Ned's parking lot barriers?

[Bryce]

What's up with the barriers blocking part of the Riverside/Ned's parking lot? I hope they are part of the Hogan's Pools work (across the street) and are not permanent. Does anyone have any info on this? If they were erected due to neighborhood complaints, it won't help since fewer parking spots = more congestion. I know, I'm ranting today...

[Ned]

Try riding without your car...:idea:

[corey@nsmb.com]

They are the result of huge amounts of people getting in the way of the local residents whose driveway is off of Riverside. Has the weekend warriors used more respect and common sense to be friendly and curteous to the local residents, it is likley those blockades would not be there.

You can thank the people who littered, wouldn't move out of the way of passing cars because they were too busy doing wheelies, and who were loud and abnoxious for erecting those barriers. Nice work!!

[gimped]

This past fall, I saw a car full of MTBer's leaving that parking lot, while an elderly resident pulled up. There wasn't enough room for each car to pass. The driver of the MTB car got out and started screaming at this old guy to "move your fucking car". The old man looked terrified. That's why we as a group deserved to get the lot closed, amongst other reasons. Fucking macho idiots.

[corey@nsmb.com]

Yes, I agree.

I like it when you see the dude putting his bike on the back of his car and it too busy checking himself out in the window reflection to see how "cool" he looks in his bike gear, and is too caught up in himself to recognize that a car is blocked by him admiring himself.

I have seen too many people with their bike on the ground near the road, but with just enough room for a car to squeeze by. Then they laugh and ridicule the person in the car who is afraid to pass out of THEIR curtouesy and concern for hitting the bike that is not so clearly out of view from inside the car and behind 60 year old eyes. Way to show them!

The bad apples have begun to ruin it for the people who care, and it is the people who care that will determine if we still have trails to ride and places to park in 5 years. By then the loosers will be on to the next "extreme" sport they think is cool and will leave us their mess to clean up.

But, hey, I'm not bitter about it!:(

[gimped]

I'm bitter!

You and and I and the rest of the people who actually enjoy the sport/activity in part or as a whole will be around for a long time. Maybe if the NS mountains get shut down and XC makes another go at it, then the cretons will die out!

For the idiots: Since you can do a free-fall from 5 or 6 feet on your 7" travel bike (in full riot gear) does not mean you can go tell off a 60 year old man.

[Bryce]

Some good responses but I think you missed the point. The whole lot isn't closed it just has fewer parking spots and fewer parking spots probably won't help alleviate the congestion that you refer to. Right now the barricades are in the same spot as cars would've been. I'm confused because they seem to make matters worse for both bikers and residents. Couldn't they have put in "Parallel Parking Only signs" if they wanted to widen the roadway?

I agree that we should respect the residents. But if they are so unhappy, then why does the dentist (who lives the closest to the area in question and operates a practice) put out a hose specifically for bikers to use? And, if we're such slobs, why was there more trash and broken glass there three years ago before the 'bike boom' hit?

Honestly, I don't think the residents are unhappy, its just a couple of old sticks-in-the-mud that can't handle change and are being really vocal (and we all know how old people love to talk to anyone who will listen). This isn't really relevant to the barricades but I couldn't resist poking some holes in the "Disrespectful MTBers" theory.

[Dr. Sol]

Maybe I'm excessively stupid, but what's wrong with parking in the Superstore lot? It's really not that far to Riverside from there, and the lot is huge.

[Bryce]

Hmmm, thats a good idea - I think I might start doing that. Maybe I'm the stick-in-the-mud for nothing thinking outside the box (or block in this case). Dr. Sol to the rescue! Thank God XC doesn't have to make a comeback.

[gimped]

I agree to an extent, but there's always that few who make the residents (or even us bikers) think that some of us are "bad" due to disrespectfulness. I'm sure at least 1 or 2 of the residents are able to put up with it, but I would believe that most don't. But I don't know because I have not spoken to any of the locals. Seeing that guy threaten the old man would be enough reason to shut it down. Many people are stick-in-the-muds because they don't understand the nature of the beast, or why we gather in huge numbers to go ride a bike. Those people unfortunatly do need to be handled more carefully because they are the ones with the power, not us and not the dentist. Bad publicity gets a lot more attention than positivity.

So yes we do have to go out of our way, even though we shouldn't have to. If I encounter a hiker on a trail, I slow almost to a stop and give them plenty of space, and say "hi". Sometimes they seem a little shocked, especially when I'm in full gear and on a big bike. But one idiot will make up for at least 10 respectful people or gestures.

