The Tip Posted April 16, 2020 Share Posted April 16, 2020 I sent the following email to KVUE a few days ago. I have not heard back. I'm posting it here as an example and encouraging y'all to send a similar email to news outlets. If they receive several emails about the "problem" then perhaps they will realize it really is one. What else do you have to do anyway? And it's better than shaking your fist at the sky in frustration about these things! I could have mentioned dogs on leash but forgot about that one. Your call. I am an avid mountain biker that uses the single track trail that is abundant in Austin. There has been much discussion among our community about how trail usage has greatly increased lately with home bound folks getting outdoors. Both obviously new bikers and lots of hikers and hikers with families. A story to educate the multitudes of new trail users as to proper trail use would be very helpful in insuring safety for everyone. Some of the problems we are seeing: -Not wearing helmets! Just crazy. But worse are the parents not wearing helmets sending a terrible message to their children riding with them. Worse even yet is some kids (under 17) we have seen violating city law by not wearing helmets at all. -Use of head phones that isolated the hiker or biker from their surroundings. Use pass through sound or just one ear phone so you can safely hear oncoming riders or riders behind you trying to pass. "excuse me...Excuse Me...EXCUSE MEEEE!!" -Don't stop in the middle of the trail to use your phone. Blind corners make this practice particularly dangerous. We mountain bikers, that mostly built them, love sharing these great trails with other groups. But some simple practices will make it safe for everyone. It would be a good visual story too. Taped on a beautiful trail somewhere with active bikers and hikers walking by. 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Tip Posted April 26, 2020 Author Share Posted April 26, 2020 The trails were filled with newbies today. People without helmets, parents without helmets, even kids without helmets out on single track. Am I wrong to be so worried and scared by this? To me it's not much difference from Michael Jackson holding his kid over the railing! Just to make it easier for you to send a story suggestion, next time you have your computer or phone on (humor in an attempt to move you to action), here is their email address: NEWS@KVUE.com 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bink Posted April 26, 2020 Share Posted April 26, 2020 Good idea. I just sent the following to KXAN: "RE: Covid-19 and bicycling, new riders and safety Austinites are turning to cycling in unprecedented numbers according to local bike shops and seasoned cyclists. Some of these people are new to the sport, others are returning after many years hiatus. This is a great opportunity to exercise in lockdown and discover Austin's fantastic mountain bike trails and road biking, made especially attractive by the lack of traffic. However, while the coronavirus has made it much safer to cycle on Austin's streets, many people are not familiar with basic protections and precautions. This includes obvious things wearing helmets, which many new riders are not doing, as well as proper safety protocol. For example the need to make oneself visible on trails and watching out for hikers and other cyclists. Narrow trails with blind corners makes wearing headphones, especially noise canceling headphones, dangerous for cyclists and hikers alike. Finally there is the question of face masks and the extra distance one needs when doing outdoor activities when the wind might carry the virus much father than the 6 feet rule." Journalists move fast if they decide to go with a story, and they'll need both video footage as well as people to interview. Do you mind if I send them your way if they get back to me? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Tip Posted April 26, 2020 Author Share Posted April 26, 2020 Shy, lil' ol' me? 😄 You bet, send them my way. But I think any of us would know how to convey this important message. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sluggo Posted April 26, 2020 Share Posted April 26, 2020 Wear your mask. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GFisher Posted April 27, 2020 Share Posted April 27, 2020 The last thing we need is to promote the trails on the news. I think you are much more likely just to get more newbs than change anyone's behavior. If anything, steer it towards guidelines in general that would apply to the hike and bike trail, streets, etc. as opposed to trying to highlight how great our trails are. They have already been pimped out to the max. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RidingAgain Posted April 27, 2020 Share Posted April 27, 2020 🙂 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Tip Posted April 27, 2020 Author Share Posted April 27, 2020 (edited) I guess I'm more altruistic than average. I think it is rather selfish to not share a great resource with the world. What if the National Park service opened a park and just didn't tell anybody about it because they didn't want to have Yellowstone type crowds? The public would eventually be outraged. ("Outraged" because that's the only reaction people have these days when they disagree with something. But I digress!) Not trying to inform the public is even more selfish in this context because that selfishness might cause injury to the uniformed person that has already discovered the trails. Also I think it's worth the chance of increasing trail traffic as a trade off in the attempt to educate the multitudes that already are on the trails. Teach them how to act correctly to not negatively impact my riding experience. Better to have 15 riders that know trail etiquette than 10 riders stopped in the middle of the trail on their phones. And consider the more trail users there are the more allies we have. I envision people at a city council meeting holding up pro trail signs. The more the better. And the more users there are the more likely more trails will be developed. And that guy out on his 20 year old Walmart bike now considers himself a trail user. He is much more likely to vote for a pro-trail bond than he would before he dusted off that bike. Big picture folks. Send an email and save a kid from a lifetime of dealing with a brain injury. Edited April 27, 2020 by The Tip 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RidingAgain Posted April 27, 2020 Share Posted April 27, 2020 (edited) 12 minutes ago, The Tip said: ("Outraged" because that's the only reaction people have these days when they disagree with something. But I digress!) Love it. Regarding not being trail use selfish... Because I'm always seen working on bikes out of my garage, which led to my apartment complex manager and assistant manager asking me to get bikes for them... Which I did... And then asking me to get bike racks for them... Which I did... As well as speaking with them about the joys of riding trails, and where locally they could ride... I got this (pre-COVID-19 invitation from them. And when I thought about it, I also wondered if this could be done in all apartment complexes that had office/clubhouse facilities. Here's the email invite content... Good morning, The Park at Monterey Oaks would like to invite you to participate in our Community Resource series, as a speaker and share your knowledge and love about bikes, safety, local trails, etc. We are sure you have lots of knowledge about how to pick a right bicycle and a helmet. We would love to hear your stories and teachings about safety on the roads and trails, as well your recommended hike and bike trails in our area. We are finding that this events are creating a wonderful sense of community and a great opportunity to enrich our lives with great knowledge and interaction with others. We are trying to build a Calendar for the month of March and April, here are the dates we have open in March: March 5th and 19th-April is open Please let us know which will work best for you! We would love to have you! Kind regards, Edited April 27, 2020 by RidingAgain Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Tip Posted April 27, 2020 Author Share Posted April 27, 2020 20 hours ago, Sluggo said: Wear your mask. A friend posted a picture of himself wearing a mask that his wife sewed for him. I responded, "It definitely improves your looks." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sluggo Posted April 27, 2020 Share Posted April 27, 2020 57 minutes ago, The Tip said: A friend posted a picture of himself wearing a mask that his wife sewed for him. I responded, "It definitely improves your looks." I was thinking you have a face for radio 😉. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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