In Elysian Park, the current hot controversy, for a change, has nothing to do with the Dodgers, whose stadium has been a sore point with area residents for years. This time, the hassle is about bikes.
The 580-acre park of steep hills northwest of downtown Los Angeles is ground zero in a battle over a pilot program that could lead to the eventual introduction of mountain bikes throughout the city's park system. Those thick-wheeled bikes are banned from going off-road into remote areas of city parks. Riders, however, can ride on a park's paved roads.
Nearby residents, environmentalists and park users are in an uproar because they believe mountain bikes are inappropriate on urban park trails, especially in Elysian Park, where the remote country calm often gives no hint that skyscrapers are just on the other side of the hills.
Soil erosion and the safety of park users are the opponents' main concerns.
"Legs and wheels don't mix," said Sallie Neubauer, president of the Citizens Committee to Save Elysian Park. "Mountain bikers seek the thrill of the dangerous and the extreme. And we're talking about urban park space where people go walking with their dogs and baby carriages.
"If you allow mountain bikes in the city, you'll push out other park users."
While hoping for a compromise on limited introduction of mountain bikes, advocates say opponents such as Neubauer are misinformed and afraid of change.
"They are bike bigots," said Peter Heumann, an official with Concerned Off-Road Bicyclists Assn., a local advocacy group. "Bicyclists are not any different than hikers, equestrians, runners or walkers. Mountain biking isn't about speed. It's a matter of getting from point A to point B in beautiful surroundings and you get exercise in the process.
"We're good citizens too."
The furor comes at a time when the popularity of mountain bikes has never been greater. Since Gary Fisher built the first mountain bike--turning a 5-speed into a heavyweight "fat-tire" model able to handle rough terrain--in Northern California in 1974, the mountain bike craze has exploded. Since the 1980s, the number of mountain bikers has skyrocketed, almost matching, some say, the number of traditional bicyclists across the country.
Some of the bikes' popularity seems to stem from cable TV programs that focus on the thrill-seeking component of riding. This image has put bike advocates on the defensive. Heumann and others emphasize that while some revel in the extreme, most riders are law-biding citizens who enjoy the outdoors.
