Trail Safety and Courtesy for Bicyclists and Users of Other Wheeled Devices
These tips for bicyclists and users of other wheeled devices include general suggestions as well as recommendations for safe and courteous encounters with other trail users. If you will have a dog with you, please also see the tips for trail users with dogs.
Many people use East Bay Regional Park District trails safely every day, but accidental injuries do happen, and a person who might decide to harm you could be anywhere. We suggest that you minimize your "risk factors" on District trails as you would in any public area. You can reduce risk by following each of these tips:
- Own the trail. While using the trails, project alertness, confidence, and determination. Your shoulders are back, you are aware of your surroundings, and you have somewhere to go.
- Go with a buddy. Use the trails with a friend. Two or more trail users can assist each other in the event of accident or injury, and one can always seek help.
- The day is your friend. It's better to avoid dusk and darkness.
- Use all your senses. Listen for suspicious noises. Don't wear headphones; they impair your ability to hear someone approaching you from behind. If you sense that an area may be unsafe for you, leave.
- Take what you need. Carry personal identification. If you use a medication frequently, such as for asthma, diabetes, or angina, take it and instructions for use with you.
- Leave valuables at home. Don't make yourself an obvious target. If you must leave valuables in your vehicle while you are on the trails, hide them well before you arrive at the parking area; auto burglaries are all too common.
- Call for help. If you need assistance or encounter someone else needing assistance, call 911 (call 510.881.1121 from a cell phone). Many District employees and volunteers can also request assistance for you.
- Have someone waiting. Let someone else know where on District trails or parklands you will be going and when you will return, and instruct him or her to call 911 (call 510.881.1121 from a cell phone) if you do not return as planned. If you do nothing else, leave a note stating where you're going.
- Be easy to find. Use marked, authorized trails only.
- Bicycles (whether ridden, walked, or carried) are not permitted on narrow trails, on unofficial trails, off trail, or on trails marked "No Bicycles" (in words or graphics). For this purpose, a "bicycle" is a human-powered two- or three-wheeled vehicle. Use marked, authorized bicycle trails only. Bicycle trails may be paved or unpaved and are at least 8 feet wide (except for certain narrower trails specifically marked as open to bicycles). Respect trail and area closures. Check the park map to be sure you understand which trails are open for bicycle use.
- Other human-powered wheeled devices (including unicycles, roller skates, inline skates, skateboards, scooters, and mountain boards) may be used on paved trails that are open to bicycle use but not on any unpaved surface.
- Motorized vehicles (gasoline or electric) are not permitted on District trails. This restriction does not apply to electric-powered wheelchairs or bicycles operated by the disabled.
- California state law requires that all cyclists, skaters, skateboarders, and scooter users under age 18 wear approved helmets while riding on trails and roadways, even as a passenger. To prevent injury, the District strongly recommends that everyone on wheels wear a helmet. [ more information ]
- California state law regarding required bicycle lighting during hours of darkness (a white headlight visible 300 feet ahead) applies to District trails and roadways. Wheeled devices other than bicycles may not be used during hours of darkness.
- Be considerate, aware of your impact on the trail and parklands, and aware of your effect on other park and trail users.
- Do not ride at an unsafe speed, or exceeding any posted speed limit.
- At least 50 feet before reaching other trail users, whether from ahead or from behind, cyclists and users of other wheeled devices must call out or sound an audible warning. "Bike passing on your left."
- On blind turns, cyclists and users of other wheeled devices should slow down as well as establish verbal contact or sound a warning.
- For everyone's safety, stay to the right side of the trail, especially when approached from ahead or behind by other trail users, and travel single file around blind curves. When several persons travel side by side, it can be difficult for other trail users to pass safely.
- In some cases, the best approach upon encountering a group of trail users approaching you is to move to the edge of the trail yourself, or off the trail if circumstances permit, stop, and let the group pass you.
- Another trail user's hand out and down, or waving up and down, is a warning to others to slow down or stop; there may be a trail hazard or an injured person or animal ahead.
- Check behind and to both sides before changing course.
- Stay within park boundaries. Fence lines are marked. Please respect the rights and privacy of adjacent property owners.
- Leave no trace. The International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA) writes, "Be sensitive to the dirt beneath you. Recognize different types of soils and trail construction; practice low-impact cycling. Wet and muddy trails are more vulnerable to damage. When the trailbed is soft, consider other riding options."
- Be prepared for the weather. A regional trail or park some distance from your home may have a very different climate. Adequate water supply and sun protection are advised for all outdoor activities in hot, sunny weather. Have several layers of appropriate clothing available if cold, wind, or rain may be present, especially in shady canyons or on exposed ridgetops.
