icullis profile

I agree, it's complicated and is a multipronged problem...

1. There needs to be signs and notice boards... 
2. There needs to be downhill primary trails for all skill levels
3. We need to get all landowners on the same page

Can we actually rely on the landowners and government to do this...

I've been riding for a long time and totally agree with sayings like "ride don't slide" etc.

But, I think uphill priority needs to be re-evaluated... same with two way green trails... an example for me is "For the kids" a green two way trail. But in reality, is it really "for the kids" or is it for uphill riders? If it is "for the kids" kids and green riders should  have priority regardless of the direction. 

If we don't prioritize green riders on green trails, we're continuing to build a network for advanced riders, just pretending that we are being inclusive of beginners and kids (green trails are just the way to get to advanced trails).

I agree with the article and so many of the posts...we need to decrease our environmental impact. Some good reading on batteries; https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20220105-lithium-batteries-big-unanswered-question. I never know if my links work...fingers crossed!

Hi Andrew,

Slightly different question...I was wondering about your front brake combination and how it works? Does the combination of a modern lever/gustav caliper make for a powerful brake?

Thanks for the feedback Cooper! I have emailed the municipality, but get no response....

I also want to make sure that any emails don't actually undermine the work you are doing. 

Couple of questions;

1. Will the 2019 feedback sessions be done as a collaboration between NSMBA and the landowners?
2. Do you have an election platform or candidates you will endorse?
3. Do you have any idea when the DNV will finish the pump track and is there any other bike infrastructure planned (I'm jealous of Nanaimo, Surrey, Vancouver, they all have nice jump parks, pump tracks, etc.)

I really do like the new trails, it's just progression that is needed and a big picture. Each of the trail networks is isolated and planned separately. I guess it would be nice to see all landowners working together with a semi-common vision. 

I've taken a look at the new lower digger. It is well built, but still not really a challenge....

I've seen quite a few renditions/changes to lower oilcan over the years. I think the new work is great, there are nice jumps, and it flows really well. 

My one concern is around the building climate....the landowners seem to want intermediate trails, but keep advanced ranking. So my questions are:

• How do rankings compare to Squamish and Whistler? 

• Do DNV and MV get to choose the ranking?

• If we keep advanced ratings on these "easier" blacks does that make it harder to get "harder" blacks or double blacks? Or is there a new expectation that the trails are hard enough?

Long time biker/forum troll/whiner/etc., first time poster.....

The trail system 8 years ago was in a state of disrepair, with few options for beginners, and very little support from the landowners. NSMBA was instrumental in changing that....NSMBA has done a great job engaging the land owners and building a more sustainable diverse trail system. This system allows for people to try mountain biking and progress to harder and harder trails. It's fabulous to have choices for different trail difficulty levels, and trail options.

Unfortunately, many challenging trails on Fromme were closed in 2010 (pinkstarfish, jerry rig, groovula, GMG, etc.). These trails were in various states of repair, but with the loss of them, many riders lost the ability to progress (I am in the process of re-building a hardtail from spare parts for a challenge). 

Is there a plan for more challenging trails or the expansion of the trail network? What is the status of negotiations with Metro/DNV/RSTBC?

I want to help! Let us know what the long term plan is for the trail network and how we can add our voices.

Hi guys, 

I was wondering what everyone's thoughts are on the recent Natural Areas Trail Plan council workshop. Here is a try at attaching the link: https://app.dnv.org/council/default.aspx?filename=20231212CW&type=MP4&start=1 

Seems like most councilors are attempting to point to other land managers lack of action as a reason for the DNV not to do more... Will this meeting impact staff actions/progress?

It also seemed like the strategy focused on the need for easy trails (which I agree we need more), with no identification of an increase in advanced or technical trails.

Mostly lurk on the site, but though I would post this time round... For a start, biases:

• Renter
• Don't eat out (make most food)
• Don't buy alcohol (make my own)
• Garden (make as much food as possible)
• Bike (2005 Knolly V-tach)
• Work in the non-profit sector (energy retrofits for low income households)

A few questions;

1. Don't tips get split between servers/cleaners/cooks/etc. If we are counting tips per hour, does your calculation need to include low customer times? When I go out and my restaurant bill is $100 and they want a 20% tip, I have a hard time justifying $20 worth of work. If a waiter has 5 tables and turns them over every 2 hours and if everyone did 20%, they would be making 50$/hr in tips alone. And many of our waiters f%%king suck. I agree with a living wage but I feel like everyone is making 40k working 20hrs per week.
2. From glassdoor, it looks like baristas earn ~$17 per hour. Over the past 20 years, wage growth hasn't kept up with inflation, especially for lower income households... Maybe we are finally seeing wages for lower income households start to catch up with higher income households??
3. Is the increase due to "profits and greed" or has the increase in land costs catching up with us? Housing prices underpin all costs, since everyone/business needs to live/operate somewhere

It is interesting, when people spending thousands on bikes complain about the cost of a restaurant meal...

