Edmonton Mountain Bike Community Involved In River Valley Plan – Edmonton | The Canadian News

Mountain bikers in Edmonton say they are concerned that they could lose most of the trails in the River Valley if a city plan is approved.

The Ribbon of Green Plan has been in the works since the 1990s. The city has moved on to its second phase of consultations this week.

The idea is to enhance recreation in the river valley while preserving the natural habitat.

“The intention with Ribbon of Green is not to ban mountain biking; it’s to make sure it’s incorporated into our plan and into our valley and we understand the best places for that activity to take place, ”Lindsey Butterfield explained to the City of Edmonton.

The plan will designate parts of the river valley as either conservation or conservation. Only foot traffic will be allowed in conservation areas. Many of the current mountain bike trails are within the conservation areas.

“Right now, there are 300 kilometers of network single-lane routes, and if the Ribbon of Green continues as it is, it will be 20 kilometers,” said Michael MacFynn, marketing manager of Revolution Cycle.

Officials at the City of Edmonton dispute this. Most mountain bike trails in Edmonton were created by users, not the city, so the city says the trails are not in its inventory and are therefore not currently part of the Ribbon of Green plan.

A mountain bike plan will be created, but probably not before budget deliberations in the fall.

MacFynn is worried about the latest on the to-do list.

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Ninety percent of our business is through the mountain bike routes. “If we lost access to mountain bike trails, there would be no Revolution cycle,” he said.

The Edmonton Mountain Bike Association has an agreement with the city to maintain the trails it uses, even if the trails are not authorized.

Users say it proves they are helping to preserve the space, instead of making it worse.

“We have respect for the environment. If it rains and such, we do not drive. We do not want mud on our tires and we do not want to ruin the routes for anyone else, ”said mountain biker Rod Boychuk.

Boychuk is an EMBA member and participates in approved events where members help maintain the trails after major rain, wind or snowstorms.

Instead, the riders say they would like to see nameplates added to the trails to help more people use them and to help in case of emergencies.

Butterfield could not say on Thursday what enforcement action would be taken if the Ribbon or Green plan went ahead.

Councilors are expected to have a say in the late spring on the plan with final approval expected in mid-2023.