ACTION ALERT: Mountain Biking in the Presidio
The future of legal mountain biking in the Presidio is NOW!! Any possibility of legal off-road mountain biking in the Presidio is in jeopardy unless the mountain biking community becomes involved NOW!!
It’s not too late!! If mountain bikers become involved now, legal off-road mountain biking may have a future in the Presidio. We have talked to the Presidio Trust Planning Department about mountain biking in the park and they are very friendly, accessible, open to new ideas and willing to consider alterations to the Plan if there is a demonstrated public demand for it. Background
Although the Presidio has many existing and outstanding off-road trails that are suitable for mountain biking (Presidio mountain biking map), none of them are currently open to bikes. The Presidio Trust, the organization which has been entrusted to manage the park’s resources and its future development, has initiated a project with its Planning Department to reevaluate the Presidio’s bikeways and trails.
On November 12, 2002, the Planning Department of the Presidio Trust released a first draft of the “Presidio Trails and Bikeways: Master Plan & Environmental Assessment” for a 3 month public comment and review period. The plan is comprehensive and well thought-out and provides four good plan alternatives and trailway configurations. The plan is intended to shape the next 20 years of biking and trail use within the park. However…..
NONE OF THE PLAN ALTERNATIVES ALLOW FOR ANY OFF-ROAD MOUNTAIN BIKING TRAILS WITHIN THE PRESIDIO.
To learn more about or request a copy of the Bikeways Master Plan, visit this link:
http://www.presidiotrust.org/whatsnew/whatsnew79.asp
How You Can Help Bring Mountain Biking to the Presidio
It’s not too late!! If mountain bikers become involved now, legal off-road mountain biking may have a future in the Presidio. We have talked to the Presidio Trust Planning Department about mountain biking in the park and they are very friendly, accessible, open to new ideas and willing to consider alterations to the Plan if there is a demonstrated public demand for it. There are a few main reasons consistently cited as to why off-road mountain biking has been excluded from the proposed Bikeway and Trail Plan:
1. No interest has been shown by the mountain biking community in making the Presidio a mountain biking destination.
2. Mountain biking is already available across the Golden Gate Bridge in the Marin Headlands; there’s no need for it here.
3. Non-paved multi-use trails are not feasible, i.e.hikers and bikers cannot coexist on off-road trails.
4. Mountain biking is destructive to the trails and the environment.
If we, the mountain biking community, can demonstrate our tremendous interest in off-mountain biking in the Presidio, we can put objections #1 and #2 to rest. If we can intelligently and persuasively show the planning department the realities of mountain biking and of sustainably built multi-use trails, we can eliminate objections #3 and #4.
IN ORDER TO ACCOMPLISH THIS, YOU MUST CONTRIBUTE BY DOING THREE IMPORTANT THINGS:
1. Write a letter or e-mail to the Planning Department to tell them your viewpoints on mountain biking in the Presidio. See contact info below. In your letter, please BE RESPECTFUL, indicate why off-road mountain biking in the Presidio is important to you, intelligently explain how and why multi-use off-road biking is safe and feasible, how mountain biking can improve the recreational experience in the Presidio, how sustainable trail building techniques make mountain biking no more damaging to the trail than any other use, etc. Please write about your background, volunteer and trail building experience, how the mountain biking community is instramental in improving public trails, etc, to help support your comments.
2. Attend the January 28, 2003, Presidio Trust meeting (details below) which is open to public comment on the Master Bikeways Plan. Making a big impact at this meeting is crucial!
3. Pass this information onto all of your friends, colleagues and organizations who support the expansion of sustainable, safe and responsible mountain biking on our public lands.
Written comments may be sent to:
Christine Ottaway, Project Co-Manager
The Presidio Trust
34 Graham Street
P.O. Box 29052
San Francisco, CA 94129-0052
Fax: (415) 561-2790
E-mail: planning@presidiotrust.gov
There are two important dates coming up regarding the Presidio Trails and Bikeways Master Plan:
Tuesday, January 28, 2003, 7:30 p.m. at the Golden Gate National Recreation Area (GGNRA) Park Headquarters, Building 201, Fort Mason. We must make a HUGE showing at this meeting!! Anyone who wants to see off-road mountain biking become a reality in the Presidio MUST attend this meeting and voice an opinion.
February 12, 2003 – The end of the public review period regarding the Presidio Trails and Bikeways Master Plan. If you want the Presidio Planning Department to consider your opinions, you must send your comments to them before this date! Following the close of the public review period, the National Park Service and the Presidio Trust will consider and respond to any written or oral comments. These responses and any revisions to the Trails Plan and EA will form the complete and final Trails Plan and EA. Completion of the process and adoption of a final Trails Plan is expected in Spring 2003.
