Bike Info Down

A few friends have noticed that some of the mountain bike maps I've posted are now missing. This explains the absence, and discusses the issue.

Last week, I received a message which at the time, left me a bit floored. It was from a person who I've never met before, but presumably is well in tune with Fredericton's biking community. The name has been omitted since it's not important. 

So, about those trail maps on your blog. I see that you did that even after you learned that the builders in some areas have asked that maps not be posted. Apparently that’s ok, because according to you, access issues are “BS.” I’m not sure why you think that you’d have heard about any issues and have a better understanding of the local situation than the builders, given that you’re so new to the scene that you only learned about the trails a few months ago. Anyway, that’s not really the point. Here’s where I think we disagree: I say that even if it’s true that there’s little risk in publishing maps, the builders have earned the right to make that decision. They’ve put countless hours of work into trails that we all enjoy, and respecting their wishes on that point is really the very least that the rest of can do in return. Now, you’re obviously trying to contribute something helpful here, so I’m going to proceed on the theory that you’re not an asshole. Also, your maps don’t register high on web searches and you’ve included some comments about trail etiquette. So builders who historically have objected to posting maps might be ok with that. I’d be happy to try to persuade them that you’ve created a useful resource that will help people find trails and that also addresses their usual concerns about posted maps. But of course I’ll only do that if you’re willing to take down some tracks if that’s ultimately what the builders in those areas want. Are you willing to do that?

I got upset about it... probably more so than I should have. It picked at an old scab I've had from before. A similar discussion but a different group.

I went back and fourth with this person a few times to explain where I was coming from and to try and get at the real issue. It seems as if the trail-builders in Fredericton are operating on the presumption that readily available information leads to lots of users. Lots of users leads to a few assholes. A few assholes lead to access issues. Therefore, keeping the trail system off the web is good for access.

I understand that point of view but I find it unfortunate. As I mentioned in the past, when Jill and I decided to get back into biking this summer I was told that 'we don't share trail maps with people we don't know' at one of the local bike shops. This presents a real problem for new bikers if they are not interested in joining the regular ride groups. If you want to go it alone or with a group of similar skilled individuals, you are out of luck.

I've got no desire to conflict with any local developers. I certainly benefit from their work. However, I think this stance is unfortunate, and that it gives the perception that MTB in Fredericton is not overly welcoming to new riders (Savage's Muck Hucker's notwithstanding). Maybe simply consider that with a popular sport like MTB, trails will not be kept secret for long... and if rider volume is expected to be a problem, perhaps the effort spent keeping secrets would be better directed at encouraging responsible use. 

The worst kept secret in Fredericton

Ultimately, I chose to take down any bike maps I had posted on private lands. So MPV, Bunker Hill, and Claudie are gone. Trails on public lands are public domain as far as I'm concerned so they will stay. For any friends who would have used those my apologies... but I obviously didn't believe they would be a barrier to bike access... or I'd have not posted them.

For the record... before this, nobody had taken issue to my map project. 

I don't know... maybe I'm way off base with reality here. This is the same issue as putting the next NB climbing guidebook online and I got blasted for that idea. What do you think?