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Signs and symbols are a specific part of graphic arts, called iconography.  Merriam-Webster defines iconography as:

1. pictorial material relating to or illustrating a subject
2. the traditional or conventional images or symbols associated with a subject and especially a religious or legendary subject
3. the imagery or symbolism of a work of art, an artist, or a body of art

​Trails, just like any other infrastructure conveying human beings, need signage of some kind to help direct users and get them to be aware of various realities on the trail.  But bad signage can be as bad (or worse sometimes) then no signage.

So how can a trail system do trail signage right?  What can help direct users without overloading them?

Much thanks to Matthew B.  of the San Francisco Urban Riders for helping to fill out some great riding locations in and around San Francisco, CA to add to the Trails Inventory.

Much thanks to Matthew for the additional information.  If you have a trail system or  mountain biking park you think should be included, let us know about it and we will add it.

Because every update  needs an accompanying song, I think we only have one choice, Jude Garland singing "San Francisco".    Yeah,  a bit of stereotype there, but as stereotypes go, a pretty harmless one.

Sometimes, life gives you lemons.  Sometimes, it backs a truck up to your front door and dumps lemons till your house bursts.

CityMTB is not dead, it just took a back seat for a bit.  New content (and some spicey takes)  starting Monday.

Your bike, just like you, needs a wash after it plays in the dirt.

Yet, bike wash stations at local trails can be all too rare.  Why then are bike wash stations an important part of the infrastructure for urban trails?  What styles of bike wash stations are there?  How do you get one?
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Get your sponges out and suds up as we dive into bike wash stations!

In part 1 of this series, we discussed what active and passive recreational uses were and how they are defined.

As we discussed, to be a passive use, the activity would have to meet 3 criteria:

1. Have no greater impact than other passive uses
2. Use the same recreational facilities as other passive uses
3. Can occur with other passive activities and users simultaneously

As point #2 illustrates, it’s not only the activity, but the infrastructure of that recreational use that would be a factor in determining if an activity could be considered passive or active.  The example used in the previous article was that of a football field and a multi-use trail.

However, if we have a trail, in this case multi-use, could an activity come along might not be passive use?  And where does mountain biking, as an activity, fit in with the idea of active and passive use?

That will be some of the questions we will answer in this second part.

In the discussion of scientific instruments and measuring devices, there are two major categories: active sensors and passive sensors.  Active sensors use some kind of directed energy, whether that be light waves, sound waves or kinetic means to measure properties about an item.   Passive sensors do not emit any energy, but measure the observed item's own emitted energy, again, light waves, sound waves or kinetic means to measure properties of that item.

Some types of instruments can be in either passive or active types. Microscopes can be passively viewing or, like an electron microscope, they can actively view.  Sonar on ships and submarines can do the same, passively listening for other vessels or sending out a “ping” to listen for the echo.

​But when talking about active or passive recreational uses, what is being referred to?  How can one activity be referred to as “active use” and a seemingly similar activity be referred to as “passive use”.  How does this understanding of active and passive recreational use affect mountain biking in urban areas?

This article is bit longer than the post.  But there was a lot of ground to cover.

​On May 8th, 2018 the Hopkins, MN Center for the Arts hosted and interesting group.  Calling themselves Conserve Lone Lake Park, they hosted a meeting on why the citizens of neighboring Minnetonka should be opposed to the proposal for mountain biking trails in Lone Lake Park.

One of the strange things about urban mountain biking is that it’s not completely codified.  That is, while we have techniques or methods we know that work, there is always room for new (and sometimes) better ideas.  While there are a certain range of user management techniques, for instance, some group or location could create something new that would be added to the menagerie or even replace an existing technique.

One of these new methods is currently arising in Minnesota, one that seems to address situations applicable across the country.  This new method is walk-through kiosks.

The state of New Jersey urban trails have been added to the trails inventory.

The Garden State has some wonderful  mountain biking.  Don't let the seemingly low amounts of urban mountain biking fool you.  There are several geographic reasons that New Jersey seems like it is lacking in the urban mountain biking department.  Southern New Jersey has tonnes of mountain biking, though little of  it inside city limits.  If we defined "urban" as X miles from a city, New Jersey's stock would definitely increase.  

In honor of adding of New Jersey state trails, we have to have The Boss (Bruce Springsteen), because, of course we do, for your listening pleasure:

The state of New York urban trails have been added to the trails inventory.

New York has a shocking amount of mountain biking in places you would least expect,  from Highbridge in Fort George Hill (North Harlem) to  Shale Pit Loop (Albany).   It should be noted that a lot of upstate New York trails are outside of towns and cities, meaning they don't qualify to be included in an urban mountain biking inventory.  

In honor of adding of New York state trails, here is a New York themed song for your listening pleasure: