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Metro Vancouver shutting down rogue bike trails on North Shore

Metro Vancouver shutting down rogue bike trails on North Shore

A mountain biker rides down a trail in Squamish in October 2019. The Metro Vancouver Regional District is asking riders to stop building rogue trails…

Thursday, Jan 23

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A mountain biker rides down a trail in Squamish in October 2019. The Metro Vancouver Regional District is asking riders to stop building rogue trails on the North Shore. (Maggie MacPherson/CBC) Metro Vancouver is shutting down some popular but unsanctioned North Vancouver bike trails, saying the routes pose potential risks to both riders and the environment.

The move hasn’t gone over well with everyone, according to the the North Shore Mountain Bike Association (NSMBA), which said in a statement that someone recently retaliated by scattering piles of debris, including nails jutting out of old wood, on a busy authorized trail in the Lower Seymour Conservation Reserve called Corkscrew.

NSMBA condemned the incident in its statement and asked the public to respect the need to close unsanctioned trails.

"These dangerous actions put trail users at risk and placed an unfair burden on volunteers who had no role in this conflict."

The bike association’s executive director, Deanna Cote, said rogue trail building — which is often done because riders want trails that are more extreme or with specific features — can be destructive to the environment.

"Those trails will eventually erode out as people are riding or hiking on them," Cote said, speaking on CBC’s On The Coast .

WATCH | Association says unsanctioned trails could cause erosion: Unsanctioned bike trails on Metro Vancouver’s North Shore making activity less safe: riders 1 day agoDuration 7:19The North Shore Mountain Biking Association says that unsanctioned biking trails lead to soil erosion and potential habitat destruction. Executive director Deanne […]

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