[Geysers] OF Bike Rental - The Curmudgeon

[TSBryan at aol.com]

The Curmudgeon has had few opportunities for comment recently -- until now.  
Hoo, boy. This whole business of bike rentals at Old Faithful raises so many 
red  flags with me, so many that the following is only a sample. Each of my 
comments  here will refer to Mr. Getty's statements in his e-mail of 4/18/2006.
 
Mr. Getty said: "There will only be myself and one other Xanterra employee  
renting bikes out, and I can assure you that I have a detailed speech that I  
will require each bike rider to listen to before turning them loose..."
     Right. I don't know what the operating hours might  be, but summer in 
Yellowstone has wonderful daylight for up to 16 hours. So two  employees, 7 days 
per week will be awfully thin coverage, no matter what. It  demands that at 
times it will be a single employee on duty, and there will then  be times (like 
right after an eruption of Old Faithful on a gorgeous day in  July) when that 
person will be swamped. The renters will be anxious to get on  their way. Are 
they all going to get the detailed speech -- I mean, honestly ?  And of 
perhaps greater importance, are they going to pay attention to a speech,  any 
speech?
 
Mr Getty said: "I'll also be asking each group where they intend to go, and  
how long they intend to be out."
     I contend that this will be a largely-meaningless  exercise. These 
people in the vast majority will be going out into the geyser  basin for their 
first-ever time. They will not know where they'll be  going -- not really -- and 
even if they do, they're going to encounter a geyser  that "erupts late", or 
"there was a long line at the store", or "well, we didn't  expect to go all the 
way to Biscuit Basin, but..." Will there be a penalty for  late returns?
 
Mr. Getty said: "Your concern about injuries... there is no way to  eliminate 
all possibility of injuries... we should MINIMIZE it as much as  possible 
[emphasis mine]"
     How cool. This statement basically says that there  will be injuries. 
Rental agreements or no, this is a huge concern that ought to  scare the 
National Park Service out of its wits.
 
Mr. Getty said: "I've coordinate again with NPS and we've developed some  
procedures for the bikers to minimize there[sic] exposure to vehicles, and again  
we'll be going over... proper safety procedures."
     Yes, about as effectively as the  bear/bison/thermal safety literature 
handed out at the entrance stations.
 
Mr. Getty said: "NPS is even looking into lowering the speed limit in what  
we anticipate to be the heavier biked areas."
     How wonderful to see that the NPS already  recognizes that were will be 
traffic problems in what is already a traffic  nightmare area. And also that 
NPS is considering impacting the travel of  thousands of people in motor 
vehicles because of a potential 30 bicycles. Thank  you very much.
 
Mr. Getty said: "... I've modified the rental agreement to state that any  
infraction of the rules can result in a stiff fine by NPS."
     These fines should be explicitly stated,  point-blank. The agreement 
should also note that any fine will be  -- not  can be, but will be -- per bike 
-- for example, four bikes at Grand Geyser,  four fines levied.
 
Mr. Getty said: "Guests will be required to lock bikes when they leave  them."
     This will be enforced by whom. Will all locks be  keyed the same, so 
that anybody could "adopt" a different bike while out in the  basin. How often 
will keys be lost and, in such a case, who will be free to go  to the bike's 
location with another key? Or whatever? Or how soon will there be  "extra" keys 
floating around "in the wrong hands"? Combination locks? Surely you  won't go 
that route.
 
Mr. Getty said: "Currently, our plan is to use the existing bike  racks..."
     Excellent. Like the broken 4-bike rack at Grotto,  the no rack at Daisy, 
at Riverside...?
     I say, if there are to be as many as 30 rental  bikes in the geyser 
basin at the same time (possible) and if the renters of  those bikes are required 
to lock the bikes when they leave them, then there  ought to be at least 30 
bike rack spaces at each of the major attractions in the  basin -- Visitor 
Center, Inn, Lodge, Stores, Castle, Grotto, Daisy, Riverside,  Morning Glory, 
Biscuit Basin, Black Sand Basin -- at a minimum.
 
Well, I suspect that the bikes, all apparently Trek Navigator 200 models,  
will be identifiable as Xanterra rental bikes. Wonderful. Because if I see a  
single one on a boardwalk, on the dirt trail beyond Morning Glory or beyond  
Punch Bowl -- I know how to 1) use the FRS radios and 2) file a formal  
complaint. And both will be done for any and every violation I see. That's a  promise.
    
I will comment to the NPS right here -- I see on the Yellowstone Website,  
page about bicycling in the park, that there is the statement that bikes are NOT 
 allowed on the dirt trail beyond Morning glory Pool. However, it does NOT 
state  (or say anything whatsoever) about a prohibition of bikes between Punch 
Bowl and  Black Sand Basin.
 
My overall opinion of this program? I hope Xanterra loses its shirt.
 
 
I suggest responses to any of this be posted to the geyser list, 
_geysers at wwc.edu_ (mailto:geysers at wwc.edu) .
 

Thank you.
 
T. Scott Bryan
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