Metro Vancouver shutting down rogue bike trails on North Shore
District says unsanctioned trails were posing potential risks to riders and the environment
Metro Vancouver is shutting down some popular but unsanctioned North Vancouver bike trails, saying the routes pose potential risks to both riders and the environment.
The move hasn't gone over well with everyone, according to the the North Shore Mountain Bike Association (NSMBA), which said in a statement that someone recently retaliated by scattering piles of debris, including nails jutting out of old wood, on a busy authorized trail in the Lower Seymour Conservation Reserve called Corkscrew.
NSMBA condemned the incident in its statement and asked the public to respect the need to close unsanctioned trails.
"These dangerous actions put trail users at risk and placed an unfair burden on volunteers who had no role in this conflict."
The bike association's executive director, Deanna Cote, said rogue trail building — which is often done because riders want trails that are more extreme or with specific features — can be destructive to the environment.
"Those trails will eventually erode out as people are riding or hiking on them," Cote said, speaking on CBC's On The Coast.
She said erosion can send sediment into local streams and fish habitats, and cause the destruction of tree roots, among other environmental impacts.
The bike association said trails that are being actively decommissioned will have signage posted at the trailhead, and heavy debris will be scattered across the trail.
"We ask that the community not remove signage or debris to reopen trails as it poses a serious hazard to anyone unaware of the changes made to the trail further ahead," NSMBA said in its statement.
It noted the time and money spent decommissioning unsanctioned trails is taking away from adding new trails.
"The actions of the unsanctioned builders are minimizing the impact of the positive work we're doing and painting the picture to the broader community that mountain bikers could care less about our impacts on the surrounding environment," NSMBA said.
About 20 km of rogue trails
The Lower Seymour Conservation Area has a total of about 20 kilometres of official bike trails, according to Metro Vancouver's director of watersheds and environment Heidi Walsh.
She said it also has about the same amount of unsanctioned trails.
"That type of trail building has also exploded over the last five years," Walsh told CBC's On The Coast.
On top of environmental impacts, Walsh said unsanctioned trails can include unsafe built structures, especially for riders of lower skill levels.
"If there is a certain type of trail that is lacking in our system, then we really would like for the ideas to be brought forward through [the NSMBA] instead of someone just going out and taking it upon themselves to build the trail on their own," she said.
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With files from On The Coast