M
Mike Vandeman
Guest
Date: Sat, 28 Feb 2004 10:12:11 -0800
A message from Ernie Crist
Subject: FW: mountain bikers
This is one typical complaint. There are plenty more available.
Dear Mr. Crist Let me first apologize for phoning you home # at 5.30 pm I simply pulled your # from
the internet.I certainly didn't want to disturb you may be you should post your email on the
internet to avoid this from happening again I do like my privacy also sorry again. My name is
.......... Dempsey Road and I speak for most residents who reside on this street. (East of Mountain
Highway towards Braemar).We bought our home to retire, to enjoy the mountain trails walk our dogs
enjoy the tranquility, the flora and fauna but during the last 2 years this area has become a zoo
like Disneyland. The district decided beautifully to make Coleman street and up restricted parking
and what everyone here knew was that it simply moved the problem to our area. SUV's park all along
both sides of the road, we see them changing clothing, urinate in the rhododendrons, empty beer cans
all over, race down hill from upper Dempsey at neck breaking speeds down hill and it is just a
matter of time before someone gets seriously hurt or dies, such as cars backing out of drive ways,
kids playing on the drive way and a ball goes on to the road and its business as usual, we have to
get a few fatalities before the government takes action no matter how often they have been warned.
We wrote a letter to the North Shore News, to no avail, ( we knew they would not publish it as they
are getting paid for advertising for the biking shops and with a $ 25 million bonanza annually to
the North Shore as they report, ( North Shore News February 15 2004) little chance they will print
residents concerns. We have walked the Baden Powell trail for a decade, and nobody gives a damn
about the erosion of the trails, the mountain bikes run the topsoil off, and the heavy rain water
transforms the walking trials into muddy streams, tree roots are getting exposed, trees die and fall
down. Biker enthusiasts are happily using chain saws higher up to fall trees to make jumping ramps,
the sediments are rushing down and clogging culverts, resulting in excessive water in our back
yards, fences shifting and its much more fun to bike through the bush, destroying new rejuvenating
growth in fact to put it in simple terms they are destroying the ecosystem big time in the name of
sport. I have already racked up large veterinary bills for glass cuts in my dogs pads, ( from
discarded can tabs and broken bottles) which was once ( 3 years ago) a pristine forest. Constant
advertising in the North Shore News portraying this area as the Mecca for mountain biking has pretty
well destroyed our peaceful life in this area. My wife and I have been faithfully breaking down the
jumping ramps on the pedestrian trails, we have had to jump aside for foul mouthed bikers racing
down the pedestrian trails, taking our dogs out of their way and now we walk with a baseball bat as
we will take the law in our own hands to protect our dogs and ourselves. We fondly remember the
wildlife we had around this area but they are all but gone now, chased away by this "sport" The
North Shore News further advised of a Mountain Bike Festival spanning Capilano to Seymour during
August this year, , let the thousands of bikers come and ruin our forest even more. Interesting to
attend an open house in a Lynn Valley School where the District proudly showed plans of making
parking spaces so that more bikers can ruin our forest ( last year) . Don't misunderstand me, I am
not an environmental freak, we are middle aged people living peacefully paying a hefty property tax
to get away from the crime, hassle etc from down town, to enjoy nature, which is rapidly being
destroyed in the name of sport. Get these people off the North Shore and let them wreck the
ecosystem in their own communities why ours?????? Mr Crist, I read your article and anything you can
do to put an end to this destruction would be greatly appreciated.
===
I am working on creating wildlife habitat that is off-limits to humans ("pure habitat"). Want to
help? (I spent the previous 8 years fighting auto dependence and road construction.)
http://home.pacbell.net/mjvande
A message from Ernie Crist
Subject: FW: mountain bikers
This is one typical complaint. There are plenty more available.
Dear Mr. Crist Let me first apologize for phoning you home # at 5.30 pm I simply pulled your # from
the internet.I certainly didn't want to disturb you may be you should post your email on the
internet to avoid this from happening again I do like my privacy also sorry again. My name is
.......... Dempsey Road and I speak for most residents who reside on this street. (East of Mountain
Highway towards Braemar).We bought our home to retire, to enjoy the mountain trails walk our dogs
enjoy the tranquility, the flora and fauna but during the last 2 years this area has become a zoo
like Disneyland. The district decided beautifully to make Coleman street and up restricted parking
and what everyone here knew was that it simply moved the problem to our area. SUV's park all along
both sides of the road, we see them changing clothing, urinate in the rhododendrons, empty beer cans
all over, race down hill from upper Dempsey at neck breaking speeds down hill and it is just a
matter of time before someone gets seriously hurt or dies, such as cars backing out of drive ways,
kids playing on the drive way and a ball goes on to the road and its business as usual, we have to
get a few fatalities before the government takes action no matter how often they have been warned.
We wrote a letter to the North Shore News, to no avail, ( we knew they would not publish it as they
are getting paid for advertising for the biking shops and with a $ 25 million bonanza annually to
the North Shore as they report, ( North Shore News February 15 2004) little chance they will print
residents concerns. We have walked the Baden Powell trail for a decade, and nobody gives a damn
about the erosion of the trails, the mountain bikes run the topsoil off, and the heavy rain water
transforms the walking trials into muddy streams, tree roots are getting exposed, trees die and fall
down. Biker enthusiasts are happily using chain saws higher up to fall trees to make jumping ramps,
the sediments are rushing down and clogging culverts, resulting in excessive water in our back
yards, fences shifting and its much more fun to bike through the bush, destroying new rejuvenating
growth in fact to put it in simple terms they are destroying the ecosystem big time in the name of
sport. I have already racked up large veterinary bills for glass cuts in my dogs pads, ( from
discarded can tabs and broken bottles) which was once ( 3 years ago) a pristine forest. Constant
advertising in the North Shore News portraying this area as the Mecca for mountain biking has pretty
well destroyed our peaceful life in this area. My wife and I have been faithfully breaking down the
jumping ramps on the pedestrian trails, we have had to jump aside for foul mouthed bikers racing
down the pedestrian trails, taking our dogs out of their way and now we walk with a baseball bat as
we will take the law in our own hands to protect our dogs and ourselves. We fondly remember the
wildlife we had around this area but they are all but gone now, chased away by this "sport" The
North Shore News further advised of a Mountain Bike Festival spanning Capilano to Seymour during
August this year, , let the thousands of bikers come and ruin our forest even more. Interesting to
attend an open house in a Lynn Valley School where the District proudly showed plans of making
parking spaces so that more bikers can ruin our forest ( last year) . Don't misunderstand me, I am
not an environmental freak, we are middle aged people living peacefully paying a hefty property tax
to get away from the crime, hassle etc from down town, to enjoy nature, which is rapidly being
destroyed in the name of sport. Get these people off the North Shore and let them wreck the
ecosystem in their own communities why ours?????? Mr Crist, I read your article and anything you can
do to put an end to this destruction would be greatly appreciated.
===
I am working on creating wildlife habitat that is off-limits to humans ("pure habitat"). Want to
help? (I spent the previous 8 years fighting auto dependence and road construction.)
http://home.pacbell.net/mjvande
