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Future of Mountain Biking in Dayton

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DSC_0353What are the first things that come to mind when you think of mountain biking?  Is it teenagers with their hair on fire, X Games extreme athletes in motocross protective padding, or another great way to exercise and enjoy the great outdoors?

Just five to ten years ago most people in the Dayton region would have said flaming haired, pot smoking teenagers and extreme athletes.  The culture has changed, for the better IMHO, so much that recreational activities like mountain biking are being included in regional master planning efforts by organizations such as Five Rivers MetroParks and incorporated into the strategy of the Greater Downtown Dayton Plan.

In September, 2007, Five Rivers MetroParks opened up MoMBA, which stands for MetroParks Mountain Biking Area.  This facility was envisioned as a sustainably designed trail system to attract a new user base to MetroParks and provide another way to connect people to nature, which is part of MetroParks’ mission.

According to my first hand observations, the facility has been a success.  Yes, there are a few teenagers on bmx bikes with no helmets occasionally taking to the trailhead but the typical rider at MoMBA by no means fits that stereotype.   On any given day you will see numerous cars in the parking lot, middle age professionals, college students, grey hairs on hybrid bikes, and families out riding the sweet single track.  One could speculate why this is, I would suggest the proximity to local neighborhoods, wide variety of difficulty levels and experiences, and mountain biking is just fun.

Last fall MetroParks held a series of meetings to discuss future plans to expand the core area and develop a more comprehensive masterplan that provides the necessary amenities and increased riding opportunities for all ages to truly create a destination level facility.  The link below details the plan and lists what each stage of the plan will entail.  Word on the street is that the purchase of an adjacent quarry property is in discussion as we speak.  The expansion of the facility would truly put MoMBAon the map and provide opportunities for advanced riders that cannot be found anywhere in the Midwest.  Check out the plans for yourself and keep an eye out for updates on the quarry.  http://www.metroparks.org/documents/recreation/2009-12-16_MoMBA_master_plan.pdf

Click here for more information about MoMBA.   MetroParks hosts numerous programs, events, demos, and group rides throughout the year so Get Out and Ride!

Moving Towards Bike Friendly: Bike Lanes in Dayton

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Bike Lane Striping in DowntownOver the past 2 years the Miami Valley has made numerous strides toward making the region a more vibrant and livable community focusing on pedestrian and bike friendly amenities.  The completion of the Comprehensive Regional and Local Bikeway Master plan, Miami Valley Cycling Summit and many more efforts has driven the movement forward. Following the Cycling Summit, communities and organizations across the region committed to continuing the process and moving their community closer towards Bike Friendly Status.

The City of Dayton is following through with their promises regarding Bike Friendly projects and the evidence is now striping the way, literally, as they are marking the first on-road bike lanes in the Urban Core.  The Bike Lanes and Sharrows are designed to encourage more cyclists to travel on the roadways and as a communication tool to let motorists know where cyclists will be.  This method of cycling infrastructure has been widely used across the country in cities such as Portland, Minneapolis, Louisville, Washington DC, Tampa and many more.

The BikeWalkDayton Committee is responsible for recent projects and the movement in becoming bike friendly.  This group is comprised of City Leaders, Planners, Engineers, Advocates and other members of community organizations such as MVRPC, Five Rivers MetroParks, and Miami Conservancy District.  The team’s goal is to work on addressing the comments and issues presented at the Cycling Summit and working toward making the City of Dayton a more Bike Friendly Community.  Word on the street is that the team has also committed to submitting the Bike Friendly Community Application by the Spring Deadline.  With the new bike lanes, BikeWalkDayton Committee, new RiverScape Bike Hub and other events such as Courteous Mass, I foresee a bronze – maybe even a silver designation right off the bat.

Throughout the cycling advocacy community in the US, there remains a lot of controversy surrounding Bike Lanes.  Let the Outdoor Evangelist be the first to tell you, when bike lanes are improperly engineered they can be dangerous, if not fatal.  However, if strategically implemented they can provide another method to get more cyclists on the streets, which is exactly what this community needs.  There are many opposed to bike lanes.  Many advocates can be considered members of the “Everyone Should Ride on the Street, NO Matter How Many Riders There Are” group.  However that philosophy doesn’t grow a community, nor does it provide for good forum articles.

Just this past week the first Grassroots Cycling Advocacy meeting took place, one of the main objectives arising out of the Miami Valley Cycling Summit.  This group is vital to the future of cycling in the region and hopes to provide a voice for all cyclists in the future.  Cheers will surely be had at their next meeting over the success of the bike lanes.