Posted by: Fast-Orange

Posted by: earleb

I watched a video on housing in some euro cities vs the rest. The just of it was that in these euro cities there was soo much government built housing that had stable pricing that it forced the private sector to keep prices similar to compete. It would seem we need some more of this to wrangle in rent but likely too far gone that it could ever swing back this way.

Sounds smart and forward thinking. Wish a single north american government could get away with that. 

Government should be the only ones in the rental game. I grew up in a subsidized housing co-op in the 80s and 90s and it ruled. Lived in the same unit from age 3 to 20. 

We gotta bring back the CMHC to it's former post-war glory.

Not sure about that the government should be the only ones in the rental game... That said, I would love to see subsidized housing returned to its former glory, which I think is currently starting to happen. I believe that non-profit, charitable, and co-op organizations are best suited to deliver subsidized housing with the right government support. 

Many non-profits, charities, and co-ops are looking to expand, grow and redevelop, and there are a lot of new tools and funding available (ex. Rental Protection Fund). There are a few issues namely; alignment of government programs, and municipal delays. 

It would be nice to see a more balanced market with ownership, leasehold, market rental, and subsidized rental all available and accessible, which would ensure that we have a vibrant city well into the future.

We need a lot more housing... and a solid transportation network. Currently, we allocate more than 30 percent of our space to roads... if we transitioned to fewer roads, we would have a lot more space for housing

The DNV is asking for feedback on their draft trails strategy;

Happening now
Fall 2023 — Share your thoughts on the draft strategy
We developed the draft strategy based on the key themes that we heard during the first engagement in Spring 2022 along with background research and best practices.
There are a few ways to engage:
Share your thoughts with us online from September 11 to October 2, 2023
Drop by a pop-up event to learn about the draft strategy and share your thoughts:
Parkgate Village Plaza (Mount Seymour Parkway), Tuesday, September 19, 10am to 12pm
Lynn Valley Village Plaza (1277 Lynn Valley Rd), Wednesday, September 20, 3pm to 5pm
Fromme Mountain Parking Lot, Friday, September 22, 1pm to 3pm
Read the draft Natural Areas Trails Strategy

Seems like it is less about making the trails sustainable and more about what the landowners want... From LEES+Associates (https://elac.ca/projects/lscr-east-area-detailed-trail-planning-and-construction-support/); 

• In continued involvement with Metro Vancouver’s Lower Seymour Conservation Reserve (LSCR) projects, LEES+Associates was retained to support detailed East Area trail planning, as well as to provide RFP Support and Construction Observation for work on the CBC, Ned’s Atomic Dustbin, Cambodia, and TNT trails.
• The LSCR required a detailed plan for improving a number of east area mountain bike primary trails. The goals of this work include:
• Improving the overall user experience and flow for all trail users;
• Creating a top-to-bottom experience;
• Creating features more appealing to contemporary MTB riders;
• Retaining certain heritage or character aspects of the trails;
• Minimizing impacts to sensitive ecosystem areas, such as wetlands and old-growth forest stands;
• Bringing the main lines of all trails in line with single black diamond standards, and
• Drawing riders away from unsanctioned trails and ‘loamers.

So, what is next? Close the loamers...

I ran into some similarly equip e-bikers on Fromme yesterday. 

To be honest, I didn't mind the music... but didn't appreciate the bear bell binging to pass, or the request to pull over on a steep uphill, or the dusty roost as they passed

Whenever possible, I have emailed and called... The hard part is knowing what the actual barrier is! So, some questions I have are; What is the barrier (money, political will, staff will?)? What is NSMBA lobbying for (how can we align and support)?

Interesting ideas... I love the connectors, and uphill trails. Is there any possibility of the ideas actually being implemented? What does the NSMBA team think of the ideas (will they lobby for them?)?

Do you think that the DNV Natural Areas Trails Strategy (https://www.dnv.org/parks-trails-recreation/natural-areas-trails-strategy) will result in anything positive? Most of the municipal planning stuff seems more like politicians kicking the can, than actually trying to get anything done...

Honest answers about electricity supply... We are going to need about 30 site C's (according to CleanBC plan the government is expecting to increase consumption by 60 %)... to meet demand, and will need major infrastructure upgrades to supply the buildings/cars.

LED lighting will save some energy, but heat pumps will substantially increase load (since in many cases this will be a fuel switch from oil, gas, or propane to electric). On the building front, we are looking to add load through fuel switching space heating, domestic hot water, and ventilation... Each one of these sources is stretching the supply to individual buildings (LED lighting savings may just allow for that load to be added to buildings). 

Heat pumps will also lead to a new peak in electricity consumption in the summer due to added cooling load. Also, Heat pump efficiency plummets in the winter and reaches a COP of 1 at around zero degrees. So yes... Heat pumps are going to add demand.

The electricity grid also needs to be looked at on different levels, i.e. building, street, block, muni, entire province... as we electrify, we are running into constraints on the building, and block level. These constraints are adding to the business case for electrifying buildings.. In many cases, upgrading the building and street circuits are ruining the business case for fuel switching. We are also running into municipal constraints, with BC Hydro looking to reduce demand in a few lower mainland municipalities (Hope for one). 

The reality is we need to be very careful with the energy we consume!