Ropes on Richmond Hill trails serious safety hazard, mountain bikers say

Yorkregion.com
June 10, 2016
By Kim Zarzour

A group of mountain bikers who ride in York Region thought malicious forces were at work when ropes were found strung along the trails in Richmond Hill’s Jefferson Forest.

It turned out to be a question of good intentions gone wrong - but the cyclists say it could have gone horribly wrong.

“Read this if you ride Jefferson Forest @ Stouffville & Bayview Road,” a rider named Canadmos posted to a forum for mountain bikers last Friday.

"Tonight I was out for a ride and got clotheslined by a black climbing rope tied across the trail between two trees. It was at head level while on the bike and got me right in the neck/face, which ripped and broke the helmet right off my head.”

The cyclist found other ropes in the area and cut them down, but he warned his fellow mountain bikers to beware.

“Someone is going to get seriously hurt if the jackass keeps doing that. If I had been going any faster I would have been down for the count.”

Word spread quickly among the tight-knit biking community and along with it, a wave of alarm that the popular trails may have been booby-trapped.

“What the hell is wrong with people?” posted one forum member. “I remember when the Dagmar North trails were being built, there was a few local land owners that would harass the builders for various reasons. OP is lucky to have only sustained minor injuries. This kind of crap could easily kill someone.”

“Keep photo evidence and call the cops each time you find something despite what they say,” advised another. “Tell others to do the same. Be diligent in finding this person. You owe them some payback and could save someone else’s ass in the process.”

Canadmos said he had called police, but was disappointed with the response.

“They said to call the conservation authority or whatever.

“I've crashed and broke bones on my bikes, but this was by far the scariest thing to happen as I had absolutely no idea what the hell happened. One second I'm riding along, listening to the birds and then boom, on the ground without a helmet.”
Word also spread to local high schools and several public and separate schools sent notices home, warning students to be cautious.

But it all seems to have been an unfortunate - if alarming - misunderstanding.

The conservation land is considered part of the Oak Ridges Corridor Conservation Reserve, owned by the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority, and cyclists have been using the trails there for years. Cycling is permitted along marked trails.

An adjacent parcel of land at the northeast corner, near Bayview Avenue and Bethesda Sideroad that abuts the property, is called the Swan Lake Outdoor Education Centre and is used by the York Region public school board.

The trails at the education centre are not to be used by the general public, they are just for the students, said Elizabeth Oakley, spokesperson for the conservation authority.

After hearing about the ropes, the conservation authority investigated immediately, she said.

York police was alerted to the problem via Twitter and on Wednesday, officers searched the trails on mountain bikes and ATV’s, said Const. Andy Pattenden.

Turns out, staff at the Swan Lake field centre may have been trying to coral the kids with rope barricades – not realizing the danger it posed.

In an effort to control student safety, they had strung ropes between a number of trees. Signs were placed to let users know the area was prohibited, but they had been vandalized, Oakley said. 

All of the ropes have now been removed and the employees that placed the ropes were advised of the potential hazard it caused, Pattenden said. “There was no malicious intent and the area is safe for all to use.”

Licinio Miguelo, spokesperson for the public school board, said that going forward, the board will continue to work with the conservation authority to find a different way to close the trail.

Those who biked in the area this week did so with extra caution as seasoned cyclists recalled similar instances, where trails were booby-trapped by those who didn’t want them spinning their wheels there.

Dave, a cyclist from Keswick, expressed concern that an anti-bike “terrorist” was at work trying to scare them away from the land.

In his 60s now, he said he has been mountain biking since the 1980s and still carries scars from barbed wire strung along a booby-trapped trail years ago.

“A lot of the trails wouldn’t exist if it weren’t for the work cyclists do maintaining them,” he said. “The space is precious and it’s shared and all trail users have got to get along.”

Oakley said the conservation authority wants the same thing.

“We want all trail users to be safe and enjoy themselves. They are beautiful spaces and they should be enjoyed by everyone with no fear.”

Statement from the TRCA:

TRCA is aware of the reports of an incident involving a cyclist coming in contact with a rope strung across a trail at the Oak Ridges Corridor Conservation Reserve recently.

 As owners and managers of the property, we go to great lengths to ensure the safety and enjoyment of all visitors to the park and take reports of incidents like this very seriously. We will cooperate with authorities and will conduct our own investigation with the intention of ensuring that incidents such as the one reported do not occur.

Mountain biking is a permitted activity on marked trails on this park. We will continue to be vigilant in keeping our conservation areas safe and welcoming to all users.