Rockburn Residents Object to Bike Trail

Bike enthusiasts expect the Howard County Department of Recreation and Parks to make a decision about a mountain biking course in Elkridge soon. However, Rockburn residents are hoping the decision will be postponed or denied.

Bikers, Mid-Atlantic Off-Road Enthusiasts (MORE), county officials and residents met at  to discuss the possible course at a recent meeting.

The course would be funded through grants and private donations, said Jon Posner, a spokesman from MORE who presented the county with the proposal. MORE said it chose Rockburn because of its proximity to . The two parks' trails connect, and if bikers start their ride in Rockburn, it's free; if they start in Patapsco, it would cost a fee, said MORE.

But Patapsco lacks a skills course for mountain biking, which is what MORE representatives said they wanted.

Residents were concerned about liability to the county, money needed to provide the course and necessary insurance not being fulfilled. Several doctors attended the meeting, and one said that if children were injured and the county or MORE doesn't have the necessary liability insurance, the county could be sued because of the injury.

Bikers who use Rockburn and Patapsco told residents that soccer and football are more likely to cause injuries than bikes.

Residents also said they were upset to have been given little warning; they received two months' notice about the project, which they said others had known about for two years. MORE representatives stated that while they had in fact been petitioning for two years, the proposal didn't make it before the Recreation and Parks board until two months ago.

MORE took offense that it was trying to hide its plans from residents. The organization has meticulously communicated its ideas and proposals to others and has always had an open forum about the bike course, Posner said.

“It's a lot to absorb. I haven't been intimately involved, but I would like more time to read through the information and provide comments,” said one resident.

The trail would be near Cider Mill Farm on Landing Road and behind the soccer fields and basketball courts. Most of the residents among the 50 or so in attendance at the April 7 meeting were from the Rockburn and Cider Mill areas.

Bikers said the trail would be separate from others used for foot traffic and noted that minimal damage has occurred to nature from bike riding.

“We're talking about a small course on a dirt track among wood and rocks. This is not something that will affect much,” a local biker said.

The county is accepting comments about the plan until April 13, said Dr. Joel Goodman, chairman of the parks advisory board. Comments should be submitted to the attention of Jennie DeArmey, jdearmey@howardcountymd.gov. 

Recreation and Parks will have a meeting at 7:30 p.m. on May 18 to vote on the proposal at its headquarters (7120 Oakland Mills Rd. in Columbia). This meeting will be open to the public, but no public testimony will be allowed.