A petition is being circulated by mountain-biking enthusiasts who want Pima County to legalize night use of area trails. At first thought, it seems like a reasonable request—but then it turns into one of those pesky adult things where you can see both sides of the argument.
The petition is being circulated by members of the Southern Arizona Mountain Bike Association and the Sonoran Desert Mountain Bicyclists. There is a version of the petition online that was written by SAMBA leader James DiDomenico. (Just once, I’d like to be referred to as a samba leader. Maybe at the 2016 Olympics; that’s my next quest.) Anyway, he writes, “Tucson county parks currently close at dark, an ambiguous time.”
I have to stop him here. “Dark” isn’t a time. Dark is a visual phenomenon or a poet’s general state of being, and sometimes an intrafamilial insult among certain Hispanics.
Anyway, he continues, “Dark occurs in the winter months at close to 5:30 p.m. and in the summer months around 8 p.m. These times hardly give taxpayers who work all day time to enjoy the parks! (His exclamation point.) I would like to see a fixed time, such as 10 or 11 p.m., as a closing time, if one is actually needed. This gives everyone adequate notice and allows police to patrol and ticket offenders if needed.”
As I’ve said before, I think Tucson’s cyclists are crazy, bless their insane hearts. A lot of the time, I don’t even like being on Tucson’s streets in a car full of airbags. I have no idea how these people can be among the Road Ragers, the Speed Racers, and the Butthole Texters with nothing between them and the aforementioned jackasses except a stripe on the pavement and a thin layer of skin-tight clothing. But they’re out there every day, and more power to them.
I also readily admit that I don’t understand the concept of mountain-biking. I guess it’s a less-boring form of hiking, which, in my experience, is one step up from dental work. But if people like to do it, and they respect the desert, good for them.
According to cycling enthusiast Cassi Morelock, in the old days, road and trail cyclists had two options in the Tucson summer: They could ride in the 100-degree heat of daytime, risking dehydration, heat stroke, sunburn and dehydration. (That lack-of-water thing is extra bad.) Or they could try to ride at night, with little or no visibility, and risk crashing into Paul Babeu making out with his boyfriend while pretending to be on a stakeout.
Morelock says that technological breakthroughs in lighting allow runners and cyclists to work out at night. Some lights allow athletes to see several hundred feet ahead of them. However, because of pesky physics, in order to illuminate that far out, the beams have to be relatively narrow and don’t illuminate off to the side.
As it stands now, the trails are only open from dawn to dusk. They’re rarely patrolled at night, but if somebody gets busted, the resulting fine can be substantial. The petition-passers would like to do away with that possibility.
Right from the jump, they collected several hundred real-people signatures. They then put the petition on Facebook, which means they have the potential to collect 800 million more signatures. If they just got everybody in Uzbekistan to sign, Pima County might have to cave.
It’s a tough call, really. These are adults who we’re talking about, and they wouldn’t be out to do any harm. If the plan is OK’d, special measures will have to be taken to make sure that minors aren’t riding the hills at night. (Adults, by and large, have the right to take their lives in their own hands. Kids, not so much.) There would also need to be increased patrols in these areas to protect the exercise enthusiasts from the freaks who come out at night. There are mountain lions and snakes and bears, oh my, plus armadillos and coyotes (both kinds) and chupacabras up in those hills, not to mention the alligators in the sewers. Then you have the human freaks.
(And we all know of whom I speak. They all look like the original members of the Allman Brothers Band, and they get together to listen to white-trash death metal and smoke Caucasian ganja, then spray-paint stupid stuff all over the place, mistaking lame for badass in their stupor.)
The increased patrols will either cost more money or divert manpower from other parts of the community. In addition, there will probably be an increased need for the services of other first-responders. I don’t care how careful and experienced these cyclists are; some of those people are going to be falling off mountains.
If the county gives its OK to the plan, it should definitely insist that people sign liability waivers. You just know that some knucklehead who’s riding really fast on a mountain at night will biff and then sue the county because it didn’t warn him that riding really fast on a mountain at night is dangerous.
Still, these people are hard-core and determined. Let ’em ride.
This article appears in May 10-16, 2012.
I disagree with you Tom. They need to be protected from themselves. No permit.
