Briones Pilot Project Focus Of Upcoming Meeting

CONTRA COSTA COUNTY, CA — The East Bay Regional Park District announced it will hold an informational meeting about the ongoing Briones Pilot Project.

From 10 a.m. to noon, Saturday, June 15, an in-person meeting and open house is planned at the Alhambra Creek Staging Area of Briones Regional Park. The meeting is to share feedback on the progress made within the past year and to learn what is coming up for the project in the next year.

The two-year pilot project passed its one-year mark in April. It was created to test new ways to safely share trails amongst bikers, hikers and equestrians, and improve the trail experience for all users while protecting habitat, wildlife and watersheds.

Within a specific zone of the northeast corner of Briones Regional Park, the project provided new temporary access to some trails for recreational use, while also restoring illegally constructed "bootleg" trails to protect wildlife and enhance natural habitats.

Purpose Of The Pilot Project

The Park District in the last decade has seen a significant increase in visitation to its parks, primarily from population increases in its jurisdiction of Alameda and Contra Costa Counties, but also across the Bay Area. The COVID-19 pandemic also boosted visitation, especially on trails. Another impact has been a rise in the popularity of mountain biking.

The increased number of trail users and the greater number of mountain bikers have increased the potential for conflict between different trail users. Although the district seeks to open new parks and provide more trails, the trail development process takes time. The pilot project tests new ways to safely share trails and improve the trail experience for all users while protecting habitat, wildlife and watersheds.

Among the strategies tested has been to assign pedestrians, cyclists and horseback riders to certain trails on certain days, such as odd and even days. The image below is an example.

The district has also been counting the number of trail users on trails within the pilot project zone.

See more info at Ebparks.org/Briones-Pilot-Project.