Important: This plan would NOT open the existing equestrian/hiking trails to bikes, as that would require re-opening the 2006 American River Parkway Plan. The proposal would instead link up many fire and maintenance roads to provide a semi-complete gravel route from Discovery Park to the Fish Hatchery.

Delivering your comment:

• Public comment is often limited to 2 minutes — lead with your strongest point and your ask.
• Say who you are and how you use the Parkway (commuter, family rides, mountain biking club, etc.).
• A specific location or personal story beats a general statement of support.
• Be respectful of equestrian, pedestrian, and conservation speakers — shared trails work best when built on shared credibility.
• Keep these above points quick. Make sure you get to your Ask or Support.
• Practice! Sounds corny, but it really helps
• Bring bullet points to the meeting for your comments to help you stay on track. Highlight phrases/points you want to make. Don’t read a statement from your phone.

Recommended Talking Points for Public Comment:

These are a starting point, not a script. Pick the two or three that matter most to you and put them in your own words — personal, specific comments carry more weight than a recited list.

Thank the Subcommittee and support the process

• The Subcommittee spent months evaluating this issue and the decisions reflect real consensus across a variety of groups.

Gravel and off-road cycling have grown enormously over the past decade — and local access is a safety issue

• Gravel riding is one of the fastest-growing segments of cycling.
• Reasons for this include not feeling safe on increasingly dangerous roadways. Getting off road means fewer altercations with cars. Amenities like the ARBT are much safer than sharing the road with vehicles.
• With more people choosing the ARBT it is much busier than it was pre-pandemic. Different types and speeds of users - cyclists, runners, families walking, hoverboards, skaters, scooters, e-bikes are all sharing the black ribbon of pavement. It can get very busy.
• If maintenance roads are open to cyclists, it will help redistribute some of the cyclists on the ARBT, reducing potential conflicts, making it safer for all users.
• The growth in gravel reflects real demand from riders who want to get off pavement without needing full mountain-bike terrain — exactly the kind of riding these maintenance roads and firebreaks are suited for.
• Expanding off-paved access on the Parkway means people can ride from home and have a safe experience on the Parkway.

More cyclists means more "eyes on the parkway" — a real public safety benefit

• Off-paved riders ride through areas less frequented by Rangers who already have a large set of Parkway tasks. 
• Cyclists using these trails have a track record of being the first to spot and report problems — illegal encampments, fires before they spread, downed trees blocking access roads, injured hikers or wildlife, and other hazards — often reporting them before an official patrol would have come across the same issue.
• This benefit extends to every user group: faster fire reports protect the whole ecosystem and neighboring communities.
• Note: If you've personally reported a fire, encampment, or hazardous condition while riding, that specific story is one of the most persuasive things you can share with the Commission.

The ASK! Support the full Subcommittee recommendation package

• Urge the Commission to adopt the Subcommittee's recommendations for expanded off-paved access at Discovery Park, Paradise Beach, Campus Commons, Howe Avenue, Watt Avenue (north and south), Gristmill, SARA Park (north bank), Arden Bar, River Bend, Rossmoor Bar, and Sailor Bar.
• These are existing maintenance and emergency roads.

ASK the Commission to follow the Subcommittee, and reject the more restrictive Staff alternative, at both Rossmoor Bar and Sailor Bar

• Sailor Bar Subcommittee recommendation: Allow off-paved cycling on a "figure-8" route connecting the parking lot through the white maintenance roads to Hazel Avenue via Curragh Downs. This includes overlap with maintenance roads that also serve as equestrian and pedestrian trails, but excludes the service road near Turtle Pond.
• Sailor Bar Staff recommendation: Allow off-paved cycling as the Subcommittee proposed, except for the northernmost maintenance road connecting the Olive Access and Illinois Access. That road is also part of the equestrian trail, and Staff wants to preserve it as a maintenance service road/equestrian trail without bicycle traffic. Staff keeps the same Turtle Pond exclusion as the Subcommittee.
• Rossmoor Bar Subcommittee recommendation: Allow off-paved cycling on existing maintenance roads in the area, consistent with Rancho Cordova's planning efforts — while flagging concern about combining equestrian and bike use at the rocky northeast river section.
• Rossmoor Bar Staff recommendation: Allow off-paved cycling only on the southernmost maintenance roads. All other maintenance roads and firebreaks at Rossmoor Bar would stay pedestrian-use only, with improvements tied to the trails improvement plan the City of Rancho Cordova has had underway since 2022 (with County endorsement).

Make clear that the plan keeps cyclists off the dedicated equestrian trail

• Note: Making this distinction clearly in your comment — that the ask is for maintenance-road access, not shared use of the equestrian trail — directly addresses the main safety concern and makes it easier for the Commission to side with the Subcommittee's fuller recommendation.

Encourage the Commission to keep moving on future updates

• The Subcommittee flagged further steps for the future: in particular shifting the default so maintenance and fire roads are open to bikes unless specifically excluded. When the Parkway Master Plan is updated, cyclists can push for other advancements.
• Ask the Commission to direct staff to carry these ideas forward rather than let them sit as unaddressed notes.
• SABA & Fatrac have offered to create maps of the roads available to help educate riders to the newly opened roads for access.

Support the e-bike education campaign — and keep it distinct from  Maintenance road access

• The "Ride Smart. Ride Safe. Ride Free." campaign is a reasonable, education-first response to youth e-bike and e-moto use AND it is separate from the off-paved trail cycling policy we are discussing here.
• It's worth affirming support for rider education while noting that traditional and electric-assist mountain bikes used responsibly on designated trails aren't the problem. Illegal e-motorcycles that prompted the recent ordinance changes are the issue.

Close with a clear, specific ask

• Adopt the Subcommittee's recommendations, including at Rossmoor Bar and Sailor Bar, with the equestrian trail itself remaining separate from bike use; and direct staff to move the required next approval step forward without unnecessary delay.