[pct-l] bikes on the PCT

[JPL]

Have you tried not stepping off the trail?  Hikers are supposed to have the 
right away over bikes right?  Make them go around you.  I realize that logic 
and common sense have to come into play, but what we're learning through 
this thread is that its very difficult for bikes and hikers to co-exist.  If 
for no other reason than the speed at which they travel.  Where they do seem 
to play together nicely (e.g. the CT example below) it appears to take a lot 
of effort on the park of the bikers; which is a good thing.  I still think 
that for the most part the solution is separate trails.

-----Original Message----- 
From: shon mcganty
Sent: Wednesday, October 10, 2012 12:16 PM
To: Bob Bankhead ; PCT List Forum
Subject: Re: [pct-l] bikes on the PCT

I disagree.  Perhaps someplaces they can co-exist, but not on the PCT.

This summer I spent a week hiking in Oregon near Bend, where Mtn bikes are 
nearly omnipresent.  I could not enjoy my hike while stepping off the trail 
5,000 times!  I couldn't imagine doing this on the PCT too.



________________________________
From: Bob Bankhead <wandering_bob at comcast.net>
To: PCT List Forum <pct-l at backcountry.net>
Sent: Tuesday, October 9, 2012 9:12 PM
Subject: [pct-l]  bikes on the PCT

Mountain bikers and hikers can co-exist on the same trail. Look at the 
Colorado Trail. With the exception of a few wilderness areas, non-motorized 
bikes are allowed anywhere along its length. Parts of the trail are included 
in the routings of the Leadville and Breckenridge 100 mile races, and there 
is even an annual bike race from Denver to Durango on the CT. There are 
designated biker CT road routes around those sensitive wilderness areas.

How do they do it? Respect for each other. Bikers put in hundreds of 
manhours each year maintaining the CT. I've never met a disrespectful biker 
on the CT. Quite the contrary, they are a great resource for hikers, often 
sharing water, trail condition, and providing rides to/from remote 
trailheads. Yes, the bikes do cut ruts into the trail tread, but fixing that 
is where a lot of their maintenance hours go.

The rules of the road are everyone yields to stock, and bikes yield to 
hikers. Courtesy modifies that a bit such that descending hikers routinely 
step off the trail for bikes pedaling uphill. It's a lot easier to get going 
again for the hiker. Bikers are well aware of the presence of hikers and 
make a concerted effort to avoid collisions on blind corners and sweeping 
curves, even during the races.