What we could use around here is a little more respect, folks. Respect for each other and for our private and communal property.
Volunteers from the Squamish Trails Society, the Squamish Lillooet Regional District and the District of Squamish spent $15,000 and countless hours upgrading two sections of the Ray Peters Trail. Although the area is designated as a restricted biking/walking trail, a rogue dirt biker recently chewed it up.
The Squamish Dirt Bike Association (SDBA) is in the process of heading off any further damage to trails by finding the culprit and bringing that individual up to speed about where to ride. In a strongly worded email message SDBA president Ed Alder pointed out that riding clearly designated trails for non-motorized use only "should not be tolerated, and any and all riders in this beautiful town are strongly urged to follow our 'Ride Guide' available on our website."
But dirt bikers are not alone in the trail abuse department. Many of the main hiking trails in Alice Lake Provincial Park are clearly marked off-limits to mountain bikers between May and September. Evidently that prohibition has not acted as a deterrent to a number of loose-cannon cyclists who ignore the signs and continue to tear up and down those trails. Even harder to figure out are the number of wayward riders who slalom around shoppers on downtown sidewalks, or other pedestrian-only areas.
Although residents of the self-designated Mountain Biking Capital of Canada are devoted to two-wheeled transportation, many have created an even stronger bond with their doggies. That includes big ones, small ones, fat pooches, skinny ones, pedigreed canines, plain mutts, you name it. The Republic of Brackendale even has its own motto, "In Dog We Trust," an irreverent take on a more formal maxim from south of the border.
With summer finally gracing the Wet Coast, after months of incense burning and appeals to deities of all stripes and denominations to hasten its arrival, we have seen an increase of doggie doo-doo on lawns, sidewalks, parks and playgrounds. Don't blame those loveable pooches when nature calls. Blame their irresponsible masters.
But be careful. Confronting some owners about unwelcome processed kibble deposits can result in a quick invitation to stick the protest where the sun's rays can't reach it.
In any event, let's recall the wonderful poetic contribution Squamish resident Felicity Lowinger sent to the editor of The Chief a couple of years back:
"For those lucky owners of a pupWhen they poop, please stop and stoop to scoop it upIt's such an easy thing to doTo keep our trails (and beaches) free from pooIt's time us owners took a standLest from the parks we'll all be banned!"
If we consider the bigger scheme of things, the above-mentioned catalogue of affronts is negligible compared to the kind of flagrant infractions residents of more populated jurisdictions face daily. On the other hand, a proliferation of what some observers view as minor bylaw violations can eventually become a major problem in the respect and consideration for others department.