So, kudos to the City of Dayton and kudos to the BikeWalkDayton Team.  The striping of the bike lanes is more than just the simple act of paint on the street – it is the future of the City of Dayton.  This future differentiates the city from the rest of the region as one of the most bike friendly communities in the Midwest and (of course), “The Outdoor Recreation Capital of the Midwest.”

Get Your Butt in the Saddle and Ride!

The Allegrippis Trail System

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raystown picIMBA scores with Allegrippis Trail System at Raystown Lake, Pennsylvania

Location: Allegrippis Trail, Raystown Lake, Pennsylvania

Drive Time (from Dayton): Approx 7 hours

Recommended Activities: Mountain Biking (DUH), Hiking, Kayaking, Camping, Fishing

Low Down: Bottom-line, the Allegrippis Trial System is a must ride. These trails should be on any  mountain bikers “Life List.” Ridng them will leave you with a grin ear to ear, mile after mile (not to mention that they are a great way to spend your birthday weekend!). Each trail, regardless of difficulty rating, is designed to provide all levels of riders with an epic adventure.   The trails at Raystown Lake were down-right amazing, well built (for the most part…only a trained trail builder would notice flaws), and provided a variety of trails, terrain, scenery and much more.

The scenery is top notch, wrapping around Raystown Lake with scenic vistas, old growth forests and a fluctuation of terrain that will leave you feeling like you were teleported to Colorado. I will surely go back.  On the downside, the drive from Dayton to Raystown Lake is a little more than 7 hours, hardly a weekend getaway.

Trails: With all the potential adjectives available to describe this eastern mountain biking Mecca, FUN is the one that sums it up best. The trails on the Allegrippis Trail System were built and constructed by Trail Solutions, the International Mountain Biking Association’s trail building wing, in partnership with the Army Corps of Engineers (who manages the land), the Friends of Raystown Lake and other contracting firms. The loop trail system can also be enjoyed by hikers, runners, birders, cross-country skiers and snowshoers.

The multiple-route trails are in the Seven Points area of Raystown Lake, a 30-mile long lake and the largest inland lake in Pennsylvania. The trails are free to access and some have incredible lake views. Each of the 23 trails has been color-coded for it’s level of difficulty, including:  green (easiest, family-friendly and closest to the parking lots), to blue (moderate) and black (most difficult). Four of the trails are rated easiest, fifteen are moderate and four are difficult. Riders on blue trails can expect the usual obstacles: roots, rocks and high speed whoops in the rhythm sections. Those on black trails will encounter much of the same, plus more drastic elevation changes covering longer distances. The “most difficult” rating is truly subjective depending on what you are used to riding. The differentiating factor between blue and black is basically more climbing and more rocks, or additional small rock gardens full of baby heads.

Camping/Lodging: One of the trailheads for the Allegrippis Trail is along Seven Points Road. Seven Points Campground has hundreds of sites with full service hookups.  If you are a tent camper, make sure you get there in the daylight to best select your site.  If you are  visiting between Memorial and Labor Day make sure you book a tent only site.  During this high season, the campgrounds are infected with motorboats and rolling aluminum ghettos (RV’s), plush with their chili pepper lights, generators and astroturf.  The Outdoor Evangelist recommendation is Ridge or Valley for tent campers if you are there outside of the summer season.

Local Flavor: Be sure to head to Huntingdon and visit Rothrock Outfitters to get the skinny on trail direction and closures.  The staff there was uber friendly. Ask for Evan and make sure you wander around the store. You can also rent bike, canoes and kayaks for a float trip .

While you’re in town, have a meal and one of many microbrews at Boxer’s Café, just a few doors down from Rothrock Outfitters.  Boxer’s uses locally grown produce and meat and has a great selection of PA microbrews.

Closer to Home: Over the past few years the mountain biking community in the Miami Valley has grown substantially.  In part because the local clubs and organizations are amazing, energetic and welcoming people who are dedicated to getting more people on bikes.  Two bikes shops have opened up in the region to serve the growing interest and a new local trail system was opened in 2007, MoMBA, Five Rivers MetroParks Mountain Biking Area at Huffman Park.  MoMBA continues to see new and more riders each month. Success of MoMBA is due to its excellent design, location, and maintenance.  Trust me, when you get done with a ride and the sweat is burning the scrapes on your arms from raspberries and saw briar creeping in on the trail, you will surely appreciate how much time and effort MetroParks takes in manicuring MoMBA.

Some riders in Dayton may take the proximity of trail access in the Miami Valley for granted.  MoMBA and the trails at John Bryan State Park may not be in the league of Brown County, IN, but they are still conveniently located and incredible assets for the region. IMHO, the local mountain biking scene needs to get off Brown County’s nuts.  The two regional trails (MoMBA and JB) provide close, exciting and welcoming atmospheres to get more people out enjoying the great outdoors in an active and healthy way.

