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Police arrest bike trail trap woman

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Police arrest bike trail trap woman

Old 01-07-15, 09:20 PM
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Police arrest bike trail trap woman

Mountain bike traps trigger arrest of North Vancouver woman - British Columbia - CBC News
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Old 01-07-15, 09:23 PM
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What could possibly be the motive for this, especially for an older woman to be endangering bicyclists?
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Old 01-07-15, 10:46 PM
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Originally Posted by SalsaShark
What could possibly be the motive for this, especially for an older woman to be endangering bicyclists?
Maybe her child was killed in a bicycle-pedestrian accident? Can't think of anything else, to be honest.
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Old 01-07-15, 10:54 PM
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Originally Posted by daihard
Maybe her child was killed in a bicycle-pedestrian accident? Can't think of anything else, to be honest.
That's a bit of a stretch. Maybe she fancies herself as an environmentalist and doesn't like those pesky mountain bikers disturbing god's creatures. Maybe she's a mean old lady or maybe just plain nuts. Who knows?

Come to think of it, my wife is 64 so I'd better be careful with the 'old' part.
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Old 01-07-15, 10:57 PM
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Originally Posted by asmac
That's a bit of a stretch. Maybe she fancies herself as an environmentalist and doesn't like those pesky mountain bikers disturbing god's creatures. Maybe she's a mean old lady or maybe just plain nuts. Who knows?

Come to think of it, my wife is 64 so I'd better be careful with the 'old' part.
I'm sure "old" is the only part that your wife and the crazy environmentalist have in common. Oh, and that they are both women.
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Old 01-07-15, 11:14 PM
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No doubt she didn't like sharing her favorite hiking trail with bicyclists.

Were these "traps" such as putting them next to a blind corner? Or were they speed-bumps that would be clearly visible to the riders, and just mean they have to get off their bike and walk around them?

How many bicycles are on the trail? I don't mind sharing a hiking trail with a few. Most are courteous. What if there are hundreds or thousands in a day? Do some of the cyclists think they own the trails?
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Old 01-07-15, 11:26 PM
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Originally Posted by SalsaShark
What could possibly be the motive for this, especially for an older woman to be endangering bicyclists?
Dare you to go on MTBR and ask that. For some people mountain biking is less about pedaling and more about a war vs. the horsey set for access.
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Old 01-07-15, 11:29 PM
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Originally Posted by CliffordK
How many bicycles are on the trail? I don't mind sharing a hiking trail with a few. Most are courteous. What if there are hundreds or thousands in a day? Do some of the cyclists think they own the trails?
I don't think any of your questions matter. I'm sure there are some ill-behaving mountain bikers out there. I wouldn't be surprised if she didn't want to share her favourite hiking trail with a bunch of speeding cyclists. None of those should be an excuse for what she did to the other users of the trail.
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Old 01-08-15, 12:09 AM
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Originally Posted by Darth Lefty
Dare you to go on MTBR and ask that. For some people mountain biking is less about pedaling and more about a war vs. the horsey set for access.
Hmmm....Going through the trail pics. Why would an equestrian want to go on that trail. It looks like a death trap for a horse.
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Old 01-08-15, 12:15 AM
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And why wont the police release the video????
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Old 01-08-15, 01:05 AM
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Originally Posted by daihard
I don't think any of your questions matter. I'm sure there are some ill-behaving mountain bikers out there. I wouldn't be surprised if she didn't want to share her favourite hiking trail with a bunch of speeding cyclists. None of those should be an excuse for what she did to the other users of the trail.
It makes a huge difference if she actually put thought into the so-called traps, and whether they were designed to be an annoyance, or were designed to be an actual danger to trail users.

Usually local governments regulate trails for the best use of the users. So, for example, here in Eugene, in town there are a few prime hiking trails that are off limit to mountain bikes. This, of course, pushes them into other regions where they may clash with other trail users.

If an MTB rider can't stop for a stick in the trail, are they able to stop for a pedestrian or a pet?
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Old 01-08-15, 01:12 AM
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These are steep technical downhill trails. Not good for horses.

There seem to be not in my backyard people out here, that is my guess.

