Illegal bikers arrested (Grand Canyon)

[rhihn]

Illegal CYCLISTS arrested (Grand Canyon)

Grand Canyon Prosecution Of Cyclists Illegally Bicycling On Hiking Trails

See here for article. The CYCLISTS are on a trip to promote environmentalism. Their site may be found here.

(sorry for the incorrect terminology. It's been corrected).

 

[bikehikeskifish]

Bikers=Leather, internal combustion engines
Cyclists=Spandex, pedals, leg power

BIKEhikeskifish

 

[nyestreet]

pretty harsh penalties, but I guess thats what you get when you advertise you're transgression. John

 

[TomD]

I think they got off light-the max penalties were 6 months in jail and $5000 fine, so 2 days and $500 is pretty minimal. The rangers could have confiscated their bikes too, but didn't do that either.

Claiming you are promoting the environment while publicly flaunting the laws intended to protect the Park's environment is ironic to say the least. They deserve what they got.

 

[nyestreet]

5 years probation? 5 year ban from all national parks? For riding your bike? Drunk drivers who kill people get lighter sentences.

 

[Kevin Rooney]

I don't have a problem with their sentences. They did some dumb things and deserved what they got.

 

[forestgnome]

The hypocrites got what they deserve. They have no respect for the environmental protections; if they did, they would have obeyed the laws. This world is full of people who falsely assume the mantle of "environmentalist".

However, once they have served the time and paid the penalty fines, they are back on solid ground and should be treated as such. Maybe then, they will become legitimate in their environmentalism, having learned that being green is serious, and not a fashion statement for cool people.

Happy Trails

 

[guildhall]

I think they got off light-the max penalties were 6 months in jail and $5000 fine, so 2 days and $500 is pretty minimal. The rangers could have confiscated their bikes too, but didn't do that either.

Claiming you are promoting the environment while publicly flaunting the laws intended to protect the Park's environment is ironic to say the least. They deserve what they got.

Thats still pretty heavy. Maximum penalties, especially for citations, are never meant to be imposed. If you read your state vehicle code book you'd see that jay walking can carry a jail sentence.

How many of us have never crossed private property while hiking, or failed to follow a technicality in a park rulebook?

They should've been fined and thrown out of the park.

 

[Grumpy]

... How many of us have never crossed private property while hiking, or failed to follow a technicality in a park rulebook?

The rule that was violated here is anything but a "technicality," and it is not obscure, especially among bikers who make quite an issue of such restrictions. The violation clearly was planned and deliberate, which makes it egregious. A stern response is very appropriate.

Ethical people who pursue non-consumptive activities (like hiking and biking) should take a page from the book of their traditional hook-and-trigger bretheren (or counterparts) who have long stood four-square against poaching and for dealing harshly with violators.

G.

 

[guildhall]

The rule that was violated here is anything but a "technicality," and it is not obscure, especially among bikers who make quite an issue of such restrictions. The violation clearly was planned and deliberate, which makes it egregious. A stern response is very appropriate.

Ethical people who pursue non-consumptive activities (like hiking and biking) should take a page from the book of their traditional hook-and-trigger bretheren (or counterparts) who have long stood four-square against poaching and for dealing harshly with violators.

G.

I agree that this isn't a mere technicality. My point was in response to maximum sentences. Citations, even minor, almost always carry a potential jail sentence.

I don't agree with your comparison to enforcing poaching laws. The laws in place about biking in the Grand Canyon are there mainly to protect the bikers. Poaching is of course an entirely different matter.

Many of these rules such as "no-biking" are put in place simply because of demand, or lack thereof. For example-- where I reside horseriding has mostly fallen by the wayside, yet there are still a few who partake. The state has since banned all equestrian activity on the state game lands, for violating they can confiscate your horse and probably give you a jail sentence. You can still ATV or dirt bike, but no horses. They claim horses "erode" the trails. Obviously a mechanized vehicle does so far more, but because there are louder and more voices crying for their ATV's, one is accepted, the other not. Does this mean you should ride your horse on the trails? No. Does this mean a violator should be jailed and have their horse taken away? No.

My point is that often the rules aren't a reflection of whats best for the park but rather what more people like to do. The rules should still be obeyed, but in this case they dealt with the violators too harshly.

 

[spider solo]

I don't think penaltiies were to harsh. I think they got off pretty easy all in all.

I've certainly have done many a thing I shouldn't have... but to advertise it on a web site would seem to be just asking for trouble.

 

[DougPaul]

I've certainly have done many a thing I shouldn't have... but to advertise it on a web site would seem to be just asking for trouble.

It is also possible that it was done for the advertising value...

Doug

 

[Jay H]

A fine is appropriate and a tossing out of the park...

From my memory, any off-road cycling in Nat Parks are illegal except for along marked roads (like in Zion Nat Park) or say the Parks road in Denali Nat. Park. Unless that has been changed within the last 9-10 years.

I cycled through Zion along the roads when I did a bike tour from Bryce to Zion..

Jay