Sunday, June 27, 2010
16 comments:
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Comment areas:
- North Neighborhood -- North of Canyon, West of Broadway
- Central Neighborhood -- Between Table Mesa and Canyon. West
of Broadway
- South Neighborhood -- south of Trable Mesa and west of Broadway
- East Boulder -- east of Broadway
As "West of Broadway" Neighborhood Representatives we do not represent East Boulder interests. We will, however, make your comments available to other CCG representatives who are responsible for representing your interests. We also encourage you to contact your representatives directly. (See right hand column for links.)
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July 24, 2010
ReplyDeleteDear CCG,
My name is Christine Cowles and I live with my husband and two children at 3530 Smuggler Circle. We are in Shanahan Ridge 5, at the junction of Greenbriar and Lehigh, in the southern neighborhood of the WTSA.
For some trail users, these discussions are important because they will impact (one way or another) their leisure time activities. For those of us who live adjacent to the trails and open space, our entire way of life and the actual real value of our home could be affected.
We are fortunate to have the beautiful open space right across our yard. The coyotes, fox, deer and other wildlife are abundant and the Shanahan’s cattle share the area too. The road next to our home is mostly local traffic. The SKIP bus stop is near our door which is very convenient and provides unlimited access to the trails by people who don’t happen to live right here.
Neighborhood walkers, hikers in route to the trails, groups of Fairview students, “cross country skaters,” rollerbladers, and bikers of all kind ride by our house every day. After the buses, cars and motorcycles, the loudest of these travelers are the bikers as they need to raise their voices in order to hear each other because of the speed at which they are traveling. The gate to a community trail is also right by our home. Runners, families with children of all ages and dogs are often on the trail. We hear the squeaking of the gate as they come and go but it isn’t a problem.
Our biggest concern about open space right by our home is if the new plan added parking lots and encouraged more residents and non-residents to drive to these trails. The increased noise and traffic would be extremely disruptive to the environment and to the people who live here. As I stated earlier, we already have bus stops by all of the trailheads in this area. There is also a parking lot at Fairview High School that is available on weekends, as well as before 7 am and after 3 pm on weekdays. This is only a quarter of a mile away.
Because we live in high density townhomes, we don’t have our own backyard for our children, age 4 and 6 to play. They play in the common grass area which is bordered by Greenbriar and then open space. A parking lot and enhanced trailhead would make a hazardous situation even more so.
We don’t have central air in our homes because we are all on electric power and we don’t have ducts. We keep our windows open to allow the breeze in to cool our homes. If trail usage increased substantially and a parking lot was added, the early morning activity of driving, parking and getting ready to ride/hike would be especially disruptive.
Adding mountain bikes to current hiking trails is another issue that concerns us. The trails by our home are currently laid back, quiet and the perfect place for families with children and/or dogs. Adding mountain bikes to the mix would make the trails dangerous and sustaining the integrity of the trails would be very difficult. We love to bike the trail on Marshall Mesa, but we no longer hike there. The trails by us are much safer and well-suited for walking/hiking. Multi-use trails with such high volume don’t work.
If a new enhanced trail head/parking lot is constructed by our home and a biking trail is connected to it from the south and north it could be considered the starting point for people from all over the Denver-Metro Area. Please don’t create that horrible situation for our neighborhood.
Thank you,
Christine Cowles
Guy,
ReplyDeleteThank you again for volunteering your time and talents to this consultative process. As you and I discussed last month, please consider the article in the following link my contribution to the debate about proposed changes to trail use in my neighborhood:
http://www.dailycamera.com/ci_15328070?IADID=Search-www.dailycamera.com-www.dailycamera.com
Best regards
Sarah Heilbronner
1746 Bear Mountain Drive
South Boulder
My name is Dr. Susan B. Ollar. I have lived at 3705 Martin Drive, in Martin Acres, since 1979. I have enjoyed hiking trails and the natural beauty of Boulder for decades. The issue of allowing mountain biking in open space trails is distressing to me. I am completely against opening our trails to mountain bikes for a variety of reasons. The most important reasons have to do with damage to our fragile ecosystem by bicyclists, danger to hikers on the trails, and a flood of bicyclists from all over the metro area to our beloved city and its surrounds. There will be tremendous parking issues, degradation of quality of life for all who live here, and it's completely unnecessary. I have spoken against this at the last hearing and will continue to represent my community as much as I can. We don't have HOA's and we are an established community of families.
ReplyDeleteI am in support of protecting our neighborhood, therefore have posted my comment on this page. I agree 100% with Christine Cowles’ letter (posted on the Opposing comment page), and only want to add regarding the parking lot proposal that one of the most beautiful vistas for residents and visitors to the Shanahan Ridge, Devil’s Thumb and Table Mesa neighborhoods, is the pristine view of the mountains and open space to the south east and west of Greenbriar and Lehigh. A paved parking lot there would be an ugly and unwelcome reminder of encroaching “civilization”. If this plan were implemented it would ruin the enjoyment I and many others have of that very special vista and the sense of peace it contributes to those who live or visit up here. The Shanahan Ridge neighborhoods are densely populated but, in spite of many families with dogs living here, still remarkably peaceful. Please don’t ruin this for us.
