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…
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