NORTH VANCOUVER -- The arrest of a 64-year-old woman for allegedly blocking mountain bike trails in North Vancouver comes after years of peace between bikers and other trail users on the North Shore, according to an official with the North Shore Mountain Bike Association.

Mark Wood said in the past 10 years, mountain biking has gone from being a fringe activity to a widely recognized outdoor sport.

“There is a lot of unity in this community between hikers and bikers and dog walkers,” he said.

“There has been a lot of broad-based cooperation here.”

But during the past year, there has been an increase in vandalism on the public trails by someone who doesn’t like mountain bikers.

Wood said municipal trail signs with the designation “Mt. Bike Primary” have been scratched out or set on fire.

“Mountain bikers are firmly entrenched and integrated into this community,” he said.

“A lot of these trails are built by mountain bikers and used by the whole community and we welcome that.”

Cpl. Richard De Jong of the North Vancouver RCMP said a woman was caught on camera placing debris on the Quarry and Lower Skull trails, which are located off the 1200-block of Dempsey Road.

He said the cameras were set up by two mountain bikers who noticed that the trails were being blocked on a regular basis between Aug. 1 and Dec. 29. Logs were often placed on the steep trails in such a way that they could surprise a mountain biker and cause the rider to be seriously injured by being catapulted over the handlebars.

“On Jan. 4 at approximately 5 a.m., acting on that evidence we pretty much caught her in the act at the head of Quarry Trail,” he said.

The woman, an area resident, was arrested and ordered to stay away from the trail.

Police have recommended to Crown Counsel that she be charged with setting a trap and mischief to property. She’s scheduled to appear in court on Feb. 4.

De Jong said he hopes the case sends a message “to her and hopefully to the public as well that these are trails open to the public and everyone is allowed to use them lawfully.”

He said no one should have to worry about endangering their lives on trails because of traps or obstacles.

De Jong said police did not ask or direct the two mountain bikers to set up cameras in a public place. They brought the evidence to police.

“We live and work and breathe in an age of video cameras,” he said.

“These are (wildlife) cameras you can set up in the dark and they’re activated by motion. We solicit video footage from people who may be broken into. It is not uncommon to use this evidence in a court setting.”

De Jong said he can’t recall anyone facing similar charges of obstructing mountain bikers in North Vancouver.

“Someone taking it to this level is very unique,” he said.

Cam McRae, founder and editor of nsmb.com, a local website dedicated to mountain biking, said he also considered setting up a motion-activated camera to catch the vandal.

“There has been talk on our bulletin board for a long time about how to deal with this because it’s dangerous,” he said.

“When you realize you could be seriously injured on the basis of the actions of one individual, it becomes clear that you have to take some kind of steps to prevent that from happening.

“I wasn’t surprised to learn that someone had taken action to record somebody scattering this debris on the trail.”

However, he was surprised RCMP has recommended laying charges against the suspect.

“I anticipated a warning and some kind of public announcement. The laying of charges surprised me,” he said.

“I’m pleased. I think it is the sort of action that warrants a stern reaction.”

kevingriffin@vancouversun.com

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