ReplyDeleteOn a more practical note, whether or not our streets would end up requiring parking permits, because of the population density here there are barely enough parking spaces for residents and their guests as it is. It is not, therefore, an appropriate area for bike or hiking trail overflow parking traffic, parking permit required signage, or parking law enforcement.
Connie Hirsch
3558 Smuggler Way
South Neighborhood
We live in South Boulder and we are opposed to adding any new parking facilities for access to South Boulder trails.
ReplyDeleteThere are plenty of alternatives to driving, and these need to be encouraged. Building parking lots only encourages more cars, more congestion, and then more needs for more parking.
Bill and Sudy Reynolds
3160 Galena Way
I live on Silver Plume Circle in South Boulder and hike the Central and West Trail Study Areas (WTSA) several times a week throughout the year.
ReplyDeleteI strongly oppose mountain bike access in the to any existing trails between Chautauqua and Eldorado Springs as well as building any additional trails for mountain bike use in the WTSA. I echo the comments of others on this page in terms of the negative impacts associated with mountain biking in the area: destruction of wildlife habitat and ecosystems; environmental degradation; risks to public, pets, and wildlife safety; and disruption of the tranquility and natural experience currently offered on the trail system.
Enough is enough. The Boulder Mountain Bike Alliance (BMA), per their web-site, has already far exceeded their 2005 goals of increasing mountain bike access in Boulder City and County. To date, of the 97 miles of trails on Boulder City Open Space, 48 miles (49.5%) allow bikes. And of the 400 miles of trails on Boulder County public lands, over 200 miles allow bikes. These numbers will significantly increase with the completion of the $4.1 million Valmont Bike Park currently under construction by the City of Boulder.
In areas south of Baseline, the city, county, and hikers have already compromised away the environmental integrity, safety, and natural and aesthetic qualities of areas such as the Marshall Mesa Trail and the Doudy Trail which now allow mountain biking. Due to the bike traffic and safety concerns, I have quit hiking and birding on these trails, respectively. Here and elsewhere in the county, the environmental impacts on trails which allow mountain bikes are demonstrably large and getting worse. I wonder, have any mountain bikers ceased to use their designated trails because of hikers’ presence?
For the mountain biker community to ask for any additional compromise from the hikers, climbers, runners, and equestrian users of the trail system in the name of “equal access” is disingenuous. All trails are already open to mountain bikers (only not to their bikes). The same rules apply to all groups – all are allowed to hike everywhere and none are allowed to bring a bike where they aren’t allowed. Similarly, the arguments regarding mountain bike access to the WTSA in order to facilitate a bike commute are baffling. Boulder is renowned for its existing bike access for commuters. If there are problems with bike routes, e.g. Hwy. 93, let’s fix them. Building yet more trails particularly in previously undisturbed habitat is unsustainable.
I support OSMP in doing its job to preserve our open space and mountain parks – a task which includes restricting any further access to mountain bikes.
Rita Klees
3811 Silver Plume Circle
Boulder, CO 80305
My spouse and I are opposed to bikes on the trail system. We have had a fair amount of "dogs off the leash" encounters on the trails and that is enough of an impact for us on our hiking walking experience. We live on Concord Ave./ Mapleton Hill Jimmy
ReplyDeleteI am also opposed to opening more trails to mountain bikes and I echo the comments of others on this page regarding damage to the eco-system, danger to hikers and increased traffic.
ReplyDeleteCandy Brinkman
3140 Galena Way
I agree 100% with what Christine Cowles so eloquently said. Sorry I am not very proficient on the computer. But I did want to enter my voice in. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteCassie Weiss Zellner
3535 Smuggler Circle
Boulder CO 80305
We have lived at 2969 Tincup Circle since 1982. We have hiked nearly all of the trails in this area. We have witnessed a substantial increase in the use of these trails and yet, even with off-leash dogs bounding up to nose around and sometimes jump on hikers, the hiking experience has remained mostly peaceful and safe.
ReplyDeleteIn the distant past, sometime in the 1980s, mountain bikes were allowed on Mesa, Big Bluestem, Shananhan N & S, etc.; this did not last long because it was probably deemed unpleasant and unsafe. Trail erosion from the mountain bike tires may have been a factor also. With the greater number of open space users these days, especially children and seniors, mountain bike riders and hikers should not have to come in contact with one another.
Whether more mountain bike trails should be opened up is debatable as we are not aware of any studies that can document the so-called "need." We suspect the proposal to allow mountain bikers on all existing trails is a strategy calculated to try to force new additional trails - an ostensible "compromise," but really the result desired all along; it is hard to believe a huge outcry against the "proposals" would not have been anticipated. Are Marshall Mesa and Doudy not adequate? Walker Ranch is great(and a short drive); we've seen happy mountain bikers there.
