Philadelphia Mountain Biking Association - Forums

Below is an email from one of the leaders of a bike club in Chester County regarding a new trail system opening up in that area.  There are also apparently trail-building opportunities out there for any one interested.  This was forwarded to me by a friend who lives out there - I have no personal knowledge of that area.

Jon


>Hello WCCC Riders,
>Below is an e-mail from Dave Baxter concerning the recent developments
>on the SONOCO property along Rte 322 in East Bradford Twp.
>This news for club MTB riders is a great victory!  It means we have an
>excellent MTB trail system right in our back yard.  Please read the
>text below for more information.
>Thanks Dave!
>
>Mike Van Ryn
>WCCC Ride Leader
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Dave Baxter [mailto:dave@baxterproperties.com]
>Sent: Thursday, June 07, 2007 6:24 PM
>To: Friends of the Baxters
>Subject: SONOCO UPDATE
>Importance: High
>
>WE WON!   I just received word that the East Bradford Board of
>Supervisors decided today to retain ownership of the 238 acre Sonoco
>site, and hire NLT in a consulting capacity only.   This is an
>incredible victory for the MTB community, as the township will have
>extensive trails designated for MTB, hikers and a short equestrian
>loop.   MTB will be prohibited only on the equestrian loop, and
>encouraged everywhere else.     The township retaining ownership,
>which was not legally an option a year ago, is now permitted by law,
>and will ultimately allow us the most security in keeping our trails
>legal to MTB.    In contrast, if a land trust took ownership, they
>could do so with the caveat that MTB is allowed, but the possibly of
>them pulling the plug down the road existed.   
>
>The trails are NOT officially opened yet, but as of today, the
>township's goal is to have some of the sections opened to the public
>on East Bradford Day in September.    Of course, I will continue to
>push to have them opened sooner.    There is a plan that was
>presented to and approved by the township that will utilize most of the
>existing trails, while cutting several switch backs in some of the
>steep trails to control erosion and rerouting and closing off a
>few other areas.     The township has granted permission to a law
>enforcement agency to use the site for practice drills, and there will
>be a strong township presence in the coming months while the trails are
>mapped out and built, so please be patient and continue to
>avoid the trails for just a little longer.   
>
>Hopefully E. Bradford will set a precedence for other municipalities to
>follow in their open space planning by not only allowing but
>promoting mountain biking!   
>
>Lastly, as many of you may already know, IMBA (International Mountain
>Biking Association) is holding a trail building workshop on June 23-
>24th at French Creek.    I encourage you all to check out the IMBA
>invitation below, and consider registering for all or part of the
>event.     IMBA played a HUGE roll in getting this approved, so any
>support would go a long way.  If you have not already done so, please
>take a few minutes to join IMBA - it's only a few bucks, and they have
>more power with a stronger membership.
>
>Dave Baxter   

wow john that is awesome....

i used to live in west chester and got out on those trails a few times. they are great and the scene around d-town is pretty damn tight. lots of good riders out there!

i'll definitely be getting up there to see what it looks like once it is "official" hopefully the township trims the thorns; they used to be lethal out there during late summer rides.