Night Riding Pros and Cons

From: Wakefield A Model for Night Mountain Bike Riding

ATTACHMENT # 2
NIGHT RIDING STAFF PROS AND CONS

Pro

Bill Hellwig, Manager
Audrey Moore RECenter

1. Legal night activity serves as a deterrent to illegal activities in the park.
2. Gives persons an opportunity to pursue this form of recreation/fitness after work during the non daylight savings times. This is consistent with other activities that the Park Authority allows after dark such as athletic field use and tennis.
3. Parks have a longstanding good relationship with MORE. MORE has contributed thousands of man hours of volunteer work in our parks and this is an accepted activity of this club. MORE is willing to take on the management of this activity thus strengthening our relationship with this group.
4. We know that this activity has a history in our parks with little or no negative impact. By accepting this as a legitimate activity we can have some input into future concerns.
5. This is an accepted activity in other parks.

John M. Rutherford, Archaeologist
Resource Management Division

None

Jenny Pate, Trails Coordinator
Planning & Development Division

1. If we limit the rides to Wakefield Park, we will eliminate the concern about Lake Accotink needing to be open after dusk.
2. We are not going to be able to allow MORE to do what they really want to do - at least not initially. Hopefully, they will agree that a little bit is better than nothing...it is important we keep them as a partner, but they need to understand our constraints. We are still struggling with issues at Lake Accotink and trail re-routes and closures.

Richard Maple, Manager
Area 2

1. By allowing night riding we can formalize a program which is advertised and conducted in violation of our stated regulations. This formalization should allow the Park Authority the ability to:
   1. Control times and dates
   2. Track attendance
   3. Monitor the activity and how it effects the environment
   4. Allows for a more formal point of contact in case conditions do not allow for the activity to occur
2. Based on the assessment of Risk Management making it a formal activity helps to shift the risk away from us and more onto the participants.

Tawny Hammond, Manager
Lake Accotink Park

1. Implementing pilot will demonstrate to public that that FCPA is responsive to citizen needs and creative in exploring ways to support new programs/activities in a planned, responsible manner.
2. Pilot will enable FCPA to evaluate for the first time the environmental impact and public support of an activity that has gone unchecked and unmeasured for years. Pilot could possibly meet one of the NRMP's objectives, which is to "undertake a pilot project to apply human impact analysis as a natural resource management technique" (p. 29, Public Comment Draft).
3. By piloting the program in a limited location for a limited timeframe, any adverse impact, if deemed unacceptable, can be halted by ending or modifying the program.
4. Risk Management favors the permitting of the activity so as to bring the activity under some control.
5. Pilot will enable FCPA to monitor and evaluate public support for the activity by bringing it out in the open. Currently, awareness of the activity probably is limited to those who engage in it and a few local citizens. If the pilot and its objectives are made known to the larger community, a wider range of viewpoints can be factored into the decision making process, perhaps leading to a compromise that most can live with.

Con

Bill Hellwig, Manager
Audrey Moore RECenter

1. Persons in neighboring homes may not want after dark activities.

   Response: This was more of a concern if we would have chosen to allow riding at Lake Accotink In this case what we could do is to restrict night riding in areas of close proximity to homes. This is not an issue at Wakefield.

2. If we accept this activity who else may want night access.

   Response: Although staff does not see this as a pressing issue each request would have to be evaluated on a case by case basis. There may be legitimate other activities we should consider.

3. We may, by restricting night riding access to Wakefield, cause an overuse situation of the trails.

   Response: We have to monitor this by monitoring trail wear, both depth and width. We need to, in the evaluation process, establish a base line and monitor future wear. It does not exist now. However, this overuse could be an issue and is why need to monitor future wear. We may, in the future, have to restrict the number of riders or number of days if wear is excessive. We also want the board to accept our proposal for a redesign so we are assured of using our existing space to its potential.