A better solution would be to “deputize” the mountain bikers and let them help “patrol” the parks at night. Give them walkie talkies and let them ride at night and report what they see. Then, everybody’s happy. They report themselves when they go in, and when they come out. Problem solved, and the cops can still harass, bully, and generally annoy transients, homeless folks and anybody else they don’t like.
One word, Liability. When a biker falls down and smashes his face on a rock in the dark, and sues the County, once again the Taxpayer gets screwed. NO PERMIT!
“Deputize them”….. who’s going to pay for that, and buy the radios, and hire someone for them to talk to, now they are working for the County and will need insurance, and on, and on, and on.
Man, people are sure quick to pull the “NO” card, due to what? Suing, liabilities? …in case you don’t know there are ways to avoid these putting a simple “ride at your own risk” statements for example. People who ride at night are compassionate and dedicated, not fools and not money hungry. They know the risks involved and if anything are more careful at night. I’m a mtn biker and I have wrecked less at night than during the day. Many crash on these trails during the day and I’ve not seen one law suit. And in case you haven’t noticed, we are tax payers as well that pay to be able to use these wonderful parks but are limited by the time they are open. I think it should be illegal to eat chips, drink beer and get fat all night on the couch and add to our taxpayers health care expenditures. Appreciate the support Mr. Daheny!
I think that the County should also permit use of the linear parks (Rillito, Santa Cruz) after sunset. Especially during the summer months, nightime use of the paths for recreational cyclists and walkers are a practical way to avoid the heat and should be encouraged.
Cyclists would also, however, be required to provide lights on the front and rear of their bikes for safety while using the paths after sunset. These lights would especially be oriented for visibility of the cyclist by other users of the path (joggers, walkers).
Wow, there are some interesting knee-jerk responses here. I’m curious why there would be lawsuits from night riding since these trails are used year round by many users doing presumably doing the same activities during the day?
As far as law enforcement costs, I I’m not sure there would be a significant cost. In the 12 years I have been using Tucson trails I can’t remember more than once seeing a law enforcement official.
Using the trail systems has always been at the users risk; night or day doesn’t make a difference. There is , in Tucson, I think a higher risk of life threatening injury due to heat stroke than mountain biking or hiking based injuries.
As far as the miss guided individuals that would vandalize the park what makes anyone think that the current night restriction would have any bearing on their activities?
What is hilarious is that my understanding is that this all got touched off by a bunch of vandalism and partying in Sweetwater parking lot by non-bicyclists. Apparently the sheriff then commenced to ticketing indiscriminately whenever they drove through to combat the issue.
Ironically, when we are preparing for a night ride, we’ll occasionally see those same people looking to party drive up, glare at us and then drive away. So I would submit that having bicyclists use the parking lot for its intended purpose for a couple hours actually helps dissuade people from partying there during that time.
Probably what is needed is a “night trail use permit”. You pay $10 bucks, get your sticker and then sign a waver signifying your understanding that you release the county from any responsibility for damages incurred to your or your property during those hours. Iin return, if the sheriff swings by to do some ticketing, they avoid the cars with night trail use stickers.
Just my $0.02 as a cyclist.
While I appreciate Mr. Danehy’s support, some of his comments still seem a little silly. I have been night riding for years. It’s just like riding during the day except with lights. The liability is the same, the rocks are the same, the cactus are the same. The average person is scared of the desert or the woods at night, but it’s a great time to be out. It’s quiet and cooler.
I’ve even been injured on a night ride, broke my collar bone. I rode back to the car, got a little help getting my bike on the rack and drove home. There were no lawsuits. When I got hurt during the day it was exactly the same story.
Alec Swanson’s idea that mountain bikers are getting caught up in an action to prevent partiers from using the parking lot strikes me as likely. The presence of legitimate users (of any variety) will drive away illegitimate users.
I’m not a bicycle rider, but I am an avid hiker, and I can understand what the mountain bikers are trying to legitimate. I support their efforts. In Tucson’s hottest seasons, even hiking in the desert during the day can be miserable, let alone pedaling a heavy bicycle around. These trail users are not out to cause trouble. That would be like “slapping the hand that feeds you”. In addition, it may very well be that riders only find free time to enjoy this activity that they embrace when it’s dark. God bless America, home of the free?
I misattributed a comment to Alec Swanson. Sorry, it was Heavyboots.
-Bob
***I’m not a typist, nor am a good proof reader. Please disregard my typos.***
Really, “dark isn’t a time?” Time can be defined as “a particular period considered as distinct from other periods.” You are wrong correcting James on this point. For clearly “dark” is the period opposite “day light.”
