County’s plan for bike trails at Lord Hill Park dangerous

Published 1:30 am Thursday, April 7, 2022

I can count on one hand negative interactions I’ve had with other Lord Hill Regional Park users over the last decade, but the number of exchanged smiles, waves, shakas and howdys is innumerable.

Snohomish County Parks Department current Lord Hill plan shows parks leadership captive to reactionary fringe voices, prompting nearsighted decisions that will create a myriad of unintended consequences and conflict.

The mountain biking community at Lord Hill values safe and equitable access strategies for all park users, including the rare use of one-way trails. GPS data (bit.ly/lordbiketrails) shows 1⅓ mile of trail designated as such. User data shows at least 10 times more bi-directional trail (bit.ly/lordalltrails).

The county’s current plan is unrealistic and dangerous. “Low speed” trails comprise the vast majority of the park, other than ¾ mile of trail with enough elevation change so these trails will never be ridden at low speeds by proficient riders, regardless of trail features like berms that help newer riders learn to safely descend on entry-level bikes. Removing signage indicating how these trails are and will continue to be used puts inexperienced park users and their animals at risk.

While parks leadership attempted to placate cyclists, mentioning “exploring … a separate park focused on mountain biking” no specifics have been made public to date.

The root issue — legacy users of the park simply not wanting to share a public space with others — will not be solved by removing signage and dirt. It will only exacerbate the issue.

Jon Cowan

Snohomish