Groups gear up for fight over KVR

Admin Fri Sep 09, 2011 11:50 pm

In case you missed it - there is a fairly balanced article in this week's Western titled "Groups gear up for fight over KVR" which bears reading (yes, even the bears are reading it...)

http://www.bclocalnews.com/okanagan_similkameen/pentictonwesternnews/news/129492478.html

My two cents worth - and this is coming from the point of view of a current dirt-biker - is that motorized vehicles don't belong on the KVR / TCT unless its just to cross it or perhaps ride along it a hundred feet or so to an exit.

As one of the valleys most avid trail maintainers, I speak from thousands of hours of hands-on trail repair; dirt-bikes and quads rip flat and low-inclination trail surfaces… and they decimate steeps!

There is no truth in stating that motorized vehicles are not detrimental to rejuvenated rail bed surfaces. Modern recreational vehicles offer too much power at people's fingertips (wrists) and the tire / contact patch is too minimal to avoid soil displacement.

Couple that with the fact that youth (and rednecks) generally have little in the way of restraint or common sense, and you have a recipe for surface damage.

I really enjoy dirt-bike riding throughout the Okanagan, and I (never) lack places to ride that don’t involve the KVR / TCT. Wanting to use this route is senseless and perhaps lazy; they don’t want to load the recreational vehicle onto a trailer / strap it in / transport it / unload it / strap it in / transport it / unload it)

I know that folks with disabilities will beg to differ, so perhaps we could support a caveat to provide for their situation; those with officially issued handicap automobile driving placards are allowed on the KVR / TCT as long as they display their credentials on their recreational vehicle.

Those of you reading this who are unsure of where to ride motorized recreation vehicles without the KVR as an option need to buy this guidebook:

http://www.backroadmapbooks.com/shop/backroad-mapbooks-67/british-columbia-68/thompson-okanagan-bc-8-188.html

My unabashed two cents worth

Andrew