Tuesday, June 3, 2008

an email from angel

here's an excerpt form an email received today from someone who helped with saturday's clean up.

" .........In the four+ years that I've been in Boise, I've noticed a significant shift in trail etiquette in the foothills. In the last year specifically, I've found myself jumping out of the way of mountain bikers in high traffic areas numerous times. Just stand near the kiosk at the top of 9th street for a bit in the evening if you haven't experienced it yourself. Almost 1/2 the bikers yesterday didn't hit their brakes at all until there was a serious threat of a collision, at which point it's almost too late. While I am not the kind of person to call and file a complaint, I believe that the FCAC needs to have a balanced view of what is happening on the trails.

You all know that I have no bone to pick with mountain bikers (as most of us engage in the occasional trail ride)... but like dog owners, you have a select few that can make the whole group seem poorly behaved. And since the FCAC seems to be unfairly attacking dog owners I think it's important that they have a more accurate picture of the types of conflict that are present in the foothills. I also don't suspect that a few phone calls are going to have them voting to eliminate mountain biking trails.

SO, Let's assume that the FCAC needs more information. PLEASE report legitimate conflicts if you are unfortunate enough to experience them AND also report positive experiences like seeing dogs who are under voice control or a walk down a leash trail where all dogs are leashed, etc. For some reason, they're convinced that dogs and dog owners are their biggest problem... if we want to maintain some freedom in the foothills we'll have to convince them otherwise. At the very least maybe we can convince them that the greatest conflicts are often site specific and can be dealt with as such. "

pointing out, once again, that a few boneheads can ruin it for everyone, that it is as important to provide positive feedback as negative, and that a little common courtesy goes a long, long way.


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