ATV, bicyclist problems nothing new on BLM turf

Written by The Daily Times

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

The recent conflicts between all-terrain vehicles and mountain bikers at the Glade Run Recreation Area aren't new or isolated phenomenon.

In fact, so many of these incidents are happening across the nation that a few years ago officials coined the phrase "off-road rage" to describe the conflicts between ATVs and mountain bikers and hikers.

Since President Richard Nixon issued a 1972 executive order directing federal agencies to protect public lands from ATVs, the number of people riding the machines has grown tenfold, to more than 60 million or more, according to a recent federal survey.

It's also not the first time problems in the Glade have made the news.

The well respected Washington Post wrote a story about the growing number of conflicts between ATVs, mountain bikers and hikers on Aug. 12, 2008. The dateline of this national story was Farmington, N.M.

What's unsettling is that these types of encounters are getting more frequent and more violent as each group adds riders and trails get more crowded.

ATV restrictions are being considered all across the nation because of their environmental impact on public land.

And while ATV riding clubs say that they work hard to make sure all the rules are followed, the problems are well documented.

Granted, it may be renegade riders who violated BLM rules and clashed with mountain bikers and hikers, but incidents like the one at the Glade recently don't help their cause.

It all boils down to respect and common sense.

When you read about ATV riders trying to run over bicyclists or hear about bicyclists throwing rocks at ATVs, you have to wonder what caused a nice Sunday afternoon to escalate to this point?

We know we live in the West but this is not the Old West. These were grown men ready to come to blows over a trail.

We have to find a way to coexist on these lands, or we risk having access lost to everyone.

Riders, you have to do better than this.

Find ways to coexist, and remember to respect other riders and outdoor enthusiasts.

Source: http://www.daily-times.com/farmington-editorials/ci_11955602

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Community Voices

“During the past decade, I have personally had six out of seven elk hunts ruined by the careless intrusions of ATV operators. This epidemic has forced me to abandon one prime hunting area after another, only to encounter the same situation elsewhere. The shameful part of this picture is that the overwhelming majority of these ATV’ers are young and healthy, not decrepit or physically challenged. Maybe these riders would be more respectful of other people's outdoor experience if they knew we could ID them."

- Bill Sustrich, Colorado Backcountry Hunters and Anglers