If you show up and talk to me at the meeting, I'll give you 10% off any Waltworks product you want. Of course, hopefully we have such a huge crowd that you'll have a hard time even finding me!Seriously, folks. Time to spend one evening making your voice heard to help get access for mountain bikes for decades. Or lose access forever.
Stolen directly from the BMA website (better formatting/active links if you go there instead of reading below):
The time has come to show Boulder that mountain bikers are not a special interest, we are the very fabric of this community.
Take Action
1) Show up on Wednesday 2/9 at City Council chambers 1777 Broadway (intersection w/ Canyon) at 5PM.
2) Bring a friend. Bring lots of friends.
3) Sign our petition. Click here
4) Email the Open Space Board of Trustees, keep the message positive, and tell them, "I support BMA's modest proposal." Click here
5) Join the BMA Guerrilla Army to get mountain bikers off their asses and to this meeting. Click here
Um, what are you talking about?
On Tuesday, February 1st at 9:26 pm, Boulder's Open Space and Mountain Parks (OSMP) Department recommended the continuation of a total ban on mountain bikes in the West Trail Study Area (the open space between Mount Sanitas and Eldorado Springs Dr). To justify this decision they cited "irreconcilable visitor conflict" and said new shared-use trails were " not a reasonable option from either an environmental or a cost perspective."
To see BMA's retort and our modest proposal, click
here. We are confident that modest bike access in the West TSA can be successful if we focus on solutions rather than exclusion.
What do I do at this meeting?
Show up. Sign up to speak. Don't repeat what others have said before you. It's enough to just get up there and say your name, your address, and "I support BMA's modest proposal." But feel free to say more if you'd like to. Your comments will dispel the myth that all mountain bikers are 20-something, meat-headed, adrenaline fueled, selfish people with no concern for families, our community, or our environment.
Above all else, keep it positive!
BMA's advocacy team will be there with green BMA t-shirts on. Ask them questions when you show up.
Some points to consider
* Know that the Open Space Board of Trustees (OSBT) is not the same as open space staff. Staff opposed bike access, but OSBT has not made ANY decision yet regarding bikes in the WTSA. They are unpaid appointees and deserve our respect.
* If you are angry, please show up, but do not speak. We MUST continue to put forward constructive, pragmatic solutions if we are to succeed.
* Get there early if you want a seat. OSMP staff will be downstairs defending their recommendations. Don't bother talking to them, they have made their position crystal clear, and there won't be any change. Walk by, go upstairs and get your seat. There will be overflow seating with streaming video downstairs and some of us will be milling around outside the building.
* There will be people in the room who hate bikes and will be looking for debate and/or confrontation. Take the high road and do not engage!
IMPORTANT DATES: Mark them on your calendar!
Open Space Board of Trustees Meeting: Wed, Feb 9
City Council Hearing on West TSA: Tue,Mar 15
3 comments:
I signed the petition anyway!
While I'm officially "Anonymous" and haven't commented before, I do a fair amount of lurking here as I watch my name float up the waitlist. Despite all that lurking, I feel like my post might come a little late in the day to help with this evening's meeting, but I'll leave it anyway.
I work in the public sector and have spent a fair amount of time at City Council meetings. FWIW, BMA's advice is solid: I think showing up in big numbers, not taking time to reiterate things which have already been said (probably ad naseum), and saying *supportive* things are the most important points. Being hostile or adversarial, or even allowing yourself to be disrespectful is not the best way to win votes. Try to be calm in spite of your emotions and go get 'em!
Bryan
Everyone who loves the natural world and enjoys being out in it has a lot of common interests, including wilderness preservation, breathing clean air and maintaining our health and that of the environment. Find common ground and be willing to listen to the concerns of others. Compromise is the lifeblood of our democracy and unfortunatley is becoming a lost art.
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