That said, riders in the south and west suburbs may find them a bit of a drive to ride regularly. Simple solution…why not build more trails, Miami Valley? Kettering, Centerville and Washington Township has a lot of public land that could be converted to additional trail systems that could add exciting amenities for residents and help strengthen our growing regional reputation as the Outdoor Adventure Capital of the Midwest.  To better serve this emerging and significant mountain biking community, additional park districts and municipalities need to get on board and provide more access to quality-designed, sustainably-constructed, contour trails.

Do the park districts in the area know there is a huge growing and dynamic mountain bike community in the region?  Well, maybe if we actually had a real cycling advocacy organization they could put the issue on the table and provide a little pressure.  So how about it Centerville-Washington Township Parks, MetroParks, City of Kettering?  When are we breaking ground on new trails in Bill Yeck, Grant Park or Germantown MetroPark? I know some trail experts and an amazing mountain biking club ready to help make it happen.

Amendment 2370/2371 – Speak up for Trails, Walking and Biking Now

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Ammendment 2370(from the Rails-To-Trails Conservancy website)

On Tuesday, September 15, Senators John McCain (Ariz.) and Tom Coburn (Okla.) issued two amendments to the FY10 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development appropriations bill. If passed, these amendments would eliminate the majority of available federal funds for trails, walking and bicycling.

Amendment 2370 would prohibit the use of federal funds for pedestrian or bicycle facilities, efforts to reduce vehicle collisions with wildlife, or other specified Transportation Enhancement (TE) projects if the Highway Trust Fund cannot cover unfunded highway authorizations.

Amendment 2371 is even trickier; while it claims to allow states to opt out of spending on TE projects, the actual amendment text in fact notes that “None of the funds made available by this Act may be used to implement” TE projects.

Providing opportunities for Americans to walk, bike and take transit to get where they’re going improves our communities’ health and livability, reduces emissions, creates jobs and save money.

If you know who your senators are, their phone numbers are listed here (in the format 202-224-xxxx). To look up your senators by state and find their phone numbers, go here.

Next, please call your senators with the following message:

I am calling from (city, state) to urge that Senator ______ vote against Amendments 2370 and 2371 to H.R. 3288. These amendments would jeopardize essential Transportation Enhancements projects such as trails and other walking and bicycling infrastructure. These projects are highly valued in my community, and we need more safe and convenient opportunities to walk and bike. How does Senator _____ plan to vote on these amendments?

It is best to use your own words. If you personalize your comments, please be sure to end your call by asking how the senator plans to vote. This is critical information for us to have, and puts the office on notice that they will be accountable.

Once you have made your calls, please tell us how they went so we can track progress and plan next steps. Thank you.

UPDATE:

The amendments did not pass, with both of Ohio’s senators voting against them!  Thanks to all that phoned in their opposition!

Drive Less, Bike More

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Bicycle in PortlandPortland, Boulder, Madison, San Francisco, Seattle, Austin, Chicago – these are cities known to be magnets to young college graduates and the “creative class” that so many cities including Dayton are trying to retain and attract.  But what else do these cities have in common?  They are all known as some of the most bicycle-friendly cities in the country according to a city ranking by the League of American Bicyclists – the standard for cities looking to capitalize on the growing popularity of the bicycle culture.  While Dayton must continue to work hard at attracting businesses that provide good jobs, we must at the same time be doing everything we can to make our city attractive for living – and bicycles can play a major role in that.

Columbus is the only Ohio city that ranks on the Bicycle Friendly Community list (bronze level), but Dayton has the potential to join and even surpass Columbus as a bicycle-friendly community.  Our region already enjoys one of the best recreational trail networks in the country, with main trails converging at Riverscape in Downtown Dayton where the region’s first bike hub is now being built.  We also have the new MetroParks Mountain Biking Area that is growing in popularity.  Imagine if we capitalized on these unique recreational assets by integrating them with a city and region-wide transportation network that encourages more people to use bicycles for short trips and even commutes to work.

