Does this punishment fit the crime? 3 cyclists jailed for going thru Grand Canyon

[wannaduacentury]

Whatever you do, don't ride bikes in the Grand Canyon as these guys found out.

http://www.bikingbis.com/blog/_archi...2/2775982.html

[mimitabby]

the 5 years ban sounds very very unfair and the jail sounds a bit much too. I don't know why they didn't just get a ticket/fine.

[Eden]

Duh! if you really need to do something illegal at least don't take photos and brag about it on the internet......

[Lifesgreat]

Yes, the punishment is hefty, but I can also see the feds wanting to send a STRONG message to those who may be "inspired" by these three. I cannot even imagine going on those trails on a bike, with the steep drops and switchbacks. . .

[sarahkonamojo]

Tha rangers in GCNP don't fool around. Most stories I know regard river trips through the Grand Canyon, but they are just as amazing. Try to catch up with your party after lauch - jail time. Misdemeanor drug possession - entire trip cancelled, etc. Not that the perpetrators don't deserve some sort of punishment, but often the punishent affects people who are not guilty or involved in the crime.

If the US government put this kind of effort and attention into any number of national problems, we might actually move forward on an issue or two. How about corporate crime....

sarah

[emily_in_nc]

As a hiker who did the Grand Canyon rim-to-river and back hike last May, I am glad their punishment was not just a hand slap (though I do agree that it was probably overly harsh -- jail time was not really necessary to make a point). I also ride mountain bikes, but riding peds-only trails and breaking rules in national parks is something that makes all cyclists look bad. Yes, Bikes Belong, but not in the Grand Canyon.

Emily

[lizbids]

So these boys perhaps could have hurt themselves. Ok, they should have been fined but jail time? Come on!!! There are way worse crimes that go unpunished every day...

[KnottedYet]

Backcountry rescues are pretty dang expensive. I do definitely agree with the fine they had to pay to search and rescue.

Any of you EMT trained folks relish the thought of packing a biker/hiker collision victim (or a plain ol' bike vs. gravity victim) on a backboard to an accessible point in Grand Canyon?

Yowza!

(and if anyone's never been there, you've gotta go! You wouldn't believe how intense and vertical-crazy it is, or how incredibly crowded it is year round! And beautiful! Photos and videos can never do it justice.)

[bmccasland]

Have been an EMT worked SAR, would NOT, repeat NOT want to drag someone out of The Canyon, the desert of Arizona was fun enough. Only place I know where the litter picker-uppers need climbing skills. There is a reason there are still parts of crashed planes in the canyon - too hard and expensive to get them out of there.

[bmccasland]

Having hiked the Canyon, and worked in the Canyon, 48 hrs in jail and a lovely donation to the SAR fund, plus the posting on the internet the punishment seems fair. There is NO place on the trails for hikers and bikers in the canyon, and in most places if you take much more than a light tumble, you're dead. They were probably told when they entered the Park the rules and they chose to break them. The two wider, and heavily used trails also have the mule trains. Mules, hikers, bikes, not a good mix. And the mules have the right-of-way.

[silver]

I don't have any problem with the punishment. But it just makes me sick that drivers (one in particular) can drive carelessly and kill a cyclist and the punishment is just a slap on the wrist. The punishment should be at least as much as cycling in the Grand Canyon. Better yet, he could spend jail time with the cyclists.

[wannaduacentury]

I was wondering, do you think they snuck through w/o going through the main gates? and then a ranger caught them? I think the 5 yr ban is silly- maybe keep them out og GC for 5 yrs, but the other is over the top. I do agree with the $500 fine to the rescue groups. We've had too many wilderness rescues lately(Mt. Hood). and posting your findings/pics on the internet was dumb. As others have said, if they give more harsh fines and punishment to those who commit worse crimes, we might actually make some progress.

[DeniseGoldberg]

While I agree that the punishment is often too light (or non-existent) for drivers who endanger cyclists, I believe that the punishment in this case is deserved.

There are several issues here, including endangering others who belong on the trail, endangering rescue personnel, and destroying sensitive areas that the National Park Service is trying to protect. Perhaps the 5 year ban is over the top, but I believe the $500 fine is too low.

--- Denise

[Thorn]

While I agree that car driver punishments are beyond just light, you can't use that as guage on this one. If you did, pretty soon, no crime would have a punishment.

I think the punishment was fair. These guys didn't make a little "oops", they knew what they were doing. Trails that are marked for hiking only are marked that way for a reason and bikers need to respect that. A message was being sent by the punishment and valid message. There are trails that bikes simply don't belong on.

While I suspect the trails in the Grand Canyon are more durable than those up in tree cover north, there is also the cost of trail maintenance. We have a long distance hiking trail that is maintained by volunteers. Whether we want to admit it or not, bikes are harder on trails than people. I suspect that there are a few of those volunteer trail maintainers silently cheering and wishing we could do more than slap a $100 fine <sigh>only if they get caught</sigh>

[silver]

I didn't mean to imply that I thought that the grand canyon punishment should be gauged by the car driver punishment.

Just the opposite....shouldn't the careless car driver have at least the same punishment that these guys had.

I definately agree with the Grand Canyon incident punishment.

I was just saddened by the disparity of it all.