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Trail Design, Construction, and Maintenance / A Thought on Keeping Wet Winter Trails Open, More Often
« on: January 07, 2019, 09:49:33 PM »
We all know that riding wet trails erodes them past the point where volunteer efforts can keep up. That is why, today, they are simply closed when they become too soft as is often the case during the winter months. With no heat and little sun to dry the trails, the weather leaves us all without a place to ride for several months out of the year.
But what if there was a way to get around the limitations of a volunteer-maintained trail and ride more in sloppy conditions? What if there was a way to fund more professional maintenance to offset the higher wear during soft conditions?
I envision this: riders who wanted to ride during the sloppy winter months could purchase a, “Winter,” bike permit. This would be priced so that the additional funds could help pay for increased trail work required from riding in wet conditions. Riders who want to ride more can and the trails get more funding for professional maintenance work.
I realize this is a fairly simple idea but my goal is to start a legitimate conversation about the pros and cons of such a system and what hurdles would have to be overcome to implement it.
Please note: This is in no way a knock on our stellar volunteer base. I simply recognize that volunteers have lives outside the trails and only have so much to give.
But what if there was a way to get around the limitations of a volunteer-maintained trail and ride more in sloppy conditions? What if there was a way to fund more professional maintenance to offset the higher wear during soft conditions?
I envision this: riders who wanted to ride during the sloppy winter months could purchase a, “Winter,” bike permit. This would be priced so that the additional funds could help pay for increased trail work required from riding in wet conditions. Riders who want to ride more can and the trails get more funding for professional maintenance work.
I realize this is a fairly simple idea but my goal is to start a legitimate conversation about the pros and cons of such a system and what hurdles would have to be overcome to implement it.
Please note: This is in no way a knock on our stellar volunteer base. I simply recognize that volunteers have lives outside the trails and only have so much to give.