There are few things as versatile and that transcend race, gender, socio-economics, age or even physical fitness level more than a bicycle – whether being used recreationally or for basic transportation.  By transforming our streets to be more pedestrian and bicycle-friendly, we can:

  • Provide low-cost transportation options to those unable to afford automobiles as well as those that simply want to drive less
  • Decrease traffic congestion and pollution
  • Lower obesity levels by increasing physical activity
  • Add vibrancy and safety to our downtown streets
  • Allow people to spend less on gas and perhaps spend more in our local economy

The City of Dayton is taking initial steps by implementing the region’s first dedicated bike lanes and sharrows (shared lanes that are marked) when it completes the downtown two-way street conversions over the next several months.  It is a nice nod to the Wright Brothers that St. Clair Street will have one of these dedicated bike lanes, since it shares its name with a line of bicycles that the Wrights built and sold.  Added to groups like Courteous Mass (a grassroots urban bicycle awareness movement) and the Drive Less Live More campaign, we are moving in the right direction toward a comprehensive plan that aims to put Dayton on the map for bicycle-friendly communities.  This includes efforts as simple as expanding driver/bicycle education and awareness, and as complex as implementing bike share programs and “Complete Streets” plans that truly transform our streets from being designed predominantly for the automobile to being equally accessible to autos, bicycles and pedestrians alike.

We all know about the Wright Brothers and how their invention of flight has helped shape Dayton over the past several decades, though few would suggest that it is their prior work with bicycles that may represent the future for Dayton.  However, in this age of rising transportation costs, traffic congestion, growing obesity, climate change and culture shifts, cities across the country are discovering that the bicycle can play a pivotal role in the quest for economic prosperity.  It is time for Dayton to join this trend.

Join the first Miami Valley Cycling Summit this Friday at UD, where government officials, experts, community leaders and bicycle advocates from across the region AND the country will be presenting plans already implemented in other cities and ideas for us here in Dayton.  As of the time of this post there are over 275 registrants.

Photo Credit: kworth30 – Flickr.com

Attracting Business to Dayton – Start with Quality of Life

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magnetAs I read the latest DDN article about city, regional and state officials meeting behind closed doors to figure out how to “drawing NCR-like companies to Dayton”, I simply shook my head. I’ll actually give officials the benefit of the doubt since I saw nobody actually quoted as saying “NCR-like companies”; I’ll assume that was a DDN attempt to attract views by using the buzz-word de’jour – NCR. Still, I can’t help but wonder what ideas were shared between all of these powers-that-be.  Specifically – how many times was the phrase “tax incentive” tossed around?

It actually wasn’t what was said that I’m that concerned about, but more importantly – what wasn’t said. Did anybody talk about improving Dayton’s services and quality of life that would help attract young talent and ultimately the businesses that follow that talent?  While I agree that we must be looking at ways to directly attract businesses to our city and region, I would argue that it is every bit as important to improve our city’s environment and transform it in a way that attracts people.  Without doing the latter, it is a waste of time to bother trying to attract any businesses, let alone Fortune 500 corporations.

The following is a 30 minute video that I strongly recommend you view when you have the time.  It is a piece about Portland, OR – and it could very well be used as a call to action for Dayton.  Note – Portland continues to attract residents from across the country DESPITE having an unemployment rate of 11.8%.  The idea:  transform our entire downtown area (and beyond) into an uber-pedestrian and bicycle friendly environment, start Ohio’s first bicycle-share system, add a 3C/D rail station, and implement the first of many streetcar routes as has already been recommended.  It is all about “sense of place”, and it can do more to attract residents, business and investment into our city than any corporate welfare check could ever hope to do.

Courteous Mass – Taking over the streets of Downtown Dayton

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Courteous MassCourteous Mass is Dayton’s newest bicycle advocate group that aims to do monthly group rides in the urban core of Dayton.  The name is a play on the already-established Critical Mass – a bicycling event typically held on the last Friday of every month in over 300 cities around the world.  Unlike that group that has been perceived as a protest group, “Courteous Mass – Dayton” is a group focused on promoting the positives of creating a bike-friendly city.  Dayton’s event is to be held every first Friday of the month – which then leads into Dayton’s First Friday art hop events, giving riders a reason to stay downtown afterwards.

Matt Lindsey founded the group which has already had a kick-off meeting last month and a “Shakedown Ride” this past Friday for a few initial folks to check out the route before the group’s first official ride – Friday April 3, 2009.  For now the group will be starting at c{space (20 N. Jefferson) – Dayton’s community “third space” for local artists, musicians and other creatives.  Gatherings start at 4pm with the rides starting at 4:45pm.  So if you have a bike, want a reason to leave work a little early on a Friday, want to get some exercise, want to meet some new friends and want to help add some vibrancy to the streets of Downtown Dayton while showing community leaders that there is a need for bike-friendly streets and planning – then come down on Friday April 3.  I know I plan to be there!

Become a “Street Smart” Urban Cyclist!

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You may not be thinking of cycling just yet, but Spring will be here before you know it. For those of you who enjoy bicycling in the urban environment as well as on the trails, the following course might be of interest to you. This is a course on urban bike riding offered by two "League of American Bicyclists"-certified instructors to be held at the Wright-Dunbar Interpretive Center, 16 S. Williams St., on two Saturdays, April 5 and 12.

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