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All systems are 'go' for Manitou Incline Management Plan, approval from city governments up next
PHOTO: Priscilla Marbaker of Tapis Associates, Inc., answered questions about the Incline Management Plan Thursday at Manitou Springs City Hall.
It's not perfect for everyone, but the Manitou Incline Management plan received a thumbs up at a public open house Thursday at Manitou Springs City Hall.
The plan is the culmination of months of work by the City of Colorado Springs, The City of Manitou Springs, the U.S. Forest Service, the Cog Railway, Manitou residents and Incline users.
"It has really been about community building," said Priscilla Marbaker of Tapis Associates, Inc, the landscape architecture company hired to spearhead the project. "There are a lot of balls in the air with this plan. There is a lot to consider and it's all interrelated."
The next step is to get the cities of Colorado Springs and Manitou Springs to sign off on the plan , allowing for work to begin. Colorado Springs City Council is expected to approve the plan on Feb. 22, Manitou should give the go-ahead in March. The plan is also expected to son pass muster with the Colorado Springs Trails, Open Space and Parks committee (TOPS), the city's parks advisory board and the Manitou Springs City Council.
But the Incline won't become legal until October at the earliest, Marbaker said.
Most of the discussion on Thursday buzzed around four topics.
Everybody needs an Incline Friend. The group that will be responsible for fund raising, marketing, grant writing, organizing volunteers and public outreach will be called the Incline Friends. Manitou Springs resident Steve Bremner will serve as chairperson of the Incline Friends executive committee, working closely with the Trails and Open Space Coalition (TOSC) to quickly assemble a group that can begin raising funds.
TOSC Advocacy Director Bill Koerner said he hoped to have Incline Friends Executive Committee positions filled in about a month. Once the City of Colorado Springs and Manitou Springs give approval to move ahead with the plan, fund raising can begin.
"It will be important to get that part of the plan in motion as soon as possible," Koerner said.
The plan calls for costs of about $120,000 in the first year to pay for physical improvements to the Incline such as replacing missing and deteriorated railroad ties and other projects.
About 70 people have volunteered for the Incline Friends group. Anyone interested is encouraged to call Koerner at 719-633-6884 or e-mail Bill@trailsandopenspaces.org.
PikesPeakSports.us webmaster Brian McCarrie is currently building the new Incline Friends website.
The plan is not going to the dogs. After several public meetings, opinion was split between those who wanted to allow dogs on the Incline, and those who preferred dog-free climbing. Marbaker said the Incline Task Force made the final decision.
"The task force decided that dogs pose a safety risk and they pose the sanitation risk," she said.
The new Incline Friends Group and the Pikes Peak Humane Society have indicated that they'll explore having a "Dog Day" on the Incline.
Marbaker also said that the no-dogs rule will likely become a Manitou Springs City ordinance, allowing it to be enforced.
Do it from dawn to dusk. The task force agreed that the Incline should be used only during daylight hours. According to the plan, "The hours of Dawn to Dusk rule is a consensus recommendation of the task force to enhance user safety."
Dawn to Dusk is also likely to become enforceable, Marbaker said, with first responders and land owners supporting the rule.
One way traffic. Marbaker said that the One Way Traffic proposal is recommended, but supported by the task force, first responders and the Manitou Springs Fire Department.
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Colleen Keeffe on
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I liked it better when no one knew about the Incline, you could go anytime, bring your dog, and simply enjoy the workout and the amazing views. Now it's a hassle, with people being rude and cars blocking private driveways, and rules sprouting up from the government as a result. Barr Trail is loaded with people "running" down it in their Keds after climbing the Incline, expecting you to get out of their way like they're elite athletes. We should be more guarded about sharing the best places to hike. Once the masses find out, it causes problems because too many aren't respectful of nature or each other.