John M. Rutherford, Archaeologist
Resource Management Division

None

Jenny Pate, Trails Coordinator
Planning & Development Division

None

Richard Maple, Manager
Area 2

1. Opens the Park Authority up to other groups wanting to conduct their activity at night when our facilities are closed. To equate night riding to athletic events under the lights stretches the imagination. We would be open to allowing night hikes, dog walking groups, picnics etc. The only criteria they would need would be to provide artificial lights.

   Response: After discussing this issue within the team, staff does not feel this to be a significant concern. We would have to evaluate each on a case by case basis. Who knows, maybe there are other users that have a significant need that we should be allowing.

2. By formalizing MORE's request to ride at night how do we control other nights of the week when riders want to experience riding at night. Many participants will not be interested in restricting their riding to the nights of formal sponsorship.

   Response: There was a lot of good discussion on this issue. Local police have offered to be aggressive in their support of this initially. Staff thinks the word will get out. We will sign this at both park's entrances and will put notices up in all both parks kiosk.

3. Very hard to gauge the impact that additional hours of available riding will have on a fragile environment.
   Response: This is true, we don't have a base line but one will be developed as part of the evaluation process.

Tawny Hammond, Manager
Lake Accotink Park

1. The Wakefield trail system alone is too limited an area to hold cyclists' interest for very long. In addition, cyclists are accustomed to the Lake Accotink Park-Wakefield Park connection. These factors combine to suggest that it will be difficult if not impossible to prevent encroachment into Lake Accotink Park at night.

   Response: This could be an issue. This was discussed and is why we want the board to accept our proposal for a redesign at Wakefield. Staff wants to ensure we are using the available space at Wakefield to give the best experience. Staff also supports a continual partnership with MORE to discuss this as a component of the annual review process. As far as encroachment is concerned, local police have offered to be aggressive in their support of this initially. Staff thinks the word will get out. We will sign this at both park's entrances and will put notices up in all both parks kiosk.

2. Limiting biking to Wakefield Park will accelerate erosion, degradation of trail surfaces, and increase stress on nocturnal wildlife, altering their migration patterns such that wildlife will increasingly venture into traffic and residential areas. Most wildlife can chose to be diurnal or nocturnal depending on the stress in their environment. By allowing night riding we are stressing the wildlife continually.

   Response: Staff felt that there was a trade off here. That by allowing Wakefield to be an active area wildlife could adjust, as many have, or migrate to Lake Accotink which by not allowing night riding could become a better natural resource area.

3. Allowing biking at night will set a precedent that may compel the PA to allow other activities at night, e.g. orienteering, hiking, etc.

   Response: After discussing this issue within the team, staff does not feel this to be a significant concern. We would have to evaluate each on a case by case basis. Who knows, maybe there are other users that have a significant need that we should be allowing.

4. Darkness increases the chance of accidents on the trails; emergency response efforts are hampered at night, are we responsible for emergency response for a permitted activity?

   Response: Statistics doesn't support this. There doesn't seem to be this correlation between night riding and increased accidents. Whether riders slow down at night or are more alert during night rides is uncertain but the reported accident rates of day activity seem to be about the same as night activity. As with any activity on park grounds we would be responsible. However, in this case, because the group leaders would be first aid trained, CPR trained and would have a cell phone, staffs responsibility would be minimal. Staff would, in most cases, only need to see that an accident report has been filed.

5. If the pilot program results in a decision to ban night riding either completely or under certain circumstances, then FCPA will be under greater pressure than it is now to enforce the ban.

   Response: No matter what happens we have that same pressure now. Night riding currently exists in our parks and regardless of the pilot program we have to take the same action.

6. According to the General Management Plan for Lake Accotink Park only passive recreation is allowed off the main trail. Mountain biking is not an allowed activity at any time according to this plan.

   Response: Mountain biking is a sport that only recently has reached the level of popularity that it now needs to be recognized as an activity in our parks. The revision of the master plan at Wakefield Park was one of the first master plans that recognized this need. As a result a trail plan was developed for Wakefield Park. Subsequent to Wakefield's master plan there have been others (Laurel Hill is an example) that have a mountain biking component. Because it wasn't recognized many years ago when the master plan was done does not mean a need does not exist.