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Trail etiquette key when pounding the pedals
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By TRAVIS BARRETT Staff Writer Kennebec Journal & Morning Sentinel 07/19/2008

GARDINER -- I hadn't been on a bicycle in years. In fact, it had been so long for me that when a friend asked if I wanted to hit the Kennebec River Rail Trail this week, my first stop on the way to the head of the trail was the basement of my parents' house.

That's where my bike sits year-round, getting out only when my father, some 25 years my senior, decides to take a ride himself a couple of times each week.

"You used to ride bikes as a kid, didn't you?" Dennis Morang asks me. "I mean, isn't that how you got around all summer long? It's the same thing."

Well, it's sort of the same thing.

Back in the days of my renegade youth, though, we didn't adhere to things like trails or rules. We made our own of both, as we cut across neighbor's backyards and rode undaunted by the absence of helmets and elbow pads. Consequences were immediate -- break the unwritten rules and the road rash promised to hurt.

It's not that way, anymore.

There are easily accessible, dedicated bike paths taking us from one city to the next, but those paths mean more people are out using them. The Kennebec River Rail Trail is a shining example. But because it's such a popular spot, particularly in the middle of summer, there's so much traffic -- both on foot and on two wheels -- that it can be tricky just keeping out of people's way.

Walkers set the pace

The Kennebec River Rail Trail is a relatively flat, 6.5-mile paved path connecting Augusta to Gardiner along the banks of the river.

Because it runs through three busy central Maine locales, including downtown Hallowell, and because it is easily accessible at several stops along the way, it receives heavy use from cyclists and walkers. It can certainly be maddening to be on a bicycle and zipping along at a leisurely pace, only to have to come to nearly a complete stop when a small group of people is walking four-abreast across the trail.

But David Houston, the manager of Mathieu's Cycle and Fitness in Oakland, reminds cyclists that it's up to them to watch out for hikers. Not the other way around.

"It's etiquette that goes along with riding with other people," said Houston, who leads several bike trips annually for varying experience levels. "You have to try to be respectful of other people's right to the trail, too.

"The way that it has always been said is that bikes yield to both pedestrians and horseback riders on trails. That relates to everything, including moms out pushing babies in carriages along a trail. You have to remember that you can come up behind someone on a bike very quickly making almost no noise at all. Even something as simple as calling out 'on your left' when overtaking someone can startle them."

Trail etiquette, Houston said, is similar to what is preached in Maine's woods.

"Here's the biggest thing in terms of trail etiquette -- be respectful of the land owner," he said. "Whether it's a person on a 4-wheeler or bike or equestrian, be aware the person who owns the land doesn't want you to leave big ruts, go sliding in their grass or leaving wrappers from your PowerBars."

All it takes, as they say, is one bad apple to spoil the whole bunch.

"Most people are very respectful of land owners and the woman pushing the baby carriage along the trail," Houston said. "What is a bad image for cyclists or 4-wheelers is the one idiot out there who is skidding tires across the lawn or leaving candy bar wrappers behind. It's not everybody out there doing it a lot -- but it's one person out there doing it a lot -- that makes it look bad for everybody."

Road rules

"The world just looks different on a bike," is how Dennis Morang describes it, and he's right.

But Allison Vogt, the new executive director of the Bicycle Coalition of Maine, hopes that people will someday be able to change that perception. She'd like to see more cyclists using their bikes as their primary mode of transportation.

"It's a good introduction for folks to use these paths, so they can get comfortable enough and eventually be able to ride comfortably on street," Vogt said. "That's the goal -- you can go anywhere you want when you're on a road on your bike."

Like Houston, Vogt reminds cyclists that it's up to them to remain vigilant about safety, especially when sharing something like the Kennebec River Rail Trail with cyclists and walkers of all ability levels.

"These kinds of paths, people tend to feel more comfortable on them because there are no motorized vehicles," Vogt said. "They're designed for a fairly slow pace, for recreational use. But even though there are no cars, you still have to watch for other people, for dogs, for carriages, for all those kinds of things."

The Bicycle Coalition of Maine emphasizes the "Three Cs" -- and it's not Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen of the world champion Boston Celtics. It's caution, consideration and communication.

"I've never experienced problems in places where these kinds of bike paths exist," said Vogt, a Kentucky native who has also lived in Alabama and only recently moved to Maine. "But the more educated you are about these things, the better it is for yourself and the better it is for other people around you."

But if you're still not sure who has the right of way when, Houston offers simple advice on what your expectations should be on the trail. The cyclist should always yield to traffic, be it foot traffic or cycling traffic.

"Here's the deal," he said. "It's like when you're on a mountain bike -- you lead, you follow or you get out of the way.

"If you lead me, then I'm going to let you lead and not try and pass, and the same goes for if you're following me. But if you're overtaking me because an obstacle has slowed me, then it's my responsibility to get both myself and my bike out of your way."

Travis Barrett -- 621-5648

tbarrett@centralmaine.com

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