(Photos © J. Maus)
In light of the discovery of an unauthorized bike trail in the northern reaches of Forest Park, I spoke about the situation this morning with Tom Archer, President of the non-profit off-road advocacy group the Northwest Trail Alliance.
Archer was clearly disappointed by the discovery and expressed hope that attention on this incident will not distract from the ongoing effort to increase off-road trail riding opportunities in the region. (Archer is a member of the Forest Park Single Track Cycling Committee formed by City Parks Commissioner Nick Fish.)
“It’s obvious we condemn it; but the question remains, what are we doing in trying to solve the larger problem? Forest Park is not going to be the panacea to this problem…
I think it’s a reflection of a lack of facilities that are oriented toward this type of riding experience. It doesn’t justify it in any way, but it’s a symptom of a larger problem and that’s what we’re doing in our work with the Committee and also some other initiatives in the Parks bureau.”
Archer is referring to a broad-based effort to find more local trails to ride on in other areas like Powell Butte and within the yet-to-be-built Gateway Green project.
Archer also said he and the NWTA are committed to the process for identifying new trails to ride in Forest Park that has been set up by Commissioner Fish.
Asked whether he felt this rogue trail reflects poorly on off-road advocates, he said, “Yes, I do, but I hope there’s a distinction between these few ne’er do wells and the NWTA. I think Parks recognizes that and it’s a point we’ll continue to make.”
NWTA has to balance their condemnation of this act with individuals in the community who are fed up with the lack of trails and who aren’t afraid to take things into their own hands. There is an underground community of freeride and downhill riders that are known to work outside the process. NWTA is actively trying to engage with these individuals. I asked Archer about this balance:
“I do think as a group we have to be careful about alienating certain people within the biking community. That said, I’m not going to use that lack of progress [on more trail riding opportunities] as an excuse for this type of thing — furthermore, it’s only working to slow the process down…
… I just don’t see how any civil — or uncivil — disobedience will help the situation. It’s not going to help.
To the extent they [whoever built this trail] might take offense to us… Well, that’s just the way it’s going to be. We’ll reach out to people and hopefully be able to engage them in a way that is much more productive. But I hope this is clear — we’re not going to tolerate this sort of activity at any level… it’s not going to fly.
We’re walking a fine line, we have to work with our partners and also engage these people [who built the rogue trail] over the longer term. It’s difficult for us when we don’t have any alternatives for them in the city… We need to create an outlet for these people and that’s just going to take some time.”
How will NWTA continue to respond to this situation in the coming weeks?
“We’ve committed to Parks and we’ll help them deal with the situation on the ground and also use it as a platform that people have to work within an acknowledged process. We’ll have a more detailed statement ready in the next few days… we just haven’t had time to do it.”
What are your thoughts going into Thursday’s committee meeting?
“Our message is, let’s not get distracted here. This is not an issue that the committee needs to deal with. We’re not using it as justification in moving the process forward. It’s simple; we condemn it, we can help, and let’s move on.. I hope the committee doesn’t get bogged down in it and that it can be a learning experience for everybody.”
Some people say this action reeks of a mindset of entitlement. How do you respond to that?
“I don’t think I have an inherent right to ride my bike in Forest Park. I think it’s a privilege. Entitlement hasn’t worked before and I really don’t want to go down that road again.”
Stay tuned for more. Also, browse the BikePortland archives for complete coverage of mountain biking in Forest Park.