The concept that individuals would commute from houses in Crested Butte South to jobs in Crested Butte on their bikes used to appear a bit loopy to me. I do know there are some dwelling right here who may do it on their old faculty single speeds 12 months a yr, however I at all times assumed if a commuter bike path had been constructed it could stay largely unused. Thanks to the recognition of e-bikes, I believe I used to be in all probability mistaken.
Living near Brush Creek I generally trip from my home to the workplace. It takes slightly below 20 minutes on my mountain bike. I see my neighbors zipping by on their e-bikes and I might guess it takes them lower than half the time. Given that metric, I might assume an e-biker may get from CB South to CB in an affordable time and never should seek for a parking house by their office in July. Win-win.
So, the thought of a commuter bike path between these two factors is a good suggestion. Few would argue in any other case. But political actuality has emerged this month and the place such a path could possibly be positioned is inflicting rigidity within the North Valley and the county. Ideally, the trail would take a protected, speedy and scenic route away from Highway 135. But that entails crossing personal property and that is nonetheless America the place that doesn’t occur with out the permission of the landowner. That permission may be given, or it may be purchased, however it’s wanted.
The county has held such a CB to CB South commuter path as a precedence for years. County planners have gone out to see if they might develop such a route however they are saying they met robust resistance from personal property homeowners. So, this month they formally instructed a attainable path alongside the freeway that might be separated by vegetation (not only a shoulder widening) however nonetheless be within the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) right-of-way. The Crested Butte Mountain Bike Association (CBMBA) and govt director Dave Ochs thought that was a horrible concept, so it’s pushing closely for extra effort to discover a literal path ahead away from the freeway utilizing personal property easements.
Assistant county supervisor for group and financial improvement Cathie Pagano says the county has pursued that choice for years and hit a number of brick partitions making a non-public property choice not viable. CBMBA says that’s how this stuff at all times begin so the precise factor to do is to maintain pushing for the perfect route and work out the way to persuade personal property homeowners to hop in and pay for all of it later.
The out of the gate tenor of CBMBA’s response and different concept was a bit, let’s assume, aggressive, and it didn’t endear any of the opposite stakeholders to the CBMBA proposal. The county says the proposal working parallel to the freeway works in locations like Aspen, Telluride and Jackson Hole. In their thoughts it’s meant to be a protected multi-modal commuter path and never one other scenic mountain bike path. Fair.
Pagano says a straight-line path between Buckhorn and CB South would cross a minimal of 11 personal properties and will affect as much as 24 particular person personal parcels. CBMBA says the perfect route follows a ditch via the Hidden River subdivision and crosses 9 personal tons. It additionally has a secondary route that touches simply three parcels of personal property between Buckhorn and CB South.
This is the stuff I believed was alleged to be labored out collaboratively within the STOR (Sustainable Tourism and Outdoor Recreation) committee conferences and I used to be beneath the impression it had. I assume maybe I used to be mistaken once more. The subsequent STOR assembly on Thursday will little question be “lively.” Forty minutes of the afternoon assembly is put aside on the agenda to debate the subject.
Looking at some old STOR assembly minutes, it was famous in November of 2021 that the committee “came to a general agreement about alignment” utilizing the CDOT proper of approach whereas in search of alternatives to incorporate “branches” for extra access. While in my ultimate world, given CBMBA’s information and Ochs’ power and enthusiasm, maybe he would to have been instantly concerned on a STOR subcommittee with the county representatives to determine this from the very starting. But CBMBA appears to have been included within the discussions and it may additionally now be a matter of not getting all the pieces they need and choosing a struggle with your folks. That’s not productive.
Several those who attended the county’s open home on the subject final week felt the county ought to do something and all the pieces to make the perfect path occur. Some advocated paying no matter it cost to acquire the wanted easements — even when that cost included utilizing eminent area to have the federal government condemn the land. I can’t see that being a clever transfer both politically or financially. It would instantly trigger a battle and cost thousands and thousands of {dollars} in lawyer charges and land prices, to not point out the time wanted in courtroom to kind all of it out. It’s simply not how business must be accomplished on this valley.
It frankly feels there have been some bonds damaged between individuals who must be working collectively. The actuality is that given the state of affairs because it stands, transferring forward with the CBMBA concept can be neither straightforward nor quick and the share of success dropped considerably after CBMBA’s ‘aggressive’ response to the proposed options. The trade-off is getting a commuter path that isn’t good sooner, somewhat than one that’s in all probability not good however higher, later…if in any respect.
After a number of conversations this week, my feeling is that CBMBA hasn’t delved into the deep due diligence of wanting on the precise bodily, authorized and relationship hurdles—of which there are numerous. I’m unsure they’ve even caught a toe into the shallow finish of that pool. I really like CBMBA (and Ochs) and their Crested Butte Conservation Corps and know they do lots of good issues on this valley — however I might argue my CBMBA buddies ought to have fleshed out the simplest bits of their options earlier than voicing such robust push again to the county’s options. Ahhhhh, small city politics.
With the accessibility of e-bikes, extra individuals will surely use a commuter path to get between the 2 North Valley inhabitants hubs. I see it taking place between Mt. Crested Butte and CB on the Rec Path. I see it on the Deli Trail with individuals within the Brush Creek space. Do I believe individuals will use all of it yr spherical like CBMBA is advocating? No. But I’ve been mistaken earlier than and to me that feels like an costly endeavor to keep up even when the thought is to make use of a snowmobile or snowcat to pack the snow for e-bikes with fats tires in winter.
Look, placing any path on the bottom between Crested Butte and the Cement Creek drainage will take time, creativity and money. Oh, and possibly compromise. It’s hardly ever straightforward nevertheless it’s been accomplished earlier than with different profitable native trails. Is a fowl within the hand price two within the bush – or on this case, a path via personal property that will or could not materialize?
It almost looks as if there are two totally different targets—one is a commuter path to get individuals between level A and level B and the opposite is a cool, meandering, scenic mountain bike path that connects the Cement Creek drainage trails to these within the Brush Creek drainage. That may be worthy of two totally different conversations and two separate efforts. That STOR assembly on Thursday can be fascinating…
—Mark Reaman
