terrain in the Okanagan, and once was while trying to go fast on Asian Adonis when it was brand new and 6" wide. Over those ~1000 rides, I have not taken especially great measures to mitigate my risks. I have ridden within my limits, but have definitely pushed myself to progress. And I have crashed many, many times.
I would say 1000 rides is a decent sample size. Using my own records, I run a 0.2% chance of ending up in the ER on any given ride.
To me, that risk seems manageable, even more so if I avoid really pushing it over the next bit. Both my ER trips were crashes at speed, so I will especially be avoiding trails that allow speeds to pick up.
Of course, 0.2% chance of ending up in the ER doesn't mean it it happens on schedule 2 out of 1000 rides. It can happen at any time. But based on probability, continuing to ride right now while targeting a few aspects of riding that increase my risk seems like a reasonable thing to do.
Also, for comparison, I ended up in the ER once over the same period cutting my finger while cooking.
In related news, If you get a flesh wound or some other minor Injury (which could even Include a minor break/fracture) I recommend the clinic at Lonsdale/19th (108-1940 Lonsdale). They stitched me up good a few times. They're also open until 9 and I guarantee you'll get service quicker than If you went to the ER, especially now. They are well familiar with mountain bikers.
DNV is closing some on-street parking this coming weekend:
Onstreet parking is restricted in these locations used for accessing mountain trails:
Berkley Avenue, Hyannis Drive, Riverside Drive, Mountain Highway
Riverside Drive North
Mountain Highway, south of Coleman
Woodlands, Indian River Drive – closed to public
Posted by: syncro
Posted by: oldmanbuilder
our health care workers aren't just risking their lives, but also the lives of their family members.
if the shit hits the fan all this recreational use needs to stop to ensure that no health care resources are spent on avoidable recreational injuries. maybe we're not there yet, but the time may come when riding becomes an extremely selfish act. i do not agree that the risk can be managed. many people have serious accidents on easy sections of trails.
waiting for the trails to get shut down. won't be disappointing. at that point if you go riding, just be prepared to bleed out or crawl home and pray your bones heal in some usable manner.
if you need to workout to maintain your sanity there are less risky ways to do that. if you think it's riding or nothing, see my selfish comment above.
Well people slip and fall in the shower, do we ban showers too? How about lightning strikes, they kill people, can we ban those? Alcohol causes issues too, better stop selling that. And cigarettes. And anything with sugar in it. And, and, and... Just how many people have serious accidents on easy sections of trails? What is the nature of these serious accidents, just how serious are they? Do you have ant data or info to back this up?
C'mon man, you haven't really thought through your statement and are trying to support it with a dubious claim. People can manage the risk, I saw lots of them doing it on Sunday.
However, I will give you points on the thought of whether some people are responsible enough to manage the risk, but that's a deeper conversation.
that the weakest argument you could come up with to try and troll me? this is about people making decisions to reduce activities that may cause demand on the health care system. i guess people really are too selfish to see the big picture. the answer is me, me, me. i'll keep doing whatever i want even though we're on the verge of being in a war zone.
god, i can only help the trails are shut down.
Posted by: D_C_
DNV is closing some on-street parking this coming weekend:
Onstreet parking is restricted in these locations used for accessing mountain trails:
Berkley Avenue, Hyannis Drive, Riverside Drive, Mountain Highway
Riverside Drive North
Mountain Highway, south of Coleman
Woodlands, Indian River Drive – closed to public
finally some sanity
Posted by: oldmanbuilder
that the weakest argument you could come up with to try and troll me? this is about people making decisions to reduce activities that may cause demand on the health care system. i guess people really are too selfish to see the big picture. the answer is me, me, me. i'll keep doing whatever i want even though we're on the verge of being in a war zone.
god, i can only help the trails are shut down.
Your sarcasm meter needs some fine tuning. You’re right about “making decisions to reduce activities that may cause demand on the health care system.” Things like riding at slower speeds and choosing lower risk trails are part of that equation. So is doing things to keep your mental health in a good place such as getting outside. Your idea of big picture misses that.
The reason for my snarky comments is that you paid no heed to common activities that can result in people getting hurt. It’s a bit rich to talk about big picture when you’re only willing to consider one definition of risk - yours.
Posted by: Brocklanders
I'm sure the parade of the unwell is still as strong as ever there from smoking, obesity, and other poor health issues from not looking after one's self. Love driving by Lionsgate and seeing people smoking in their hospital gown. I'm sure at the moment the sports injury crowd is miniscule compared to the repeat offenders who are in the hospital constantly due to being shitheads who don't look after themselves. Maybe we should toss them out and make room?
There- that's my whataboutism rant.
Regardless everyone I have talked to has toned it way back. So I haven't heard of anyone mangling themselves.
This riding during covid thing is getting heated.
As for the "shitheads" (your word) who don't look after themselves, they are doing their part. Our day to day admissions for non-covid illness are way down. My hospital is under capacity for the first time since it was opened! As far as I can tell, the "shitheads" (again your word) are doing their part. They are taking their meds and keeping on the straight and narrow.
As for bikers, our trails were unofficially closed because dumnasses (my word) were riding in massive groups and hanging out in the parking lot after their ride having brews and trying to coinfect and crosscontaminate as much as they could.
Personally, I don't think the mental health benefits of riding is a good enough reason to say everyone should be out riding. If the trails are too busy people will infect others. If people act like idiots, trails will close. I think each area will need to assess their capacity to accommodate riders in a covid safe way. Sumas, for example, is probably a fairly safe spot to ride. Seymour is possibly going to be a gong show. Young people who don't think they will get sick from covid are the number one population who spread the disease to others who will possibly die from it.
I don't think people riding on trails is too bad but you need to do it alone and in such a way that you don't endanger yourself or others.
As for the liquor stores, they need to stay open, I can't deal with that many people going into withdrawal at the same time!
As for the "shitheads" (your word) who don't look after themselves, they are doing their part. Our day to day admissions for non-covid illness are way down. My hospital is under capacity for the first time since it was opened! As far as I can tell, the "shitheads" (again your word) are doing their part. They are taking their meds and keeping on the straight and narrow.
That's great news.
Posted by: RAHrider
Our day to day admissions for non-covid illness are way down. My hospital is under capacity for the first time since it was opened!
This is awesome news; hopefully a B.C.-wide trend.
Thank you for being there!
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