🚀 go-pugleaf

-: -[a long bit about mountain biking] 
-
-: 1. Why do you allow activities that you know to be dangerous?
-: 2. Why do you only mention "solo" accidents? These bikes have the potential
-:    of killing and maiming bystanders, also.
-: 3. Why do you say that closing public lands to bikes would deprive "these
-:    recreationists access to many public lands"? This is obviously not true,
-:    since it is only the bikes, not the "recreationists" that would be banned.
-: 4. Why do you want to allow the biking to go on, knowing it is dangerous, but
-:    then try to escape responsibility for your action? That seems like the
-:    height of irresponsibility! If you allow MTBing, then you are obviously
-:    an accomplice, and should take full responsibility. If your aim is to
-:    protect the parks and their visitors, it seems to me that you MUST ban
-:    MTBing.
-
-I am not an avid mountain biker, but I am an avid whitewater kayaker and 
-rock climber. And, I am tired of park officials outlawing these 
-activities because they perceive them to be dangerous. Individuals should 
-be allowed to assume such risk as they like in order to pursue the outdoor 
-sports that they enjoy.
 
Not if the risk is to bystanders, which is my point. You can risk your neck
all you want, as long as you don't endanger others and don't expect me to
pay to send in helicopters and other expensive rescue equipment when you
get in trouble. Buy insurance, if you want that.

-With regard to mountain bikes, is there evidence that hikers or other 
-bystanders have been injured by mountain bikers? Do riders of mountain 
-bikes present a true risk to other trail users or only a perceived risk?

Of course. I have personally been run into by bikers, and others have told me
they saw bikers riding too fast & recklessly to protect hikers & other trail
users. One famous biologist said that if there had been children in his path,
one biker would have killed someone. I also heard that 75% of MTBers get injured.