Bicyclists Protest East Elliot Trail Closure

A coalition of angry bicyclists gathered in mass at Mission Trails Regional Park in San Diego, California on Saturday, January 18 to protest the closure of many of the park’s bicycle trails. The cluster of trails located to the north of State Route 52, known as East Elliot, has questionable origins, according to Mission Trails Regional Park officials. The Deputy Director of San Diego’s Open Space Division stated, “We are not closing trails since the city has never officially opened and/or authorized the trails.”

Park officials claim that the unauthorized construction of the East Elliot trails constitutes vandalism and “as with any other acts of vandalism in parks, the response is to restore the damaged assets.” In this instance, the damaged assets are the native vegetation. The East Elliot area has had the special conservation status of “Core Biological Area” since the 1990’s.

However, organizers of the bicycle protest say that shutting down the trails would result in further environmental damage. Closing East Elliot would push mountain bikers into the hiking areas, thereby increasing trail traffic. One protester said, “[officials are] displac[ing] those riders…into the main area of the park.” Protestors fear that the East Elliot closure will be the first in a series of trail closures. However, Mission Trails Regional Park officials are considering revising the entire trail plan and including some parts of East Elliot in the new layout.

With the passage of San Diego’s new Bicycle Master Plan, the alternative transportation landscape is changing considerably. It is to be expected that as bicycle lanes proliferate throughout commuter roads, motorists will have difficulty adapting to sharing the road with an increased number of bicyclists. If you have been injured on your bicycle by an angry or negligent motorist, we can help.

I Need A Bicycle Accident Lawyer In San Diego

Attorney Joshua Bonnici is an experienced cyclist with firsthand knowledge of the hazards of bicycle commuting. In addition, the Bonnici Law Group, APC legal team only handles a small number of cases at a time such that each client receives our full attention. For more information, contact us. To schedule a free consultation with one of our San Diego bicycle accident attorneys, call our firm at (858) 261-5454.

[Did You Know: The America League of Bicyclists’ 2013 report says that 7.4 percent of San Diegans use alternative transportation.]

Bonnici Law Group, APC—San Diego bicycle accident lawyer

Source: http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/Cyclists-Protest-Mission-Trails-Park-Closure-East-Elliot-Mountain-Bike-239832761.html, https://www.sandiegoreader.com/news/2014/jan/12/stringers-protest-over-mission-trail-mountain-bike/#, http://sandiegofreepress.org/2013/12/san-diego-is-becoming-one-of-americas-most-bicycle-friendly-cities/