FAQ

 What is a Flow Trail?  Google "mtb flow trail" and you'll get the picture!  Basically a flow trail is a single-track downhill trail with large banked turns and modest mounds that allow for some limited jumps.  A flow trail zig-zags down the hill and thus maximizes the use of a limited land space by utilizing the natural contours of a hill to maintain a bike's speed with little if any pedaling. Bike speed can vary but most riders would rarely exceed 10 mph.

Who is behind this effort?  The effort is lead by a leadership team consisting of local mtb enthusiasts who have worked on improving trail access in the Bay Area for years.   

What is the present status of the effort?  We proposed the idea to EBRPD in December 2020.  Since then they have had several departments do a preliminary look at our proposed site.  As a result they moved the trail about 1/2 mile further north to avoid an environmentally sensitive area.  Otherwise staff found no show-stoppers.  Staff then hired a consultant in early 2022 to do an environmental survey of the site primarily to identify possible impacts on the local wildlife and biota.  The study was completed in the fall of 2022 and results published here in early 2023.  EBRPD now has a web site showing the present status of project which can be found here.  

Who would build and maintain the flow trail?  Because the proposed trail would be on EBRPD land, construction and maintenance would be controlled by the EBRPD. We hope that EBRPD would allow the public to help build and maintain the trail under EBRPD oversight much as is done with the trails at Crockett Hills Regional Park.

How can I support this effort?  Sign the petition and get your friends to sign it!  The broader the support we can show for the trail the better the chances the EBRPD will approve it. As things proceed, we'll let you know if we need your voice of support in other ways.  Once EBRPD is proceeding towards construction we will mount a fund-raising campaign to supplement funding we have obtained from an anonymous private donor.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Good news on multiple fronts

 WFT is making major strides forward.  EBRPD has initiated a study to develop a preliminary design for the flow trail which should be completed in time for the 2nd public meeting to discuss the WFT which will happen in the early fall.   In other positive news, the EBRPD Board held an annual workshop on July 21 in which each Board member listed their top priorities for the EBRPD to pursue in the coming year.  Both Colin Coffey and Elizabeth Echols voiced strong support to continue the WFT studies.  Coffey even went so far as to state that he would like to see  5 more MTB-focused trails added to the parks in the next 5 years.  
Read more
EBRPD has posted the results of the first public meeting here .  The results include the video of the entire 1.5 hr meeting, a copy of the EBRPD presentation, and results of the user survey conducted during the meeting.  Most of the estimated 285 folks who attended the meeting were MTBers although the exact number is unknown because about 30% did not participate in the survey.  Of those who responded the more interesting results are (rounded to the nearest 10%): 70% use the park to exercise. 80% enter the park via bicycle. 90% support the Park District’s efforts to explore single-use trails (less than 2% did not). 80% had no concern about the Wildcat flow trail.  Of those who had concerns, 10% were about the environmental impact and 7% about increased user conflicts.    During the meeting about 25 participants voiced comments about the flow trail, almost all in support. EBRPD did have to cut-off the comments because of time constraints but there is still time to give comments  here .  
Read more

EBRPD announces major steps forward

In October, EBRPD completed contracting with a private consultant to develop a preliminary design of the flow trail.  Work should be completed early in 2024.   In another major step forward, the  EBRPD Board of Directors in December followed the recommendation of staff and approved $300 k to fund the CEQA for the Wildcat Flow Trail.  This is the next step in the normal progression of any significant project and represents a major commitment by EBRPD.  Part of the CEQA process consists of public hearings.  The first such meeting will focus on gathering public input on the preliminary design resulting from the study mentioned in the first paragraph.   In short, we are making slow but steady progress!
Read more