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Permalink Reply by Susan Cogswell on
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Colleen Keeffe said:
I liked it better when no one knew about the Incline, you could go anytime, bring your dog, and simply enjoy the workout and the amazing views. Now it's a hassle, with people being rude and cars blocking private driveways, and rules sprouting up from the government as a result. Barr Trail is loaded with people "running" down it in their Keds after climbing the Incline, expecting you to get out of their way like they're elite athletes. We should be more guarded about sharing the best places to hike. Once the masses find out, it causes problems because too many aren't respectful of nature or each other.
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I do not like to add negative vibes but I totally agree that all too often those incline people running down Barr Trail have no trail etiquette whatsoever. I am hoping as part of all this discussion that this issue is addressed, and signs are posted as to proper trail procedure on the downhill. It is a joy when on Barr to get above where the incline comes into the trail, peaceful and quiet...gotta love it.
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Permalink Reply by Tim Bergsten on
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One part of the Incline Management Plan that I didn't mention is construction of a new trail, about five miles long, that will give Incline hikers/runners another way down. In the formulation of the plan, the Forest Service indicated that Barr Trail has too much traffic. The new trail will be constructed to the north of the Incline, but not for some time as the early efforts will be aimed at fixing the most damaged parts of the Incline. I think it will be recommended that Incline users take the new trail, but the plan also calls for improvements to the social trail - the one that currently leads from the top of the Incline to Barr. There is also a huge new parking plan that Manitou will have to implement. There will ultimately be fewer public places to park along the Ruxton corridor, meaning more folks will have to park in Manitou and walk or run up Ruxton to the Incline trailhead. The plan has lots of moving parts, so if anyone is reading it differently, please shout out.
Colleen Keeffe said:
I liked it better when no one knew about the Incline, you could go anytime, bring your dog, and simply enjoy the workout and the amazing views. Now it's a hassle, with people being rude and cars blocking private driveways, and rules sprouting up from the government as a result. Barr Trail is loaded with people "running" down it in their Keds after climbing the Incline, expecting you to get out of their way like they're elite athletes. We should be more guarded about sharing the best places to hike. Once the masses find out, it causes problems because too many aren't respectful of nature or each other.
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Thanks for the added info, Tim. You are doing an amazing job on this site! I read stuff here that I never see in the paper, and it is very relevant to the things I enjoy in life -- hiking and biking. Didn't mean to be a nattering nabob of negativity, but sometimes I get a little irritated on Barr Trail when people come barreling at me from the uphill side with no intention of slowing down and I have to dart out of the way like a deer in front of a Mack truck. I like that Forest Service is being proactive, but it does take a long time for them to act. No fault of their own, though. They are pretty strapped and have a lot of rules to follow. (Remember Erin's vocation? She's still on the Payette Forest in Idaho, so I hear about these issues. The Bush admin kept the forest service at bare bones.)
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Hey, thanks for the props. Working hard at it. There are just so many people on the trails now ... and they aren't going away. Unfortunately, Barr is the most popular. I just try to smile and say hi to everybody and hope for the best.
Colleen Keeffe said:
Thanks for the added info, Tim. You are doing an amazing job on this site! I read stuff here that I never see in the paper, and it is very relevant to the things I enjoy in life -- hiking and biking. Didn't mean to be a nattering nabob of negativity, but sometimes I get a little irritated on Barr Trail when people come barreling at me from the uphill side with no intention of slowing down and I have to dart out of the way like a deer in front of a Mack truck. I like that Forest Service is being proactive, but it does take a long time for them to act. No fault of their own, though. They are pretty strapped and have a lot of rules to follow. (Remember Erin's vocation? She's still on the Payette Forest in Idaho, so I hear about these issues. The Bush admin kept the forest service at bare bones.)
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We are stoked that PikesPeakSports.us webmaster Brian McCarrie is designing the new "Incline Friends" website and it's looking great so far!
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Permalink Reply by Suzette Kynor on
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I hope the Dusk to Dawn rule is not enforced. I love to start before Dawn and watch the sunrise at the top. It isn't as crowded, and there is nothing like an incline workout before work in the morning. I love to start before 5 AM in the summer, and make it back home while the rest of the family is still asleep.
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