- Smoking and vaping are not permitted on District lands, except in occupied campsites. Wildfires can arise within seconds and can destroy parkland habitat, nearby homes, and other private property, and can injure and take human life as well.
- Please do not disturb or feed wild animals in the parklands. A general rule is that if a wild animal is easily approachable, it may be ill and should be left alone. Inform a park ranger or Volunteer Trail Safety Patrol member if you see an obviously sick animal.
- Leave rattlesnakes alone. Rattlesnakes are not aggressive creatures, and generally will not strike if you keep your distance. If you find a rattlesnake in a high-use area, inform a park ranger or Volunteer Trail Safety Patrol member.
- Mountain lions are native to the area and live in the parklands but are rarely seen because they generally avoid and retreat from human contact. Learn to recognize this large cat. If you encounter a mountain lion, do not run. Stand facing the lion, pick up any small children, and make yourself appear as large as possible. If attacked, fight back. [ More information ]
- Poison oak is a very common native plant in the East Bay and is found as a ground cover, as a shrub, or as a vine that often entwines around adjacent plants. Most people will develop a rash within a few days if they come into contact with any part (leaves, stems, or roots) of this plant. Learn to recognize poison oak. "Leaflets three, let it be" is a safe policy. [ More information ]
- Ticks are widespread in the kind of natural grasslands environment common in the District. Ticks can transmit Lyme disease to humans and pets. Learn how to avoid ticks and what to do if you are bitten.
- Bicyclists and users of other wheeled devices should always yield the right of way to persons on foot.
- If your cycling party is spread out along the trail, it is a courtesy for the first rider, while passing other trail users, to announce the number of cyclists in the party to follow. "Bike passing on your left -- three more behind me."
- Watch for an acknowledgment after you've called out or sounded a warning: the person you are passing may be wearing headphones or have impaired hearing and may still not be aware of you.
- Ride defensively. Be able to cope if the person you are passing moves in an unexpected direction; he or she may need to dodge a puddle or other trail obstacle that you don't see. Watch for small children!
- If trail users ahead of you are occupying most or all of the trail's width, politely ask the individuals near the left side of the trail to move right and allow you to pass.
- Bicyclists and users of other wheeled devices should always yield the right of way to equestrians.
- On approaching a horse and rider, call out or sound a friendly warning whether you are seen or not.
- It is courteous to ask the equestrian whether you should stop until the horse has passed.
- Most horses used on trails recognize and are comfortable with humans on bicycles, but some may be frightened of (for example) a bicycle alone, standing or lying by itself, or of other large objects. Communicate with the equestrian if you see that the horse is agitated; this also allows the horse to recognize you as a familiar human creature. "If it talks, it can't be all bad."
- If a horse passes you, stand to the side of the trail (but not ever out of the horse's sight) and let the horse pass. If the trail is narrow, it is best to stand just off the downhill side of the trail unless it is not safe for you to do so for other reasons (for example, very steep terrain, poison oak). A horse may perceive a creature above it to be a possible predator and thus a threat.
- Wait a moment after the horse has passed to avoid startling the horse when you begin riding again.
- Do not ride between the horses in the horse party. Horses derive security from the other horses in their group.
- If you are overtaking a horse going in the same direction, it is very important to announce your presence and communicate with the rider. Never ride down a hill suddenly or at high speed behind a horse; this could endanger both horse and rider.
- For your safety, keep yourself, your bicycle, and your children away from any horse's hindquarters; allow the horse to see and hear you. A red ribbon on a horse's tail means "this horse tends to kick".
- Ask the rider's permission if you or your children want to touch the horse.
- Slow down when approaching a trail user and dog on the trail. The dog may be on a long, slender leash that may be difficult for you to see. You will be "clotheslined" if you ride between the dog and its handler and strike the leash, possibly resulting in injury to everyone involved.
- If an approach by a dog is unpleasant for you, politely ask the dog's handler to call the dog back. If you feel it necessary, politely ask the handler to leash the dog. Many people do enjoy being approached even by unfamiliar dogs, but many dog handlers incorrectly assume that all do. If you do not, communicate with the handler.
- If a dog's approach feels threatening to you, remain calm, stand or sit still with your hands out of the dog's reach, and look slightly away from the dog. (If you look directly at the dog, it may interpret that as a challenge.)
- Be cautious around groups of dogs. Groups of dogs tend to "tune in" on each other and to "tune out" their surroundings. Such a dog may run suddenly in your direction while looking elsewhere and collide with you.
- If bitten by a dog, exchange personal contact information with the dog's handler, and obtain the dog's license number. If you are seriously injured by a dog, report the injury to park staff or to the District, and if possible remain on the scene. If you must leave the scene to obtain immediate medical treatment, report the incident to the District within 24 hours.
Parkland Rules
Please know and observe the District's parkland rules that apply to your situation.
