90 per cent of Edmonton trails could be closed to mountain bikers
New river valley plan would see vast majority of city's trail network closed to cyclists
Edmonton area mountain bikers are in a fight to maintain access to what could be over 90 per cent of the city’s trails.
A proposed land use plan being considered by the City of Edmonton, the “Ribbon of Green” ARD, would see the vast majority of trails in the city’s river valley restricted to foot traffic only. The Edmonton Mountain Bike Alliance, which has been maintaining many of these trails for a decade now, is rallying to oppose the exclusion of mountain bikes. The group doesn’t think this is a radical position, either.
“We think that cyclists can co-exist with walkers and hikers,” says Joseph Yurkovich, president of the EMBA, “just so long as everyone is courteous.”
Why is this a problem now?
The City of Edmonton is updating its “Ribbon of Green” River Valley Area Redevelopment Plan (ARD). This document isn’t new. In fact, it was originally written decades ago and last updated in the 90s. Since then, the city has expanded significantly. The sport of mountain biking has also been invented and enthusiastically adopted by Edmontonians.
Yurkovich points out that the initial exclusion of mountain bikes wasn’t intentional, it was a matter of timing. The initial 1975 plan “talks about bicycles in the park, but it is talking about road bikes. When the Ribbon of Green plan was written in 1990, that’s right at the dawn of mountain biking in Edmonton. It has one reference to mountain biking in it.”
That’s where the problem comes in. The original, and proposed updated ARD designates three types of use. Preservation, Conservation, and Active/Working Landscapes. In areas designated for Preservation, only foot traffic – hikers and trail runners – are allowed. That would, if it is enforced, exclude the mountain bikers that have built and maintained many of those same trails.
Under the new plan, Preservation areas make up most of the river valley. Most of the trails frequented by Edmonton mountain bikers, and maintained by EMBA and volunteers, would fall within proposed Preservation areas. In fact, mountain bikers would lose access to as much as 90 per cent of the city’s trails.
Science versus conservation
The EMBA would like to see mountain biking included in the allowed activities in Preservation areas. The organization says it has science on its side. Conservation groups oppose the expansion of user groups on ecological grounds, saying mountain bikers cause trail damage.
According to Yurkovich, that just isn’t true.
“We’ve being consistently saying to the city that when you read the literature, starting with the papers on IMBA Canada’s Trail Science page, and a more recent 2021 paper from Norway, the consensus is that mountain biking’s impact is not all that different from foot traffic. The keys are that you stay off the trail when there’s wet weather – and that goes for trail runners and hikers as well as mountain bikers – and that the trails are well built and well maintained. Those principals are ones EMBA follows. We tell people to stay off the trails when they’re wet.”
If foot traffic and mountain bikes have similar types and levels of impact on trails, the group argues it makes no sense to exclude one but not the other.
“Our view is that if you’re going to allow trail users, you should allow cyclists as well as foot traffic,” says Yurkovich. ” The City can make a decision as to whether there should be any natural trails at all. But if they are going to have trails in preservation areas, those should be open to everyone.”
Yurkovich also emphasizes that maintenance is a crucial part of environmental impact, according to the literature. And EMBA carries out regular maintenance. “We’ve brought in instructors to teach proper maintenance,” he says. The group holds regular trail building courses. “The City has actually come out to some of those,” and the club has a maintenance agreement with the City.
That work benefits all trail users. EMBA also points out in its position paper that not maintaining the trails properly will have the same type of environmental impact the City is worried about, just from foot traffic alone.
Sharing is the status quo
After environmental concerns, the second argument for narrowing who can use river valley trails is more experiential.
“The City talks about wanting to enhance people’s experience on the trails,” says Yurkovich. “We hear a lot of arguments against bicycles having access to these trails. Even the City says ‘Limiting recreation to foot-based travel along non-paved trails will facilitate the quiet enjoyment and appreciation of nature.'”
“We’re all for that, but we think that cyclists can co-exist with walkers and hikers, just so long as everyone is courteous,” says Yurkovich, adding “That’s a two-way street.”
The organization promotes trail use practices that help minimize negative interactions between trail users.
“We have to put a bear bell on so walkers can hear us coming or ring a bell. But people on the trail also have to make sure that they can be aware of their surroundings. You often come across people that have their ear buds in and can’t hear anything. They are oblivious when you’re approaching from behind. We think common courtesy will go a long way toward alleviating any problems.”
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Narrow trails with broad appeal
These aren’t rogue trails. In the three decades since the ARD was last updated, cycling has grown massively in popularity in the city. The EMBA has a formal trail maintenance agreement with the city, which has been in place for 12 years now. The alliance even holds trail maintenance days that are coordinated with the City.
For the city’s many mountain bikers, this proposed change is a problem. Edmonton is home to a thriving mountain bike community that currently enjoys easy access to the trails that run through the urban river valley. Numerous local shops specialize in mountain biking, host group rides and put on races and other events in the city. Edmonton trails have even hosted Canada Cup cross country events on the Kinsmen area trails.
But mountain biking isn’t just popular with local riders. It is part of the city’s tourism and active lifestyle plan. The city promotes singletrack trails on its tourism websites and, up until the pandemic hit, a banner showing mountain bikers enjoying the river valley greeted visitors at the Edmonton International Airport.
How to get involved
The EMBA is working hard to get mountain biking included in with foot traffic. The Ribbon of Green is in Phase 2 of public consultation right now, and the organization is hoping Edmonton riders will get involved.
“We’re trying to convince the city to change the uses in protected areas. That’s where we’re at right now,” says Yurkovich. “We’ll have to talk to our councillors to try educate them, and see if the community can rally around this to have those trails, if they’re going to be open to use, to be open to cyclists as well as foot traffic.”
The local cycling community is already getting involved.
“There were a large number of mountain bike groups at the first round of consultation, we have strong community support for this,” the EMBA president says. “The good thing about the cycling community here is that when we do let them know about public consultations, they come out in force.”
The challenge also has coverage in the local media and TV stations. The final two public consultation sessions are both full, with waiting lists. But there are still ways to get involved.
“People in Edmonton can let their elected politicians know that this is a valuable resource and it contributes to our quality of life here significantly.” Yurkovich adds “There’s also an opportunity to comment through the City’s public survey page.”
Interested riders can read more about the proposed changes on the Edmonton Mountain Bike Alliance website.