We are also against parking lots on Shanahan Ridge opr elsewhere in our neighborhoods; objections to the idea have been made before. Parking seems adequate along the street.
I strongly oppose the idea of opening the trails in the South Boulder area to mountain bikes. There are few enough areas left where hikers can still hike peacefully and safely without having to worry about being run over by someone(s) on a mountain bike.
ReplyDeleteI live on Silver Plume and, like others in this neighborhood, have hiked all of the trails in this area. Because of serious health problems, my hiking ability is now severely limited. Please don't destroy what little access I still have to peaceful enjoyment of bike-free trails.
Hi Everyone,
ReplyDeleteMark Scott-Nash, I live in the central neighborhood.
Let me start out by saying I completely understand the desire to mountain bike directly out of Boulder into our beautiful mountain parks. I am a mountain biker myself and realize the potential.
The problem is that our love for these mountains is endangering them to a disturbing degree. We are numerous now, and there will be more in the future. Restriction is the price we all must pay to keep access available to all. The only sustainable future is to allow the most passive activities. I'm afraid that this will apply to all uses, not just mountain biking but hiking as well. Unfortunately this means we must limit mountain biking to their currently areas.
You know, mountain bikers are a fit, active bunch. We can all hike in our open space when we want, let's count our blessings. Let's sustain our beloved mountains as long as we can.
I do not support opening any of the remaining hiker, walker, horseback rider trails in the southern part of the county; Mesa Trail at the South Mesa Trailhead, Big Bluestem trail, South Boulder Creek Trailhead, or the Shanahan trails. The groups and individuals who use these trails include the elderly and the very young, groups who are not usually involved in well organized, special interest organizations. Indeed the majority are not even aware of mountain bikers' interest in accessing these trails.
ReplyDeleteThe activities of mountain biking and non-biking activities; hiking, strolling, bird watching, exercising knee replacements, dog walking and toddler exploration are not at all compatible. There already exist extensive bike trails throughout the southern parts of the county. One can cycle from Eldorado Springs to downtown Boulder on trails along the Community Ditch-Doudy Draw path, through the Marshall Road area and either east along beautiful Boulder Creek to Baseline and the Boulder Creek Path junction or due north along paths into town. Even more trails exist further down Hwy. 93.
These trails under consideration for extended biker access are the only ones remaining in the southern part of the county for hiker/pedestrian use.
In the 35+ years I've lived in Boulder, the Mountain Parks trails have gone from being footpaths through the forests and mesas to eight foot wide mini-roads. That's fine - people need the relief, solitude and slower pace that these parks and open space areas provide.
ReplyDeleteDoes opening these areas to mountain bikes add to the parks experience? No. Does slicing up the parks for additional trails make for good stewardship? No.
What trail walker hasn't been startled by a mountain biker suddenly appearing around a bend in the trail? Bikers interrupt the experience of the parks in ways that slower paced users never do, not dog walkers, runners nor equestrians.
Over the years we've built - with considerable effort and great expense - an excellent system of bike routes, bike paths and bike trails within the City to foster travel. The idea that commuters will use a longer path, with greater elevation changes is hardly credible. Sure a calming ride through the parks to or from work is wonderful, but the cost to other users and to the parks in general is just too great.
Bob Mahoney
310 Balsam Ave
Boulder
Luke Vernon, 1466 Rockmont Circle, South Neighborhood (Devils Thumb)
ReplyDeleteI'm very concerned about opening up trails to mountain biking and how that will create unnecessary congestion, an unsafe environment, and overuse of the trails. There are plenty of other trails to mountain bike on nearby.
I'm also very concerned about closing trails #3 and 7 as shown on the map. Those are two of some of what we view as the best trails that are currently used an appropriate amount. I don't understand the logic as to why they would be closed. Closing trail 7 would eliminate one of the best "loop" trails in Boulder, and closing #3 would reduce access to the Shanahan Ridge trails from the Devils Thumb neighborhood. We would great appreciate and strongly urge you to reconsider.
Thank you
October 8, 2010
ReplyDeleteTo: Guy Burgess, West TSA Representative for South Boulder
CC: Community Collaborative Group
The Devil's Thumb Homeowner's Association (DTHA) was informed on October 6, 2010 that the CCG plans to make final decisions about Open Space trail usage in southwest Boulder at their upcoming October 12,2010 meeting. With only 4 business days notice, DTHA (and ten or more HOAs in the immediate area) are effectively excluded from this "collaborative"
process because none of us have adequate time to contact our communities and ask for feedback. These HOAs represent some of the most frequent users of Open Space and thus are the most impacted by any changes or modifications to trails in the area.
We therefore request the CCG summarize their proposed changes and the rationale for the changes, distribute this information to the West TSA rep, DTHA, and all other HOAs in South Boulder. We further request that CCG delay the final decision for 4 weeks to allow DTHA and other communities to provide feedback on the proposed changes prior to the final decisions, ensuring that the outcome is truly based on consensus and collaboration.
Regards,
Devil's Thumb Board of Directors