Most of the bikers I know of are responsible and they tend to and look after their trails. Annual clubs trail repair days and the such.
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Old 01-08-15, 01:35 AM
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Originally Posted by Chris516
Hmmm....Going through the trail pics. Why would an equestrian want to go on that trail. It looks like a death trap for a horse.
Hmmm... Looking up "Mt. Fromme trails" on Google Images, the terrain doesn't look too bad for horses, they can go up and down hills ok, although some riders get squeamish with steep drop-offs. Trails seem to be listed by MTB difficulty which would indicate that some have less severe gradients. Bare rocks are sometimes a problem.

If the images on Google are from that area, there are a huge number of course obstacles that have been built up specifically for MTBs.

Is this public land?

Who is building all the MTB obstacles?

Did MTBs take over the whole mountain? HOW?

I could imagine some contention with non MTB locals wishing to go out for an afternoon walk.

Hmmm, looking at this page:
Vancouver Hiking - Mount Fromme
It looks like there are some beautiful hiking trails in the area. At least there were at one time.

Everything else seems to indicate that the mountain has just been taken over by the mountain bikes.
Mt. Fromme - A Mountain Biking Overview near North Vancouver, BC - a mountain biking trail

Even Wikipedia seems to have a page that only mentions mountain bike activity.
Mount Fromme - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The more I read, I have no doubt there could be problems brewing between mountain bikes and locals.

Last edited by CliffordK; 01-08-15 at 01:38 AM.
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Old 01-08-15, 01:43 AM
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Originally Posted by CliffordK
It makes a huge difference if she actually put thought into the so-called traps, and whether they were designed to be an annoyance, or were designed to be an actual danger to trail users.

Usually local governments regulate trails for the best use of the users. So, for example, here in Eugene, in town there are a few prime hiking trails that are off limit to mountain bikes. This, of course, pushes them into other regions where they may clash with other trail users.

If an MTB rider can't stop for a stick in the trail, are they able to stop for a pedestrian or a pet?
According to the RCMP:

"These are serious charges. These are public trails and one should not interfere with the lawful enjoyment of the trails and set up traps or obstacles to potentially endanger the lives of people using them."
I interpret this to mean that the police believe those traps she placed potentially endanger the trail users. It also implies that the mountain bikers are allowed on the trail in question.

And apparently, most of the mountain bikers were capable of stopping for those obstacles. The RCMP is also quoted as saying, "Fortunately no one was seriously hurt or injured in these incidents."
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Old 01-08-15, 02:19 AM
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Originally Posted by joeyduck
Most of the bikers I know of are responsible and they tend to and look after their trails. Annual clubs trail repair days and the such.
Are these on public property? Who's trails?

Originally Posted by daihard
I interpret this to mean that the police believe those traps she placed potentially endanger the trail users. It also implies that the mountain bikers are allowed on the trail in question.

And apparently, most of the mountain bikers were capable of stopping for those obstacles. The RCMP is also quoted as saying, "Fortunately no one was seriously hurt or injured in these incidents."
There are no pictures of the actual "traps". No videos of cyclists almost colliding with one. And no detailed descriptions of the "traps".

Ok, following some of the links in the article.
Rope found strung across Nanaimo trail at neck level - British Columbia - CBC News
Wire snags Saanich mountain biker by the throat - British Columbia - CBC News

No details if similar "traps" were on the trails from the story. I was thinking more like dragging a few branches and logs across the trail to make a few extra trail obstacles. The neck ropes being put up elsewhere sound downright malicious.
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Old 01-08-15, 04:59 AM
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There is never a good reason to endanger others. But I'd think most cyclists should be less than surprised that many non-cyclist have no love for cyclists. In fact many people actually hate sharing trails, paths, and roads with cyclists.

I don't think we cyclists deserve the negative rap we get from so many. But with decades of finger-flipping, and rude behavior, I am not at all surprised that some crazy old lady threw some sticks and rock on a trail.
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Old 01-08-15, 05:45 AM
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Originally Posted by daihard
Maybe her child was killed in a bicycle-pedestrian accident? Can't think of anything else, to be honest.
Why do we always try to find a "child related" justification when a woman does something evil? As if it somehow excuses her choices. . .

