Cyclists Seek Safe, Peaceful New Bike Trail

The first round of public commenting closed this week on a proposal by the Lolo National Forest to create “The Route of the Olympian,” which would establish a new trail between Taft and St. Regis, Montana, on about 30 miles of the abandoned Milwaukee railroad grade. This new trail runs parallel to Interstate 90 and would connect with the existing Route of the Hiawatha bicycle trail to create a 47 mile world class attraction for cyclists.

Unfortunately, the agency proposes to also allow motorized use on the trail which will cause user conflicts and create safety concerns; especially since some sections will be for “family ATV riding.” The Forest Service, recognizing the controversy of such a proposal, formed a collaborative group that supposedly agreed cyclists and underage kids riding machines on the same trail was a good idea.

However, it was reported in previous articles, including the most recent by columnist Bill Schneider, that at least one organization in the collaborative did not come to this agreement: “…executive director Jim Sayer told me ACA [Adventure Cycling Association] had not taken any position on the current proposal and that he'd already called the Forest Service to ask that his group's name be removed from the scoping notice.”

Use conflicts and safety concerns are significant issues that cannot be dismissed in the hopes to please one stakeholder group. Schneider provides a scenario that will undoubtedly prove to be true, “As a cyclist, a shiver goes up my spine when I visualize how it will be dodging 10-year-olds motoring around at 30 to 40 mph on ATVs on an eight-foot-wide rail trail.”

Interestingly, the need to have motorized sections on this trail is questionable, especially since Wildlands CPR participated in a different collaborative project in the same area to establish an ecologically sustainable ATV route system and restore areas damaged by unauthorized motorized use. This will create some new motorized opportunities and feature ORV use on 297 miles of roads and trails.

Why then do motorized users need to be on a bike trail?