Advocacy
To: Marin Water Board of Directors
From: Marin Horse Council
Date: February 17, 2024
Re: Watershed Recreation Management Plan
Marin Horse Council (MHC) members and all equestrians treasure Marin’s watershed lands and the privilege of visiting them with our horses. In 2012, MHC partnered with Marin Bicycle Coalition and Marin Conservation League to create Trail Partners and its Slow and Say Hello program, which promotes the importance of protecting natural resources on our public open spaces and parklands while, at the same time, fostering visitor safety and well-being. MHC members demonstrates their appreciation for public lands by following rules and regulations as good road and trail “citizens”.
This is evidenced by the near-zero number of citations issued to watershed equestrians. Horse riders are compliant with public land codes and land manager requests. Marin’s trail riding community is composed of pleasure riders, not semi-professional “endurance riders” or teams of three-day event riders. Those elite equestrian athletes train and condition at private facilities and properties. On Marin Water's watershed lands, horse riders ride at slower speeds to enjoy a “pleasure” or “social” ride. Equestrians have had to modify when and where they ride to adjust to the increased numbers of visitors to the watershed and the increased tone and tempo of activities.
Most equestrians, in busier areas of Marin County’s parks and preserves, avoid riding horses on the weekend when visitation peaks and bike riders are the predominant “user.” Why? Because bike rider speeds and highly congested areas can compromise the safety of equestrians (and hikers). Contrast the speed of bike riders, 15 – 25+ mph to the pace of equestrians: Horses are generally ridden at generally at a walk (4 – 6 mph) or trot (6 – 10 mph).1
Add ebike riders into the mix and you now have faster speeds uphill as well as downhill, and these heavier bikes may be harder to control especially if someone has ADA conditions. Class 1 ebikes, pedal assist, and Class 2 ebikes, throttle assist, can travel both uphill and downhill at speeds at or exceeding 20 mph, and Class 3 ebikes at 28 mph and greater. Ebikes have morphed into motorbikes, i.e., motorcycles, with many nearly impossible to differentiate from off-road motorcycles.2
Why should this be an issue for the public and land managers? Many reasons, including high speeds regardless of terrain, as well as the powered cycles' ability to range many times farther than muscle-only machines. The possibility or actual presence of speeding cyclists creates anxiety in watershed visitors seeking a passive and restorative experience. This leads to displacement... visitors avoiding the watershed or visiting only at certain hours and days when visitation is lower. Motorized cycles are more appropriate on streets and roads along with other motor vehicles, not on watershed lands.
This new “visitor class” to public lands is a management challenge. Case in point: Electric motorbike riders comprise the largest group of non-compliant visitors. This population of visitors have been riding on Marin Water's lands for years with impunity, which represents a de facto pilot study on visitor compliance. For context, we note that the biggest portion of MW tickets are for parking violations, and the next is for non-legal bike rider behavior. Most observed violations are either not reported or cited. MHC questions how MW can consider accommodating and managing a new visitor class with limited ranger capacity and the demonstrated inability to achieve better behavioral compliance?
In 2023, MHC joined with Marin Conservation League and other organizations and wrote to MW about shared concerns and suggestions. One suggestion was to subcontract parking control so as to focus existing rangers on visitor social behavioral issues. We also recommend greater public education, 3 enforcement tools, more rangers, and a transparent and extensive method of electronic incident reporting.
In summary:
Regarding ebikes, MHC supports their use only by ADA-qualified visitors with placards, and by visitors age 65 and older, also holding permits; both classes of these ebike riders would display a numbered MW identifier on their bikes. These riders would be allowed on specific fire roads and not allowed on trails.
To coordinate with Marin County Parks, the ADA qualification of requiring an Other Power Driven Mobility Device (OPDMD) to travel at 6mph maximum should be considered by MW. Goal metrics should be established for a determined period of time, and then a decision made on whether to continue, modify, or cancel the privilege of limited ebike riding in the watershed. Metrics should be established with public input, and progressive results and final results subject to public input.
Should MW Directors implement a formal pilot study it should devise a protocol where the public can report their experience in real time from links to incident reports at trail heads. Dedicated rangers need to be added to staff in order to patrol the selected pilot study areas permitted for ebikes.
Sports teams that travel at training speeds versus slower social speeds should not be allowed. MHC does not support suggestions such as alternate day use or uphill only schemes, as bike riders have not demonstrated compliance with existing rules and regulations. Bike speeds of 15 mph are plainly excessive, and should be reduced to be better in sync with the majority of watershed visitors.
Sincerely,
Linda J. Novy
Linda J. Novy
President, Marin Horse Council
Notes:
1Horse Gaits - Compliments of the late Connie Berto. Information is from Harry Disston's Know about Horses. Mr. Disston was an American Horse Show judge, a former commanding officer with New York’s 7th Regiment and a Lt. Col. With the 1st Calvary Division of the US Army. The standards listed served as a resource for calculating a cavalry unit's travel distance over time at a given gait.
Gait: Distance per hour
Walk 4 – 6 mph
Trot 6 – 10 mph
Canter/slow gallop 10 – 15 mph
Full out run 16 mph and up
2Motorized bikes: There is expanding cross-over between BMX motorbikes and ebikes.
Link below is an ebike that looks and acts like a motocross motorcycle using BMX tires, etc.
https://www.onyxmotorbikes.com/products/lzr-pro-900w
This “ebike” is also referred to as a “motorbike” and travels at up to 60 mph.
https://www.onyxmotorbikes.com/
3A random check at a popular bike shop in Fairfax demonstrated a lack of education about where e bikes are allowed. The sales person we spoke with (2/17/2024) said that the ebikes they sell can be ridden anywhere a regular bike can be ridden. He had no idea of the differences between land agency rules and regs. He also asked if land managers are giving citations. And, we noticed zero information on the counter from any land agency about mountain bike and e bike rules and regulations.
February 1, 2024
Mr. Emmanuel Bereket
Principal Planner
Community Development Department
3501 Civic Center Drive
San Rafael, CA
Dear Mr. Bereket,
Marin Horse Council implores the County of Marin to reconsider the proposed remodel of the gas station in Pt. Ryes Station. We wrote to the County two weeks ago outlining our rationale for requesting an anticipated circulation and traffic pattern before any approval of the project. We foresee issues with vehicles with service trailers, equestrians with horse trailers, and other situations that could arise.
A proper study of the traffic flow is critical and should be done for the residents of and the visitors to Pt. Reyes Station, and the surrounding parks and tourist attractions.
Thank you for responding to this request.
Sincerely,
Linda Novy
Linda Novy
President, Marin Horse Council
Cc: Maurice Armstrong, County of Marin Public Works marmstrong@marincounty.org
Amory Willis, Judy Teichman, Pamela Bridges, Morgan Patton
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On an ongoing basis, Marin Horse Council is in contact with various public land agencies of Marin County to ensure that the needs of Marin Equestrians are represented on a variety of issues. These include trail access and safety, manure management, e bikes, trailer and gas station planning, equestrian facility needs, and any other issues that impact the rights and needs of equestrians and horses in Marin County.