While June 6th was National Trail Day, a day devoted to celebrating outdoor trails everywhere, it brought only uncertainty and fear for Los Angele's equestrians. Up until now, horses and hikers have had nearly exclusive rights to many of the trails in city parks despite the efforts of mountain bikers to gain access. Now, all that may change if the city’s Bicycle Master Planning Committee has its way. Many parks and recreational areas including the Angeles National Forest, the Santa Monica mountains, Griffith Park and Elysian Park are up for discussion to open the trails up to mountain bikers as well as equestrians and hikers.
The bottom line of the debate comes down to the cyclist’s demand for fair access to city parks vs. the equestrian’s need for safety. As with most issues where passions run as high as they do in this debate, nothing is as black and white as it seems.
According to the Equestrian Land Conservation Resource (ELCR) website, equestrians are not against making the trails open to everyone. “Trail sharing can and does work when people respect each other and work cooperatively to keep each other safe.” On flat open spaces, where cyclists and equestrians can see each other coming, it’s relatively easy to co-exist in harmony.
Problems arise on twisty, steep terrain like the trails in Griffith Park. The speed that mountain bike riders are willing to go down the trails versus the equestrians or hikers has proven in other parks to be a recipe for disaster. Without some form of enforcement of speed laws (and what should be common courtesy), the fear is that cyclists will run rampant. Because equestrians will not put themselves or their horses at risk, ultimately mountain bikers end up being the only people able to enjoy the trails no matter what city law may dictate. Even on flat open areas the question of how to police and enforce trail laws is unanswered.
Trail erosion, wear and maintaining the parks’ scenic beauty are all issues that have yet to be decided as well. In the past, all trail users have expressed concern about the possible trash left from mountain bikers who are typically only there for the day. Equestrians tend to live near the parks and spend time in them on a weekly or even daily basis, making them less prone to leaving behind empty bottles and food wrappers. On the other hand, according to the National Trails Training Partnership, equestrians have a higher impact on trails including erosion and damage to vegetation, than either hikers or mountain bikers.
The economics of the situation are also far from cut and dry. The National Trails Training Partnership websites states that mountain bikers outnumber equestrians nearly five to one. On the other hand, in areas like the Rancho District that connect to the trails in Griffith Park, equestrians are the dominant population and economic force. If, because they can’t safely use the trails, equestrians move somewhere else the economic impact on the area would be devastating. The affect would be felt by all retailers, not just horse driven businesses like feed and tack stores, as well as driving property values down.
Since many of the local trails were created and maintained by the sweat and blood of local equestrians, it’s easy to understand the “we were here first” attitude. The sad reality is that, according to the ELCR, land for equestrian use is disappearing at an alarming rate of 250 acres an hour. Understandably, the equestrians’ first knee jerk reaction is to protect what they have at all cost but considering what’s at stake, some riders wonder if it isn’t time to start making allies rather than burning bridges. In the not so distant future bikers and equestrians may need to band together to save what trails and undeveloped areas they can.
The decision now rests in the hands of the Bicycle Planning Committee to wade through the conflicting information and put it into policy. According to it’s website, the Bicycle planning committee invites everyone to “please have a look around and help us create a more bikeable future for everyone!” Under the “Public Involvement” tab is plenty of opportunities to make your comments and suggestions heard. Or you can contact Jordann Turner directly by e-mail.
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