Suzanne Bhatt Backs Alternate Trail Days, Challenges 4% Conflict Rate in Boulder County
Updated
Updated · Boulder Daily Camera · May 24
Suzanne Bhatt Backs Alternate Trail Days, Challenges 4% Conflict Rate in Boulder County
1 articles · Updated · Boulder Daily Camera · May 24
Suzanne Bhatt urged Boulder County to use alternate hiker-biker days on existing open-space trails, arguing that shared-use conflicts are pushing hikers off bike-heavy routes.
The 4% reported conflict rate cited in a May 14 op-ed understates the problem, she wrote, because many older visitors, families and people with disabilities simply stop returning rather than file complaints.
Bhatt said the same usage figures showing bikers dominate some multi-use trails may actually reflect that abandonment by other users, strengthening the case for separating access by day.
She rejected proposals for new bike-only trails as environmentally unsustainable, saying added construction would fragment habitat, spread invasive weeds and increase erosion on already trail-rich open space.
With trail conflict rates at just 4%, is Boulder's plan to separate users solving a real problem or creating a new one?
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