Comments on: Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area Draft Business Plan

By: Ken Stein

Ken Stein — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 21:25:32 +0000

Scott, the problem with your second idea is the following: what about those who own more than one bike? What about families with 2 or 3 vehicles? I can think of people who would need 5 or 6 passes. Just carry the pass in your wallet.
National parks, recreation areas and conservation areas have suffered for years from budget shortages. The crime rates in our overcrowded national parks is horrifying. Ask anyone who works at one. Rangers take their lives in their hands when patrolling, and fear stumbling across pot fields or meth labs. The problem can be mitigated by user fees. They cut the number of casual visitors (who tend to cause the most damage), while raising much-needed funds for repair, upkeep, improvements and personnel. It is also eminently fair. Those anti-tax folks would complain that their tax dollars go to parks they don’t visit, so the most fair method is to charge more to those who use them.
No one likes it when change hits their wallets. But if we want amenities, we need to grow up and realize we need to pay for them. Or, we could just borrow the money for them, too, from China–anyone want to see more national debt? Taxes are higher in virtually every nation that’s listed above us on every standard-of-living ranking I’ve seen in the past 10 years. You get what you pay for. Personally, I’d be willing to pay more taxes for a better life.
I, for one, will buy an annual pass. It’ll work out to a whopping $2.50 a month. That’s a 6-pack every other month. I think I’ll survive.

By: Scott

Scott — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 22:05:18 +0000

Let’s all suggest two very easy fixes:

1. An annual pass line so that both cars and bikes with annual passes can be waived through instead of waiting in line behind daily pay visitors.

2. A bike sticker or tag instead of the card so we can just roll through the annual pass line without coming out of the clips and digging for a card.

I’d pay double for those easy fixes!

By: Heather Fisher

Heather Fisher — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 08:42:46 +0000

I second that. TRAFFIC SAFETY AND ENFORCEMENT first!

That’s right, Don! I didn’t see very many cyclists at the meeting, but it’s not too late, you can email your comments to the BLM until Monday the 16th of November.

I have some ideas that I will be bringing to BLM offices in Reno and DC, involving:
1) Clean Energy Incentives: Pay to pollute, get rewarded for not polluting
2) Park Entrance Booths on 159 (at both cattle guards), instead of on the loop only, to increase safety manageability and decrease unnecessary traffic
3) That some of the funding go to dedicated traffic enforcement on 159 and maintenance of the new bike path. For more information on that, go to http://www.saveredrock.com.
4) set up an annual price for bikes and get a magnetized quick, easy card swiper
and more…Heather Fisher, SaveRedRock.com

By: Don Chism

Don Chism — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 20:14:08 +0000

I personally don’t have a problem with (and would even support) the increased fees, including a new fee for bicyclists, if they use some of the new funding for increasing enforcement to crack down on the speeders and reckless drivers, especially the guys on the “crotch rockets” that have been terrorizing hikers, joggers and cyclists out there for years. I know there are a lot of other problems out there (including closed and NASTY restrooms), but this one has been particularly frustrating for me through the years. I’ve personally had several close calls and encounters with the guys and every time I complain about it to the staff at Red Rock or the people at the BLM office the response is always the same – not enough funding to properly patrol and catch them. In reviewing the Draft Business Plan for this fee increase, there’s a lot of discussion about things like deferred maintenance, and new facilities, but hardly a mention of increased security and enforcement. I strongly believe that Health and Safety issues should have priority over everything else!

My hope is that the cycling community can take this opportunity to voice our concerns about making TRAFFIC SAFETY AND ENFORCEMENT primary issue during the public comment period for the Business Plan Draft. The public comment period expires on November 16, 2009.

By: Terrence LP

Terrence LP — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 15:12:08 +0000

Steve Patchin… Amen!

Government goes through the motions to make it seem legal then finds a way to push it through. Steve is on the money. A prime example was my local trail in Florida, Quite Waters Park was crushed by a hurricane and instead of using tax payer money, entrance fees, and so on to rebuild… The city sold the land to a private developer, just like that!

It is total BS when the only solution is MORE MONEY MO MONEY MO MONEY! Like a famous rapper once said - “More Money, More Problems” - government is a prime example of this!

Ride Like The Wind!