I like the banner idea, But with jorba members present to hold it and educate the people. Shaming them won’t work—- jorba should fund a banner, volunteers should come and post up at the trail entrances on days it’s not suitable for riding. Hell, this should be done even on nice days because the ratio of people riding during nice days is higher than bad days. We can’t take the easyway out and just hang a sign. You want people to relate to you in ways that they hear what you need to say instead of a sign.... because like NOX... what is a sign!?!?6MR is a somerset county park.
yes, people still go to nox/nassau when it is closed. and again, "we" use judgement when it is closed
to say it is now frozen, and can handle it, and go around the tape. i did it a couple weeks ago. it had
been teens/low 20s for a couple days, so took the short way between the lots.
they are not going to blanket-close the trails. it isn't happening.
i could easily hike 1 foot to the right of the trail through the field, and you wouldn't know i was there.
the hunters walk in from jaques on the nica/grass trails - stuff that can handle their use.
Black trail off rt 27 stays relatively dry.
Also, without enforcement, it won't matter.
how about a vinyl banner on that fence, and in the other lots that explicitly says something like
"Don't ride if there is mud. You are destroying the trail system, and jeopardizing legal access"
for more info.....:QRcode: :URL:
I'll put up one of those fake cameras.
i know this leaves judgement, and i'd rather just say ' no riding today' - but without digital signage, it isn't going to happen on a daily basis,
at the right time.
Couple of questions:
Who owns the land (state/county/town)? If tape or a chain across the trail head (not parking lot) says trail closed and people still go on the trail, is it then trespassing? Can fines be handed out then? Do other closed trail systems (like Nox or Nassau) do anything to people who still ride when trails are closed?
If anyone's taking a vote, I'm a fan of simple chain with sign that says trail closed. In six mile case, just make it half the year and periodically when there's been a ton of rain. Get word out on Facebook. Periodically have people at the trails taking photos of people and cars who are riding during closed season. Mostly, just to scare them into thinking they're being reported. Maybe shame repeat offenders.
True.NJ State park
Remember how effective closure was during the Government shutdown? People drove through the tape to get into parking lots.
There was tape?NJ State park
Remember how effective closure was during the Government shutdown? People drove through the tape to get into parking lots.
Keep in mind that it is not just six mile that is getting abused. This may be just the tip of the iceberg. A major campaign for riding trails when conditions are poor is needed, Not just for one trail. So you get six mile avoided 33% more, but other trails get trashed instead.Caution tape would work to cut out some percentage of people. Just use the same system Nassau is using. Maybe 5 times a year, you work with the land manager to agree to put up caution tape and some trail closed signs.
Ok so then you stop, let's say, 33% of the users. Those 33% now know not to even bother anymore. So not only have you cut out 1/3 of the people, you have cut the number of cars in the lot. Eventually those people will say to their friends, "Ah forget Six Mile let's go to X because they put the tape up." 33% slowly becomes 50%.
If I told you today that at age 40, you were going to die at 60. But if you ate an orange every day, you'd die at 70, would you do it?
Eat the orange, put up the tape a handful of times a year, just get that 50%. The solutions here are hyper focused on 100% and frankly, are a little Draconian at times. We're not looking to create a police state. We just need to slowly deter people. Start with 1. Then 2. And so on.
This horse is dead. The first step is to approach the land manager with some idea like this, with the reference to Nassau and how it has helped them some amount. Go from there. If they say no they say no.
the ball is in @jdog court now.
I'm not sure if I agree that this is the final point in the discussion. Look at it from Jay's perspective. He comes to the community with a request, we deliberate for 6 pages of the Internet, then respond that we thought about it and it's his problem. How does that help?
Keeping the discussion going keeps the problem at the top of the discussion pile. That's not a bad thing.
I reached out to Jay to see how I can help. I'm 1 of the 10.
I agree Norm
Everyone of the JORBA folk out there already have their hands full with TM planning, land manager communication, etc. They all have day jobs, families, and other activities to deal with as well so I think they are asking for additional help that goes beyond tm. If you want to make a difference, contact your local rep and offer some help. If you are unsure as to who it is or how to contact them, check out JORBA.org
serious question here-
do the land managers do anything on their end to educate the public (not just MTB groups ) on the sensitive soil they have during the freeze thaw cycle?
Imagine not being able to find away around 2 - 8 foot long fences?Imagine caution tape across those two wooden fences.
View attachment 87718
OK. I'll stop beating the dead horse.
if i told you there is a sign at each main trailhead that says something like this, would you believe me?
including something about dog poop.....
View attachment 87698View attachment 87699
Yea those signs are generic for all park users. I was more saying something calling out mountain bike users and reminding them that using this park is a privilege and for better or worse we are held to a higher standard than other park users. Also would be a good opportunity to promote the fact that this is volunteer driven maintenance and raise awareness to help chip in. "Attention Mountain Bikers" I imagine these would be useful at any park maintained by JORBA volunteers.
The truth is riding mud is only one of the inconsiderate things mountain bikers do at 6MR that pisses off other trail users. Met plenty of non-locals out there that think this is a mountain bike park not general use trails. We need to educate to drive more stewardship.