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> On Jun 21, 2022, at 6:49 PM, Deborah Howe via Lincoln > <[email protected]> wrote: > > > Hi, all -- > > This conversation is an important one, and I am glad to hear and read the > wide variety of perspectives Lincolnites and others have shared. > > So many factors regarding opening trails for recreational use in particular > have been discussed: > -- the wish by Lincoln cyclists to ride Lincoln trails and to ride to other > towns' trails without getting in a car to do so > -- the wish by regional cyclists to explore Lincoln trails by bike > -- the wish by walkers to keep the trails through Lincoln natural areas > vehicle-free > -- the wish to protect the flora, fauna, soils that make up and populate > Lincoln's natural areas > -- the wish to promote family togetherness by biking the trails > -- the wish to promote family togetherness by walking the trails > -- the wish to enjoy quiet contemplation of nature without having to > encounter the asymmetrical dominance of trail space, if even for a brief time > when bikes are approaching and passing walkers > -- the wish to shrink LIncoln's collective carbon footprint by opening trails > for cycling > -- the wish to tread lightly on the land, and share appreciation of that > light footprint (literally and figuratively) with others. > > As I understand it, the initial impulse to open trails had to do with > expanding point-to-point transportation opportunities within the town -- to > connect significant town institutions and various populated neighborhoods in > Lincoln by trail. Somewhere between this first initiative and the draft > proposal the goal has shifted to focus on recreational opportunities for > cyclists. > > I am concerned that the focused drive to open recreational trail loops for > cycling > a) will put vehicles (human-powered and electric) in places where the most > vulnerable plants and wildlife currently live, and that vehicle use in those > areas will degrade those habitats into inhabitability. > b) will also affect nearby natural areas -- as I have noted before, Walden > Pond, already under enormous pressure, is likely to be still further burdened > should Pine Hill and Adams Woods loops be opened to cyclists. > c) will homogenize the special qualities of Lincoln's natural areas into a > generic blend of ever-wider treadways and impoverished habitat. > > Riding on natural trails is fun. Nobody has to worry about getting clipped or > hit by a car, or having to ride off the road into a ditch or guardrail; > cyclists, who ride the most vulnerable wheeled vehicles, lose that > vulnerability when they get onto the trails. > > Walking on trails is fun, too. Unfortunately, when bikes and walkers are on > the trails, bikes become the dominating vehicle. And walkers -- who are as > individuals the most vulnerable humans on road or trail, and who currently > enjoy little threat on the trails -- become vulnerable to cyclists, who can > ride at least 4 or 5 times as fast as a person can walk. (Electric bikes, > which are gaining fast in popularity, can go faster with less effort by the > rider). Small wildlife, saplings, forbs, moss, and tree roots are often more > vulnerable still, and stand the greatest risk of harm from wheeled vehicles. > > I love LIncoln's trails; they give me the ability to walk freely and observe > the nature that presents itself readily in the woods and fields here. I > definitely see cyclists on the trails, though usually solo riders, or riders > in groups of 2, 3. or 4. Conflicts don't have to arise if all parties are > cognizant of and use trail etiquette. > > (Btw, riders are not a monolithic group -- over an individual's life span he > or she may learn and exercise good trail etiquette -- but new individuals > enter the riding pool every day, and certainly the only etiquette some follow > is whatever accords with their sense of entitlement.) > > One meeting attendee, who also sent a comment in to the discussion, spoke > about the youth cycling group he leads that would love to ride on Lincoln > trails. While I think it's great that the local youth riding groups train > young riders in riding protocol, I also wonder how having big groups of kids > zip through Lincoln trails is at all good for the trails and the woods and > fields they traverse. And with comments on the trails discussions coming from > Lexington, Belmont, Concord, Weston, Wayland, and Andover cyclists, too, I > have to think that groups of adults will also be heading (many by > carbon-burning car) to the trail loops to ride. > > Middlesex Fells is a prime example of a unique natural area that has become a > trail-riding mecca; the trails there show extreme wear, and a nature walk is > mostly a walk over exposed and torn-up tree roots, pebbles, and ad hoc jumps. > Not a ton of habitat remains there. > > I'm all for inclusivity, but above all, I'm for protecting what is wild and > habitable for Lincoln's non-human inhabitants, and keeping the trail system > primarily for the two- and four-legged walkers. Our conservation land here is > ever more precious for the passive recreation it offers humans and the refuge > and habitat it offers flora and fauna. > > I hope that the Conservation Commission's and Conservation Department's > stewardship responsibility, and their goal of ensuring "the long-term > protection of the Town's natural resources" don't get lost in the eagerness > of recreational cycling advocates to open the trail system to wheeled > vehicles. > > Deb Howe > -- > The LincolnTalk mailing list. > To post, send mail to [email protected]. > Search the archives at http://lincoln.2330058.n4.nabble.com/. > Browse the archives at https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/private/lincoln/. > Change your subscription settings at > https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/listinfo/lincoln. > -- The LincolnTalk mailing list. To post, send mail to [email protected]. Search the archives at http://lincoln.2330058.n4.nabble.com/. 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