Illegal and Unsafe Activities by Bikers in Monroe County Parks
GROC is advocating illegal behavior, yet our Monroe County officials are poised to reward this special interest group by making this behavior legal, at the expense of the great majority of Monroe County residents.
Advocates for the Victor Mountain Bike Club (whose name changed last year to GROC, Genesee Regional Off-road Cyclists), publicly claim to obey the rules, respect the environment and ride safely. The public face of the bikers is far different than their private face, as shown by their actions and communications with their members.
Read on...
 From GROC Website
This post from the "members only" part of GROC's website in fall '08 glorifies riding illegally in our county parks. This piece was written by Jonathan Brown - GROC's Vice President and the most public face of the organization, who presents their position at public meetings and news conferences. Note the map which gives explicit trails to follow.
The Trifecta of Trails
Written by Jonathan Brown "I live in Penfield and ride allot from my house, within 6 miles of my house are 3 trails systems that are probably some of the best single track in Monroe county. These trails provide huge variety of trail experiences, from tight single track to technical downhill's, and of course grinding uphill's. The best thing about all of them is the unbelievably beautiful scenery. This time of year it's even better with the colors changing. The trifecta as I call it is a 22 to 25 mile loop that takes you through Tryon, back bay, and east bay*. You can hook this up in almost any number of ways to make your own experience. I must note that bikes are not permitted on all these trails, the funny part is I rarely see hikers but allot of bikers. If you ever ride these trails please be supper respectful to the hikers when you see them, all of us need to make sure we show how these trails can be shared by and enjoyed by all." *These are names used for the Ellison Wetlands, and Bay Park East, and it is illegal to ride on trails in all of them.
Gonzo Biking in Tryon Park
Off-road bikers have been riding illegally in Tryon Park for many years, and the trails and park have been terribly degraded. If Monroe County made it a priority, Tryon could be restored. The scenery is fabulous along Irondequoit Bay, the birding can be outstanding, and the forest contains some magnificent, rare, old growth trees. Many walkers have stopped using the park due to fear for their safety. The Master Plan, rather than trying to restore Tryon for our future generations, as proper Park Stewards would do, is essentially saying..."well - the bikers have destroyed it; we may as well let them have it. But, walkers are free to go there as well." That is the County's notion of 'shared use'. The following videos - put on YouTube to glorify "gonzo" mountain biking in Tryon, demonstrate no respect for the environment...or walkers. While watching these short clips of biking in Tryon, picture yourself as a hiker on the same trails (or even in the same area) as these biking enthusiasts. Note also the complete disregard for the habitat in "Tryon Park Ruins". (Note: Since posting these, several have been removed from YouTube by the video owners.)
Riding Tryon Park with Tony - (Posted July 2008) (Removed from YouTube by User)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VVpARLRLKlY The narrator makes reference to a previous accident. At minute 1:10 a rider injures himself. The video shows him with a bloody nose. Narrator and rider laugh "I got some blood on my glove." "That's the way it should be." At minute 2:45 the rider and narrator talk of riding on the trails: "it's crazy back here. You don't know where you're going to go." Avery Going Huge and Crashing (posted June 2008) (Subtitled: Tryon Park Danger Drop)
Tryon Southside V Day Drop (posted February 2009) Zdep¹s Tryon bike crash - (posted July 2008) Trail Condition for Parks where Biking is NOT Permitted.
Tryon Bike, a local bike shop, posts trail conditions for many county parks: Tryon, Ellison Wetlands, Bay Park East, Bay Park West. Durand Eastman, as well as City Parks. Another example of advocating illegal behavior.
Excerpt: [Ellison Wetlands - part of the Ellison Park Complex]
"We were on the northern half of the trails. Plenty of leave down but most all trails are ride-able, er I mean hikeable. There are two trees down side by side on the yellow trail, just as you are climbing out of the old pistol range, heading south. They are maybe 8" diameter or less. A handsaw might work, but a chainsaw would definitely work. Other than that the trails were great."
Link to Live Forum:
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 Parks Preservationist, Environmentalist, Photographer, Writer and Friend We dedicate this website to Christine Sevilla. Christine was a passionate advocate for preserving our parks for future generations. She was working to stop the piecemeal destruction promoted by the current county leadership - allowing mountain biking on walking trails and in sensitive areas, selling parklands for wetland mitigation, bulldozing eskers in Mendon Ponds and wildflower meadows in Oatka Creek Parks. Christine envisioned our parks as a legacy to the future, and tirelessly worked to prevent what she called this "death by a thousand cuts." In dedicating this website to Christine, we hope it encourages others to get involved to save our parks. Visit: www.christinesevilla.com |
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