[Andrew]

Originally posted by gimped


So yes we do have to go out of our way, even though we shouldn't have to. If I encounter a hiker on a trail, I slow almost to a stop and give them plenty of space, and say "hi". Sometimes they seem a little shocked, especially when I'm in full gear and on a big bike. But one idiot will make up for at least 10 respectful people or gestures.
you must be from newfoundland :D
yea ive seen some fucking dumb shit go down around here in regards with respecting the people walking or who have homes where we ride..such as. someone pissing on someones car door next to a little jump track. people laughing at the workers and yelling stuff at them. people using the walking paths to speed down and not even slowing down for the walkers and then when they tell the bikers to slow down they yell "fuck you" seriously why are alot of people idiots

[sAFETY]

I think the main culprit is people that pulled nose first perpendicular to the road, and left their giant trailer mounted racks pointing straight into traffic.

I know I'll catch hell for this, but if you're one of these people, have the common courtesy of either retracting or storing your rack in these situations. A little forethought goes a long way (as the inverse of this has proven).

[Rat]

Im alwaysed amazed that when I have my trunk mount rack on my car and park my car on McNair some other biker will box me in so I cant get my bike on my rack without climbing over the hood of the guys car. And these are other bikers.

[corey@nsmb.com]

Originally posted by Bryce
Some good responses but I think you missed the point. The whole lot isn't closed it just has fewer parking spots and fewer parking spots probably won't help alleviate the congestion that you refer to. Right now the barricades are in the same spot as cars would've been. I'm confused because they seem to make matters worse for both bikers and residents. Couldn't they have put in "Parallel Parking Only signs" if they wanted to widen the roadway?

I agree that we should respect the residents. But if they are so unhappy, then why does the dentist (who lives the closest to the area in question and operates a practice) put out a hose specifically for bikers to use? And, if we're such slobs, why was there more trash and broken glass there three years ago before the 'bike boom' hit?

Honestly, I don't think the residents are unhappy, its just a couple of old sticks-in-the-mud that can't handle change and are being really vocal (and we all know how old people love to talk to anyone who will listen). This isn't really relevant to the barricades but I couldn't resist poking some holes in the "Disrespectful MTBers" theory.


You have some good points here.

[gimped]

Maybe Bryce is the boy who's causing all the trouble for the rest of us.

[drezy]

Originally posted by gimped

So yes we do have to go out of our way, even though we shouldn't have to. If I encounter a hiker on a trail, I slow almost to a stop and give them plenty of space, and say "hi". Sometimes they seem a little shocked, especially when I'm in full gear and on a big bike. But one idiot will make up for at least 10 respectful people or gestures.
Gimped you make a good point. Even though up here in PG there's significantly less people riding the trails, on a weekend there can be quite a few vehicles parked at the gate. The people living at the bottom of the trails are getting sick of the congestion, not to mention the empty gatorade bottles and McDonald's bags. Over the last couple months I've gotten some pretty dirty looks from hikers when I pass them going up the trail with my chainsaw in my pack. I always stop and talk to them and make sure they understand that we are not cutting live trees, blah blah blah, and you can almost see their attitude change. Now most of them know me by name and one old bird even came up one day after seeing my Jeep parked on the road after dark to see if I was OK.
Anyways, we've got a lot of idiots to make up for, but treating the people outside of the mtb community with some respect is a huge step in the right direction.

[mike]

its amazing how a small ammount of people can ruin things for a large ammount of people
enough said..

[corey@nsmb.com]

Originally posted by drezy
Gimped you make a good point. Even though up here in PG there's significantly less people riding the trails, on a weekend there can be quite a few vehicles parked at the gate. The people living at the bottom of the trails are getting sick of the congestion, not to mention the empty gatorade bottles and McDonald's bags. Over the last couple months I've gotten some pretty dirty looks from hikers when I pass them going up the trail with my chainsaw in my pack. I always stop and talk to them and make sure they understand that we are not cutting live trees, blah blah blah, and you can almost see their attitude change. Now most of them know me by name and one old bird even came up one day after seeing my Jeep parked on the road after dark to see if I was OK.
Anyways, we've got a lot idiots to make up for, but treating the people outside of the mtb community with some respect is a huge step in the right direction.

Thats awesome man. We need more sensible and friendly people like you out there. Nice job!

[Echo Man]

You all make good points.

If I may make one more suggestion. Treat hikers and local area residents the way you want to be treated as a mountain biker. I certainly get pissed when kids go by my house and litter in my front yard so I understand why residents in the areas we ride get pissed. Perhaps if you see some other riders acting badly, as another rider it is my responsibility to remind them to behave responsibly.

I think it would be a shame if we didn't police ourselves.

My two cents....

[Sunday Rider]

Parking in the Superstore lot is a great idea. Let's not piss this neighborhood off. That includes the wheelie posers who like blocking traffic coming down Riverside. Wow, you can wheelie - we're impressed