While outdoors during outbreak, be considerate and do not litter
Q On day one of shelter in place, and as a longtime cyclist,
I took a bike ride down the Los Gatos Creek Trail as allowed under the exception of “essential activities.”
I saw a lot, some good, some not so good. Let me elaborate: — Jim P., San Jose
A Please do so. Biking trails are getting heavy use during these troubling times.
Q The good: There may be a silver lining to this challenging shelter-in-place order: The Bay Area rediscovers the joys of outdoor exercise. The roads were eerily quiet, but the trail was busy. There was a wide variety of people out. Young, old, those using training wheels. And many looked happy. There were lots of smiles! — Jim P. A
But the not so good … Q
As I navigated the busy trail, it was painfully obvious that many people are new to the trails or need a refresher on trail etiquette
and safety.
There were lots of inattentive folks and near accidents. A group walking fourwide across the entire trail, coming up around a blind corner, as I was coming down the hill from the Vasona Dam. Or the two teenage girls stopped in the middle of the trail, heads buried in their phones, texting and oblivious to those trying to maneuver around them. Or the lady with her dog who blindly walked onto the trail without looking.
My trail behavior isn’t perfect, but I always use a bell and a firm, friendly shoutout of “On your left” when coming up behind someone. I cannot tell you how many thumbs-up I received from that simple act.
I could go on, with many more observations just from my short time on the trail, but you get the idea. — Jim P. A
I do. Now in the East Bay. Q
Along the Dublin Ranch Trail, a guy with his eyes glued to his cellphone and his son
were walking their dog down the center of the trail.
I stepped over the ditch to get around them. Farther down the trail, a lady was blocking the path taking pictures of her husband.
Please be considerate and step to one side when someone is approaching from the opposite direction so that passing is possible with the recommended coronavirus distancing of 6 feet apart. Also, please pick up your dog poop bags, tissues, cups and bottles.
They carry germs and pose a threat to all, and especially vulnerable people.
To get through this, we all need to be considerate of others. — Eve Sprunt, Dublin A Well said. Enjoy the trails.