There are large populations of all kinds of users in my local park (Wiss) and it seems that as riders we have to "handle" them all a little differently. Some of it is just common sense. Whenever I see people on horses - even down on Forbidden Drive where there is always room to pass - I always stop before I reach them, yell out that I'm there and ask if they want me to pass by or wait. Sometimes they want me to wait and sometimes the horses are so used to bikes they just say roll on through. But all of them seem to appreciate the gesture. With runners, I usually try to give them a warning and then try to see if I can get by without them having to move at all because I know they're doing their workout too - and who wants to stop in the middle of an effort? Most hikers are really cool about it as long as I give them the option to choose how it plays out. Like I said, it's common sense.
Just knowing how different groups tend to react in general seems to have a really positive impact overall, and now that the old PMBA was more or less absorbed into a trail maintenance arm of the Friends of the Wissahickon, we are bucking the trend of a lot of areas and actually gaining new mileage on a pretty regular basis. In the last couple of years, we've seen the Cresheim Trail system open and grow, we've seen new re-routes of old trails that added mileage, and almost all of the interactions I see between riders and other users at least start out friendly. And on top of that, the guys who put on the weekly Thursday night races in Belmont have even made it official and gotten permission to use the park there for an event, which required no small amount of red tape. Of course there are still a few folks who get very up in arms about cyclists being there at all, and there are a few riders who poach trails they shouldn't be riding and a few more who are riding like dickheads, and one continuing problem that needs to be addressed somehow is the ongoing issue with dogs off leashes (note: I'm not advocating for all dogs to be on a leash - I love seeing a happy dog running out on a trail - personally I'd prefer to see owners self-policing and recognizing that if their dogs are too excited and out of control, it's the dog that is at the most risk for injury so they should keep them on a leash until they're trained enough to be trusted off one.) So it isn't all sunshine and happiness, but I think what the riders in this area have done a really great job of positioning all of us as a legit user group with a fair claim to the parks in the city. Personally, it's very rare for me anymore to have any kind of negative interaction, and if I do, I have to admit that often times it was my own fault for letting my focus slip and not appreciating how scary a clanging bike coming down a fast descent can be for another trail user. I apologized to one lady the other day and I think the fact that I actually stopped and said sorry surprised her even more than when I came around the corner in the first place!
