[pct-l] Wilderness Act and bicycles

[Timothy Nye]

I'll make this point again for the third time today. The Wilderness Act was passed and signed into law in 1964. The first mountain bike was cobbled together in Northern California in the late 1970's. It is disingenuous to claim mountain bikes were intended to be included within the ambit of the Act before they were invented, became popular and entered popular consciousness and mass production.  Up until 15 years after the Act bicycles were conceived as being limited to paved surfaces. How is it that Congress intended mountain bikes be included in the Act? Wait! I know! Time travel!! (Head slap) 

It should be obvious to all here that the disregard for any legal restriction by the mountain bike lobby should mean that legalization isn't necessary because they don't feel restricted regardless of the outcome. Similarly, of course, anyone who has encountered them on the trail knows that they don't adhere to any obligation involving other users with whom the wish to 'share'.  


Sent from my iPad

On Oct 10, 2012, at 5:21 PM, jimniedbalski at aol.com wrote:

> I won't get into all the arguments of the potential troll as identified by Brick, but the statement below (bikes should be allowed in WIlderness as Congress intended) is interesting. Short of reading the full text of the Wilderness Act, does anyone know if bicycles are specifically banned from Wilderness areas? Certainly motorized vehicles are, as we know, but does it ban self-propelled wheeled vehicles? I want to say they are banned, but in thinking about it I'm not 100 percent sure. Naturally, what Congress intended, as opposed to what it actually passed, are two different things. 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ?- cyclists will use the PCT to go into Wilderness. ?Let me say that bikes 
> hould be allowed into Wilderness (as Congress intended), but that's beyond the 
> oint. ?Frankly, if a cyclist wants to go ride in Wilderness, that same person 
> ill ride the PCT whether it's legal or not. ?So, legalizing the PCT will not 
> hange whether cyclists go ride in the Wilderness.
> 
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