Patrol Solidifies Access - Patrol Brings Brotherly Love To Philly

Mountain BIking Success Stories

IMBA Trail News
Volume 16, Number 2
Early Summer 2003

Jay Jones loves riding the challenging trails of the Wissahickon Valley section of Philadelphia's Fairmount Park. Access in this crowded urban park has been contentious for years, however, and the threat of closure to mountain bikes loomed in the late 1990s.

Looking for solutions, Jay and his wife attended the 1999 National Mountain Bike Patrol Conference in North Carolina. Jay had heard about the program's focus on training and certifying volunteers to assist land managers and trail users, and thought it was exactly what his local park needed. While at the conference, they met another Wissahickon mountain biker who shared his vision. The trio returned to Philadelphia to form the Delaware Valley Mountain Bike Patrol (www.dvmbp.org). Today, riders still enjoy access to the park.

The presence of volunteer NMBP patrollers has effectively cut crime, improved trail conditions, and reduced trail user conflict. Most important, though, is the positive relationship created between park management and the patrol.

More info: www.imba.com/nmbp