Men also love their children and women can be evil nut jobs. The rigid gender roles that people try to apply do not always fit. . . She might just be an evil person.
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Old 01-08-15, 07:20 AM
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Originally Posted by rydabent
And why wont the police release the video????
Maybe because it's evidence to be released in court.
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Old 01-08-15, 07:23 AM
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Originally Posted by daihard
I'm sure "old" is the only part that your wife and the crazy environmentalist have in common. Oh, and that they are both women.
Is 64 'old'? Maybe to a young fella like you...
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Old 01-08-15, 09:38 AM
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I can understand why she wouldn't want mountain bikers on shared trails, since they tend to go fast (that's kind of the point) and it definitely disturbs any serenity sought after by hikers. But setting up logs and trip wires is not the way to go about getting bikes off the trail.
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Old 01-08-15, 10:32 AM
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North Shore News story:
North Vancouver woman accused of setting traps for mountain bikers - News - North Shore News

A lot of the animosity towards mountain bikers has been based on claims of environmental damage. This was partly true. For many years, it was actually illegal to ride your bike, or even construct trails in the area. The latter was done anyway and you had to REALLY know someone, as well as do everything possible, to keep trail locations secret.

In later years, the attitudes began to change, as mountain bike groups, The District of N. Vancouver, The City of N. Vancouver and The City of W. Vancouver started working together to create legitimate and legal mountain bike trails. At the time, there was some fierce opposition from residents and some heated confrontations (I believe there are some on YouTube). In the end, The trails were developed and have evolved into the network of today and for all abilities. Still that doesn't mean everyone is happy, as this incident shows.
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Old 01-08-15, 10:44 AM
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Ridiculous, and I hope they treat her the same as any 20-year old punk pulling the same crap. Age should not excuse the severity of the issue.
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Old 01-08-15, 11:20 AM
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Originally Posted by Dave Cutter
There is never a good reason to endanger others. But I'd think most cyclists should be less than surprised that many non-cyclist have no love for cyclists. In fact many people actually hate sharing trails, paths, and roads with cyclists.

I don't think we cyclists deserve the negative rap we get from so many. But with decades of finger-flipping, and rude behavior, I am not at all surprised that some crazy old lady threw some sticks and rock on a trail.
All it takes is a few encounters with some real rude cyclists for folks to form opinions that "all" cyclists are bad. We see the same thing on the road... where even the most law abiding cyclist gets immediately lumped right in their with the red light running ninja cyclists.

Basic generalizations and a bit of bigotry toward a particular class... pretty darn common, actually... couple it with a superiority complex and a determination to "fix things..." and viola ---> trap setting bike hater.
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Old 01-08-15, 11:41 AM
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Originally Posted by CliffordK
No doubt she didn't like sharing her favorite hiking trail with bicyclists.

Were these "traps" such as putting them next to a blind corner? Or were they speed-bumps that would be clearly visible to the riders, and just mean they have to get off their bike and walk around them?

How many bicycles are on the trail? I don't mind sharing a hiking trail with a few. Most are courteous. What if there are hundreds or thousands in a day? Do some of the cyclists think they own the trails?
Looking at the video of the trail I don't think the issue is numbers as much as some riders really bombing down the trail.

Looking at the signage for the trail I'm inclined to think that lower Skull was created fro biking. (Having it shown as double diamond, like the ski run designations is why I think that).

As I see it who created a trail and what it was intended for makes a difference. Bombing down a trail built for that and likely built by the guys who want ot bomb down is quite different than bombing down a trail that was built 100 years ago for foot traffic.
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Old 01-08-15, 11:42 AM
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Originally Posted by Keith99
Looking at the video of the trail I don't think the issue is numbers as much as some riders really bombing down the trail.

Looking at the signage for the trail I'm inclined to think that lower Skull was created fro biking. (Having it shown as double diamond, like the ski run designations is why I think that).

As I see it who created a trail and what it was intended for makes a difference. Bombing down a trail built for that and likely built by the guys who want ot bomb down is quite different than bombing down a trail that was built 100 years ago for foot traffic.
Bingo!
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