Comments on: Mountain bikers at your picnic? You decide.

By: Donna Barstow

Donna Barstow — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 23:34:31 +0000

Courteous, you mean, like you? What an asshole. You have no idea what you’ve run over. Do you even know what an amphibian is? Specially when you’re such a WILD man on the path?

By: someone sensible

someone sensible — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 23:58:56 +0000

The author of this article should be ashamed of her ignorance and misplaced zeal. I wonder what “amphibian or insect” crawled up your ass to make you hate bikes so much?

I’ve been riding in LA all my life, have never run anything over or hit anyone (and yes…I ride fast when I feel like it and think it’s safe).

Get over yourself, we all live here together and need to be courteous to one another…

By: Louis

Louis — Sun, 05 Jun 2011 22:04:34 +0000

I am a huge mountainbiking fanatic and I would love for Griffith Park to be opened up to mountain bikes. However, I think it’s a terrible idea.
1. There are really no good bike trails in Griffith Park. I have ridden them all, either early in the morning or at night. Santa Monica is close, and has much much better trails.
2. There are way too many people in the park.
3. Many of the trails are steep, and the hardpacked soil offers little traction for braking or steering. Novice riders will crash. Into trees. Into horses. Into hikers.

If you want to ride a mountain bike in Los Angeles, there are many other much better places to go.

By: Max

Max — Thu, 31 Mar 2011 11:08:09 +0000

Mr. Griffith DIED before the modern bicycle even existed, let alone mountain bikes. To say he explicitly decided bikes shouldn’t be there is ridiculous and isn’t even possible. Thats like saying Marco Polo never wanted cars to travel the same paths he took to eastern asia.

And this viscous “mountain bike lobby” is nonsense. If anything, the people willing to dish out $100,000 or more per year per horse and live in their million dollar homes in the equestrian center are trying to manipulate publicly funded land so it becomes their extended back yard.

The people in that area are incredulous, they even complain about the movie studios that have been there longer than the homes they’re in…. and ensure the area remains nice mind you!

By: get real

get real — Mon, 20 Sep 2010 23:03:27 +0000

It’s as simple as – Griffith Park is Public Land…. What does the PUBLIC want to do on that land? Well, it seems like some of the PUBLIC wants to ride bikes there. Let the PUBLIC decide. It’s 2010 folks, this isn’t a Western Rodeo town. Horses are huge animals (750-1200 LBS) that tear up trails and crap everywhere…. That’s a fact. A bicycle is 30lbs and leaves no trace (no noise and no crapping). And PEOPLE IN LOS ANGELES WANT TO RIDE BIKES in an OFF ROAD ENVIRONMENT. THey are the public. Share the land. Get with the times.

By: Cristalle

Cristalle — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 19:04:03 +0000

Please see 4th paragraph below pertaining to mountains bikes:

September 9, 2005

VIA FACSIMILE TO Clare Darden, Griffith Trust Member

Open Letter to the Department of Recreation and Parks

As the great-grandson of Col . Griffith I am writing to express my disappointment with the 2004 Griffith Park Master Plan. It seems the Melendrez Group wants to turn the park into an amusement park and/or major national tourist attraction, neither of which is what it was intended to be. It was intended to be a natural habitat where the people of Los Angeles could get away from the daily stresses of city life and relax in an uncluttered atmosphere. The numerous references to Central Park in New York are completely inappropriate. Central Park is a large mostly flat area in the middle of a major metropolitan city. Griffith Park is a rural mountainous mecca where people can commune with nature, hike, ride, or picnic their problems away. It does not need any more attraction than that.

I have read the digest of public feedback made to the city by the people of Los Angeles. 95% of these comments seem to be negative to this plan. I urge you to listen to these people, as they are the ones my great-grandfather intended to benefit from the use of the park, and perhaps get their input on restructuring a new master plan. I know many of them care deeply about the park and would be happy to serve on committees and attend community meetings to rectify this situation.

I am not in favor of, nor do I think my great-grandfather would be , of aerial trams, restaurants, lodging, kiosks, parking structures or commercial signage, all of which are not conducive to the natural environment of the park.

I am in favor of, speed bumps to deter drive thru usage, one designated mountain bike trail (to be maintained by those who use it), improvements to existing trails and roads, and perhaps some soccer fields for our youths would be appropriate as it is a park.

Finally, all these grandiose plans seem to be pointing toward entry, parking, and usage fees. May I remind you that in the deed to the city it stipulates that Griffith Park is to be a free park for the enjoyment of the people of Los Angeles. Any type of imposed fees would be a violation of the deed and will be vigorously contested by the Griffith family.

Sincerely,

(signature)

Van Griffith

Here is the link to the site:
http://www.gmrnet.com/MasterPlan.html

By the way AL no one is keeping you and your bike out of the park, just off the bridle paths! There are plenty of other places for you to ride!
Land for equestrain use here in Metro LA is very limited and is continuing to diminish – Look at all the trails mountain bikers have access to:
http://www.labikepaths.com/

I would also like to know how horse “poo” is getting on your bike if you are staying off trails restricted to you? And if it bothers you soooo much why are you riding through it? There are no areas where any type of feces blankets massive ares of trail or road in the park to the point where you cannot avoid it. Get real!

By: Al

Al — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 16:40:07 +0000

Donna, It seems like you just want the trails to yourself. That’s very unfair! There SHOULD Be some sort of compromise! Hiking on these specific trails only? Biking on these specific trails only? Find a local mountain bike club and communicate with them! They will help you alot! The mountain bike clubs WILL help maintain what they ride also, I have yet to hear of any hikers assisting in trail building or maintenance to my knowledge.

Horses and ATV’s destroy trails worse than hikers and bikers do!

Cristalle…..millions of $$ spent on PUBLIC land….just for who you want it for? seriously! We all own this land…..share.

IDEA: have specific days that the park is for use! rotate a schedule for hikers, equestrian and cyclists. M,W,F,Sun – hikers and horses. Tu,Th,Sat cyclists and rotate it each week. There are easy solutions to this problem if EVERYONE will do a little compromising!

PS: I dont like riding on trails where Horse/Dog pooooo gets slung up on me from my wheels. Cyclists do not defecate on the trails like horses and dogs.

By: Cristalle

Cristalle — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 19:49:57 +0000

The trails in Griffith Park were always intended to be BRIDLE PATHS, NOT MOUNTAIN BIKING TRAILS. It is not just an issue of damage – it is also an issue of use and Mr. Griffith NEVER intended the park to be used as bike paths and bicylists were not included from the start for a reason!
Horses and fast moving bikes do not mix!
The problem bikers don’t seem to want to understand is that horses are prey animals and do not like anything ZOOMING up behind them. I can only imagine the number of injuries and deaths that would occur mixing the two in large numbers.

I live near and walk in Fryman Canyon which does allow mountain bikers and even as a pedestrian bikes come whizzing up behind you. And when path space is limited you the hiker have to move out of their way because they are moving quickly- There used to be a few local people who would ride horses in Fryman but sadly they are all gone now that the masses and the bikers have invaded.

I am a third generation native Los Angelean and I am so sick of people who try to change what has made areas like this special.
These places do not stay special when you let everyone come in to and do whatever they want just because they feel a sense of entitlement.

The park was designed for horses and hikers and needs to stay that way FOREVER -