Editor,
A handful of people complain that Waterdog’s shared trails are unsafe because bikes go too fast and surprise hikers around corners. Mayoral candidate Julia Mates is taking several actions to address their concerns, including a pilot trail bell program. Now they complain about her safety proposals using disinformation about these programs.
As Oct. 31 letter writer Laura Gharda acknowledges, the vast majority of riders are courteous and safe. With every user group, there are a few outliers with bad behavior (cyclists who ride too fast, dog walkers who let dogs off leash and don’t pick up poop, etc.) Providing an anecdote of one person behaving badly does not provide a rational reason to not even try a policy to improve safety, which has been proven to work elsewhere.
In bell programs, bells are provided to all users to use, not just cyclists. Bells do not “absolve thrill seekers of their responsibility,” make a pecking order, or exempt bell users from existing rules. The Oct. 31 letter is disingenuous fear-mongering, and displays sheer ignorance of how bell programs work. Bell kiosks are accompanied by instructional signage on use and expectations. For example, in the Mt. Wilson trail system in Southern California, the policy says: “ALWAYS yield or stop for hikers and horses! A bell is a part of trail courtesy not a replacement for it. A bell does not give you the right of way! Please stop for others on narrow trails.” Go to mwba.org/bell for more information.
Scott Hill
Belmont
Please purchase a Premium Subscription to continue reading.
To continue, please log in, or sign up for a new account.
We offer one free story view per month. If you register for an account, you will get two additional story views. After those three total views, we ask that you support us with a subscription.
A subscription to our digital content is so much more than just access to our valuable content. It means you’re helping to support a local community institution that has, from its very start, supported the betterment of our society. Thank you very much!
Only subscribers can view and post comments on articles.
Already a subscriber? Login Here
Sorry, an error occurred.
Already Subscribed!
Cancel anytime
Thank you .
Your account has been registered, and you are now logged in.
Check your email for details.
Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password.
An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the email address listed on your account.
No promotional rates found.
Secure & Encrypted
Thank you.
Your gift purchase was successful! Your purchase was successful, and you are now logged in.
| Rate: | |
| Begins: | |
| Transaction ID: |
A receipt was sent to your email.
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who make comments.
Keep it clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
Don't threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Anyone violating these rules will be issued a warning. After the warning, comment privileges can be revoked.