What's wrong with this picture? (See Why can't taxpayers mountain bike in the Metroparks? here) This week's CoolCleveland party celebrating the Civic Innovation Lab is at Ray's Indoor Mountain Bike Park. At the same time, mountain biking is illegal in virtually every public park in northeast Ohio!

Ray's Indoor Mountain Bike Park has been written up in dozens of national magazines. Discovery Channel filmed a feature about Ray's, the park generated 800 hotel room nights from out of towners coming to Cleveland, it has created true economic development and added to the local economy. If those same people tried to mountain bike in public parks in the actual outdoors, they would face fines and confiscation of their bicycle.

As the previous co-owner of Century Cycles, I had thousands of people ask me "so...where's the best place to go mountain biking around here?" I had no choice but tell them that mountain biking was illegal in Cleveland Metroparks...it is illegal in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park...it is illegal in almost every public park. This summer, over a dozen bicycle store owners signed a letter to the park administrators telling them that not having legal mountain biking areas is hurting their businesses.

Cleveland has a very active and very professional mountain biking advocacy group [CAMBA] that has been trying to persuade Cleveland Metroparks to allow mountain biking... just like they provide for horseback riding, hiking, golfing, boating and dozens of other outdoor activities. I was shocked to read a recent recap of Cleveland Area Mtn Biking Association's efforts over the past 14 years to try to get Cleveland Metroparks to acknowledge that mountain biking is a viable sport that thousands of people are interested in. To read a recap of CAMBA's efforts and to see how you can get involved, click here : http://www.camba.us/pn/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=1540. It is time that northern Ohio caught up with the rest of the country and encouraged mountain biking. We have beautiful parks...let's make them accessible to all users.
from Cool Cleveland reader Lois Moss LoisATWalkRoll.com Lois is co-founder of Century Cycles and creator of Walk + Roll

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