Powell Butte trails, WTF? no longer bike friendly?
I recently rode Powell Butte and notice some trails I had ridden on a couple months ago have been blocked off or changed. I rode down what was the bike/ped trail and noticed signage was missing. And further down was on a trail that was marked for bikes but then later it showed the same trail as not for bikes. going back up after going to bottom by springwater I looked at the board again. Thats when i noticed the back trail and the main fun trail going down to springwater either been marked for horses or walkers/horses only. Just if I calucate peds and horses get about 90% of the trails now while bikers only get 10%. PLus we have to share the trails. Seems unfair that the walkers and horses get dedicated trails while the bikes have to share. Now the best trails there have been taken away. Just seems we could get the main fun trail back that heads to the sprinwater trail back. Also all the times i have ridden at Powell Butte I have yet to see a horse rider up there. The main thing that upsets me is that i grew up just a few blocks away form Powell Butte and remeber riding my bike up there before the park was even open. Most of the trails there wouldn't even be around if it wasn't for bikers there riding (and a few motorcycles too). Plus all the maintenance bikrs ahve done there too. Guess i need to go to the meetings to stop things like this but could somebody use some sense there. thanks.
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PB Map of bike trails
The map at the parking lot, the trail signage, and the map on the parks and rec page and on the Friends of Powell Butte page do not match up. Send me your email and I will send u a map that I color coded showing everything that shows as legal from one of many resources. I hope to post the map soon, and I believe Cecily will be talking with the park about it as well at the next FOPB meeting.
Dennis Veatch
dennis AT creatid DOT com
that works but why the
that works but why the cahnge and why are bikes being tsageted for the limits? it has become less and less trails for bikes.
ya, need map
yes please send me map to email so that way i will have it in hand when i go to the next meeting. that way i have correct names of the trail and dont accidently close or open the wrong trail. :D
There was meeting last
There was meeting last night at the Portland Parks & Recreation office with one of the remaining planners (their department like many others are suffering under the current budget crunch)... To talk about current Parks status, share about "what do we want?" (avid mountain bikers and cyclo-cross riders, and discuss Resources (to me that means. "how can we, as NW Trail Alliance members, help put trail on the ground").
Specific to Powell Butte... Sounded like there's much about to happen there. Good source of funding for planning and also "full funding" committment to put facilities on the ground. Why all the money falling on Powell Butte? water reservoir paid for by property tax increase - and that came (by vote of public) with REQUIREMENT to provide funding to improve park facilities.
"By 2011" there would be trail improvements in place was comment made by parks planner.
What I heard was (and any others present at the meeting can correct me if I misheard) - there's a big committment with dollars allocated to build out the trail facilities at Powell Butte, and planning needed to be done by May 2010 in order to make use of the funds committed. Planning. That means, there's nothing written in stone for what will or won't be created at PB. That means, there will be an announcement about public input period - when we, as proponents of mountain biking, need to make a concise and compelling case for why it makes sense to include "natural surface single-track" part of that plan (and it'll be an easy sell right now - timing is good - single-track is cheap, there's a growing number of mountain biking riders, it's a good healthy activity, and Portland has the Platinum bike friendly rating only twith the condition that mountain biking facilities are improved - in other words, that Platinum rating could get taken away if the city doesn't provide more single-track for mountain bikers!)
I guess just keep your eyes open for a public notice for public comment about input on planning for Powell Butte. Mountain biking trails are cheap. And NW Trail Alliance volunteers need to stand up IN MASSE and commit to helping BUILD those trails... I think a lot of times, land manager park planning types forget that a lot can be done by hand with a crew of dedicated volunteers. It doesn't take a bag of money to pay a contractor to come in with a machine to dig a trail (and it's few who can do it with a machine with the same level of detail - these trails are better if built by hand by mountain bikers for mountain bikers...)
"Do more. Whine less."
Also, I'd imagine, that if
Also, I'd imagine, that if there was an interested NWTA point person/leader who wanted to take on planning trail work parties (when/if/probably) mountain biking trails needed to be constructed at PB... Then it'd be possible to sign a similar agreement to this one signed by NWTA to provide organized volunteer work parties at FP...
http://nw-trail.org/node/1326
yep, looks like its being left ignored
yeah it seems it being left ignored in favor of trail building at stubbs and other places. just this is close in single track for people on the east side of town instead of runnig to Scappose. Just i didnt like existing trails that we could ride on before being changed without a least more input and more notice for others to weigh in on it. I wan to go to the meeting to find out if it just the locals tryn to get the park to themselves or what. Just they can be the friends but it is a public park and open to the whoile portland and surrounding areas. Thanks to everyone for the input on this. maybe i/ we can find out and get things fixed.
SEE ALSO:
SEE ALSO: http://nw-trail.org/node/884
sugestions for meeting, who is going?
I plan on going to this meeting. does anybody have some ideas or comments i can make there? I am thinking to sugesst that before any trail changes, there should be a notice (written and online) at least 2 months ahead of time for the public to be aware and vote on the changes. Also i think to suggest that the trails be put back they way they were before since trail markers dont match main map and trails were changed without any notice. Hope this least works. Anybody else in NW trail org going?
Hey hamster
Cecily Norris is the new NWTA Rep. for Powell Butte. She is great and got back to me right away when I emailed her. cecily.norris[at]gmail.com
Cecily has been attending PB meetings and has more info about it. Since all of this news has come out about the Water Dept committment to a new trail system, we all need to be involved. There will be public input meetings that we will need to attend en masse and voice our needs for a better trail network. I think that in the past the mtb contingent has been the vocal minority, hence the current trail network that does not meet our needs. I, for one, would love to see shared beginner and intermediate trails and AT LEAST one mtb only advanced trail. I cannot see any reasons why a trail couldn't have some stunts with ride-around options.
Cheers,
Brian
no body at the PB meeting
i went there but nobody was there, not even the care takers. guess there are no friends of powell butte. guessi will have to go to the next nwta meeting to talk to everyone. maybe send some emails. just frustraing to go across town and no meeting. wasted my time. guess that shows how involved they are really.
Their calendar shows the meeting tonight, 7/16
Not 7/15 (last night)... unless I'm missing something. Perhaps you got the wrong night?
See:
http://www.friendsofpowellbutte.org/Friends%20of%20Powell%20Butte_calend...
hamster
No, i was there on right nigfht. even checked their website and the posting up at powell butte showed it for that night.
hmm, thats weird.
Yes, i see it showed thursday night. but i could have sowrn is said the 3rd wed of each month. I even double checked on a poster at powell butte. unless they chenged it mid stream or something. hmmm. unless i was really really spacing that night.
NWTA meeting, missed
I want to apoligize for missing the NWTA meeting for July. I eended up messing up my back Sunday and was down for a couple days. I didnt get in here to rechange that i wasnt going to make it. I still want to get the trail situation figured out at Powell butte though. so i guessi got to get on the ball and make emails/ phone calls. thanks.