Help needed with Bradbury Mountain (ME) Parking Problem

[fishbum]

Just spreading the word by posting this email I received. If anyone wants to get onto the email list, let us know.


Hello from the Friends of Bradbury Mountain!

I am writing to ask for your help in ending a problem that has arisen with the parking for those mountain biking at the park.

In recent weeks, there has been an increase in the cyclists parking down the street from the park in the church parking lot and other lots in Pownal Center. People parking here are avoiding paying the park entrance fee and are using parking places intended for the church and other Pownal businesses.

When this happens, the park is deprived of revenue that is used to maintain the trail system and the relationship of the mountain biking community with the town is jeopardized.

We would like to ask your help in eliminating this problem. If you see people parking at the church or in parking spaces reserved for Pownal businesses, please explain this situation to them and ask that they park their cars in the parking lot at Bradbury and pay the entrance fee.

And, if you are one of the very small number of people reading this message who ARE parking in Pownal and not paying the fee, you are hurting the rest of us. Please do the right thing by parking at the park and paying your share. This is a VERY small price ($3 per person, $20 for full season pass) to pay for these wonderful trails.

Not to get preachy here, but this is a good time to remind us all that mountain biking on great trails is a privilege, not a right. We need to do what we can to keep our trails in good order, be respectful of others users (and uses) of the trails and be good citizens in the communities in which our trails are located. Every one of us has a role in this responsibility.

Thanks very much for any help you can offer, and please spread the word.

The Friends of Bradbury Mountain

P.S. Note that night riding in the park is against park regulations.

[Husqvarna]

Well said, and remember that this request applies to all areas that mountain bikers frequent. Not all areas require fees but most areas do have parking restraints. I want to add that in a lot of these parking areas there always seems to be trash left behind. Maybe it was dropped mistakenly or intentionally. Either way picking up your and others trash before you leave, leaves a much better impression on land managers who typically end up doing the trash pickup themselves. I regularly pickup the parking lots at FOMBA and Bear Brook State Park and there's obvious cycling related trash. (e.g. bicycle tubes, energy bar wrappers, gel wrappers, water bottles with cycle related logos, post ride beverage containers.) I'm doing the pickup, because i was regurlarly seeing Manchester Water Works Patrol officers picking up trash at the FOMBA Depot Road parking area. So you can bet that this task gets communicated up and around to land managers.