Anyway, you did hit the nail on the head with the comment “… if people like to do it, and they respect the desert, good for them.” Many of us do not just like MTBing we love it and each for our own reasons. I’d venture to say most of us cannot manage to get enough time out on trails as it is. Between families, jobs, and obligations we must fit in trail time whenever possible. For many us this means before or after work during the week and, as Cassie pointed out, before or after the heat of the desert during the weekends – in others words at night.
The lights available are definitely not “relatively narrow and don’t illuminate off to the side.” I, and others too, ride with more than one light. One narrow “high-beam” which illuminates about 30 yards ahead and the a second defused light which illuminates about 12 yards out and 4 yards to the left and right. Yes, illuminating an 8 yard wide path for a vehicle requiring a mere yard across is definitely overkill. But the point is we’ve plenty of light. Oh, and before the question is posed, each rider determines what “plenty of light” is for themselves.
Patrols… who cares! Seriously, folk are going to hike out into the desert and hide behind a cactus to mug me for a few powerbars? Well… maybe my $5,000 bike… but anyway I’ll assume from your dislike of hiking you’ve spent little or no time on the trails at night. If you had, you know running into another biped is not likely to occur. You’d find plenty of MTBers, wildlife, and livestock though. More frequent patrols are not needed. And will not be needed unless crimes on the trails begin to happen. As it stands right now, we are already out there not being mugged by criminals, only the city if a patrol feels like enforcing an unnecessary law. (Just a note: thanks to all the policemen out there. Your job is dangerous, and I appreciate what you do.) There is no reason to believe that if we were legally riding the trails at night things would become unsafe for us.
This is not a tough call. Also it is irrelevant that we are adults. The statement insinuates that parents are unable to decide where there children may play. Please tell me you do not believe that the government should be making parenting decisions for the families of Pima County. No special measures must be taken. We’ve enough laws in this “land of the free.” So many laws that the USA incarcerates more citizens than China. Parents must simply be held accountable to know the location of their children. And again, we need not protecting from patrols. We simply must educate ourselves about the risks of the desert. Let us call this idea “individual responsibly.” The great thing about individual responsibility is it is free! As for being protected from gang members… really you seriously think drug addicts and the like are out hiking at night through the desert? I assure you I’ve yet to find one. I assume due to the lack of munchies.
Waivers? Really? Man I hate bureaucracy, especially when it is more stupid than usual. Why would waivers be needed for night riding and not during the day? Have you conducted a survey of emergency rooms and discovered more MTB accidents occur at night when we are riding slower as to not over ride our lights? From personal experience more accidents happen during the day than night. However, this brings me back to personal responsibly. If I get hurt, it is my own fault. I need not to a sign a waiver to be a responsible citizen. But, if something must written out at the very most simply post a sign at the trail-head stating “Use at own risk. Any rescue will be charged to the person being rescued. If the person cannot afford the bill, they shall work off the debt via community service at minimum hourly wage.”
In the end you got it right. Thank you for agreeing to let us ride. All we want to do is get out of our homes, offices, and cars to live an active lifestyle that suits us. And with the last study expecting 75% of Americans to be fat by in only 8 years, restricting the times we can use the trails is just plain wrong. If anything we, all citizens, should be given incentives to get out and live a healthy active lifestyle. So please, just let us ride.
~Hans K.
I am a recent member of the Tucson riding community, and I have come to both appreciate and enjoy the night riding options available to me to improve my health during a time of day that works with both my usual work schedule, as well as the crazy daytime summer temperatures here in Tuscon. Everyone that I have come across in the riding community over the past few years appreciates the availability of mountain biking trails, and also works very hard to use the trails during the posted hours. There are some spots in Tucson that claim a 10:00 PM closing time, and we respect and abide by this. We ride with respect to any neighbors of trails, keeping our voices down, etc, and we ride throughout the early evenings for our health and the enjoyment of the Tucson community. Sometimes rules are in place for a legitimate reason, and sometimes rules need to be modified. I believe that the rules for many public trails at this time should be open for use until a specific time of night that is late enough for people who work until 6 or so to be able to go out and spin their wheels in a respectful manner for 2-3 hours. I am glad that this forum is open for discussion, and I am glad to be actively engaged in this discussion.