Trail Sharing

Some things we just take for granted.

For example, most trails I've ridden on around the U.S. were shared trails. One very limited example of a shared trail is one on which both hikers and bikers can recreate. (Not procreate... that would be just a little too sharesy for most jurisdictions.)

But many trails also include numerous other forms of trail mobility including inline skating, horseback riding etc.

But in a recent email from Barry, in Japan, I was surprised to learn that "In my country cyclists are forbidden to ride on hiking trails under the jurisdiction of the "Department of Conservation", or National Parks."


I've been meaning to write a blog on the topic of shared trails for a while, so my thanks go out to Barry for prodding me to "...get 'er done." So without further ado, here was my email reply to Barry:

I am so glad you asked me about shared trails...

The majority of trails in the U.S. are shared trails... some more than others. The last two Everytrail Guides I completed were about trails shared by: snowmobilers, cross-country skiers, snowshoers, hikers, bikers, and equestrians. One of the two was also shared by ATVs and motorcycles.

However, those trails were not quite the ordinary. Most trails prohibit motor vehicles. But many of the paved trails do allow inline skaters.

As for whether I support them... Wholeheartedly. It goes back to, "Why can't we all just share and get along?"

Now for the unspoken question: "Do other people agree with me?"

If you judged based upon the letters to the editor in my local newspaper... Absolutely not!!

Many people are vehemently opposed to sharing trails with bicyclists. Needless to say, biking is one of the most important activities in my life, and I do it on a daily basis, mostly on trails. But I can't blame people who are enraged by bikers. To some people/bikers, all life is a race. They're always rush, rush, rushing. This is intimidating, unsafe, and unfriendly for hikers. 

I have experienced this rush, rush attitude w/ bikers on roads and on mountain bike trails. I have not seen it on rail-trails. It seems like bikers on rail-trails are more calm, relaxed, and courteous. It also helps that rail-trails are usually much wider than mountain bike trails.

Anyway, that was the just of my email response to Barry. Now if it sounds like I'm picking on bikers and want to limit their trail use, quite the opposite is true. Anyone who knows me knows that I'm a tireless advocate for more bike trails. However, that's not going to happen as long as bikers are rude and inconsiderate to other trail users.

Oh, and by the way, I think just as many hikers are equally rude. Why do some hikers feel compelled to take up the whole path and have to be asked/begged to share the trail? I am also a hiker and I always stay to the far right and am aware of what's going on in front of me and behind me. I love to share the trail and stay out of the way of other trail users. Whether I am biking or hiking, I do so in single file about 90% of the time. If I ride/walk side-by-side, I pay even more attention to other trail users and move over when I see someone approaching.

The Mount Vernon Trail in Virginia is a
 good example of  a shared trail
with bikers, trail runners, walker, skaters...

It's all about courtesy and sharing. Trails are one of the greatest luxuries in life. Let's all respect one another and share the wealth.

It sounds like this may be a good subject for the next survey in the left sidebar. What do you say? As always, I'd love reader feedback.

Trail Sharing

"On your left"

What do you say when you approach another trail user from behind?
According to the politically correct trail monitors, you're supposed to announce yourself with a firm, "On your left."
But I have some problems with that.
First, from my own experiences, that does more harm than good. When I'm quietly and peacefully walking or riding on the trail, and someone comes up behind me and blasts out, "On your left," it (in the words of my college literature professor) "scares the bejasus out of me!" I'd much prefer that people just ride by. Of course that may be because I always stay to the far right and don't feel compelled to take up the entire trail.
And whenever I pass someone and say, "On your left," they either ignore me, get the bejasus scared out of them, or hear the word "left" and move in that direction thereby making matters worse.
So I thought I'd solve that little problem by installing a little bell on my bike and unobtrusively ringing it as I approached a pedestrian or slower bicyclist. (There aren't many of those.)
Well boy was I ever upbraided. About the second person I came to was a lady walking her dog. Upon ringing my bell, she moved to the opposite side of the trail as her dog, held his leash about neck-high and asked, quite sarcastically, "Did you want to go by?" I guess she felt the bell was not an acceptable way of begging her permission to pass her. She wanted me to say the exact magic phrase (perhaps "on your left?") before she could grant access to half of the trail.
So I said, "No! I just ring the bell to see what kind of Pavlovian reaction I would get out of you and your dog."
Okay, so I didn't actually say that, but thought of it about ten minutes later. I never think of good retorts until about ten minutes after the fact and far away from the intended target. I'm a delayed-release smart mouth.
So here's my point: Is there really any good way to pass people on the trail? It seems like no matter what you do, it's wrong about 50% of the time.
Now it's your turn. Let us know what you do when you pass people on the trail. Does it work?

"On your left"