[*Updated, 11:45am: I have heard back from Olympic National Park spokesperson Barb Maynes. Her comments are now included at the end of the article.]
“This is an unnecessary exclusion of bicyclists on what is a federally funded road open to all other forms of traffic.”
–Bicycle Alliance of Washington
At the recent National Bike Summit, much excitement and optimism was in the air about the future of bicycles in America’s National Parks.
During a speech to the 500-plus attendees, Brian Wademen, Chief of Staff for the Department of the Interior (they manage national parks) said, “Don’t be shy to advocate for park access.”
Also, support for the National Parks Services’ 2016 Centennial Initiative — which could help fund bike projects in National Parks — was one of the four key issues the League of American Bicyclists encouraged advocates to lobby for on Capitol Hill. In their outline of the issue, the League wrote, “Parks are better experienced on foot and by bicycle than from inside cars and RVs.”
However, a decision to ban bicycles from a popular bicycling road in Olympic National Park (about 90 miles northwest of Seattle) has Washington bike advocates scratching their heads.
The decision comes as Olympic National Park officials embark on a two-year construction project to repair storm damage to the road. Parks spokesperson Barb Maynes told a local newspaper that bicycles will not be allowed on the road during that time because it’s “a safety issue.”
The road in question is Hurricane Ridge Road whose 17 mile, 5420 foot climb is a popular route for area bicyclists (Google map).
The Bicycle Alliance of Washington has launched a campaign to overturn the decision. They’ve issued a press release saying the ban is “Unacceptable,” and that they believe, “this is an unnecessary exclusion of bicyclists on what is a federally funded road open to all other forms of traffic.”
To back up their campaign, the Bicycle Alliance of Washington lays out several points why they feel the bike ban is unfair. They question why the road will remain open to all other vehicle traffic, why the ban should continue on weekends (even though no construction will take place), and why Parks officials did not contact a single bicycle group before reaching their decision, even though “bicyclists are the most affected users.”
Yesterday, I spoke with Gordon Black, the executive director of the Bicycle Alliance of Washington. He said that Parks officials should have done more outreach to the bicycle community before making their decision. “If they knew they were planning to close the road specifically to bicycles,” he said, “it would be incumbent upon them to make sure we knew about it.” He added that he realizes “there is a valid safey concern,” but that he’s seen many other projects around the region remain open to bike traffic during construction.
Black is set to meet with Olympic National Park staff to discuss the issue and says he’s “optimistic we’ll be able to reach a compromise. I have several ideas we can discuss, I just think there’s got to be a middle ground here before having it completely closed.”
Barb Maynes, the spokesperson for Olympic National Park, stands by the parks’ decision. She says they conducted a broad outreach program that began in 2003 with notices and press releases to media and outdoor equipment retailers from Portland to Vancouver B.C. Maynes also claims they sent the notices directly to a bike club based in Port Angeles.
In the 60-day comment period that followed, Maynes says 11 responses came in and none of them mentioned a concern with the closure.
As for why they decided to ban bikes during the project, Maynes told me, “A number of things crossed the line for us in terms of safety.” She said crews will be removing culverts and pavement, stretches of the road will become gravel and one-lane only, heavy equipment will be operating, and there will be no guard rails. According to Maynes, with all those things going on bicycles add, “another layer of complexity” for both work crews and motor vehicle drivers to deal with.
Maynes acknowledges that Hurricane Ridge is a “great ride for bicyclists” but she encourages riders to explore other rides in the area during the two-years of construction. She also says, if bicyclists can just be patient, they’ll appreciate the new and improved road. “The new road will be wider, have better pull-outs, and a better road surface. We’re taking the long-term approach and hoping that if bicyclists can just use the other options for two years, what they’ll get is a much better experience in the future.”
For more information, see the action alert posted on the Bicycle Alliance of Washington’s website.