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Phoenix government idiots back off on plan to close parks when it hits 110F.
But the government idiots will still carry out their idiotic plan to ban dogs from Phoenix parks when it's over 100F. You may not know this but in Phoenix we have over 100 days every year where the temperature is 100F or higher. That means dogs will be banned from Phoenix parks almost a third of the year. The first 100F+ days often come in April and we have 100F+ days till the middle of October. It's time to boot these government idiots out of office on the Phoenix City Council. They are: Greg Stanton, Mayor Phoenix will keep trails open in extreme heat, after hiker backlash Brenna Goth, The Republic | azcentral.com 10:14 p.m. MST June 30, 2016 Phoenix will keep its trails open for use in extreme heat following backlash from hikers to a proposal to close paths in the city's parks and preserves when temperatures reach 110 degrees. Parks and Recreation Board members on Thursday unanimously voted down closing the trails and told city staff that a policy aiming to protect hiker safety and limit mountain rescues needed more data than what was proposed. The board voted instead to form a task force to look at a heat-related hiking policy and conduct a six-month survey for public input. Dogs, though, will be prevented from hiking at temperatures above 100 degrees as part of a three-month pilot program, under the vote. The new rule on the dogs will take effect immediately, according to an email from Phoenix spokeswoman Julie Watters. Dozens of community members attended the board meeting to protest the potential hiking ban for humans. Only a few spoke on the issue of dogs. Some hikers against closing the trails at 110 degrees said the department showed little data on the relationship between heat and mountain rescues. Others said the city should not tell them what their bodies can handle. Board member Charlene Tarver said additional input could help develop a "more rational and well-reasoned plan." "Clearly, the community has spoken here," she said. Policy proposed for hiking safety Parks staff had proposed the policy change to manage safe access to Phoenix trails during dangerous heat, according to city officials. City code already allows for the closure of parks and preserves for public health and safety emergencies. A violation can result in a Class 1 misdemeanor, said Alonso Avitia, acting deputy director of the Parks and Recreation Department Natural Resources Division. Based on 2015 temperatures, the proposed rules would have closed the trails to dogs 88 days of the year, Avitia said. Humans wouldn't have been able to hike 20 days, though parks staff said people could have still hiked in the mornings. Parks and Recreation Director Inger Erickson said possible enforcement would have been limited to people approached by a ranger at a trailhead and told the trails were closed but proceeded anyway. “Our goal is not really to be heavy-handed or punitive,” Erickson said. [Well then if that's true why are the *ssholes being heavy handed and passing a law that allows them to be heavy handed and throw people in jail for hiking when it's 110F, and banning dogs when it's 100F?] Board members questioned the logistics of trail closures. The department noted the difficulty of tracking hikers who enter the preserves from dozens of designated and unregulated entry points. The proposal did not suggest any physical barriers to entering the preserves and, instead, suggested signage. Some board members asked for a "stupid hiker" rule that would charge people for their own mountain rescues. That type of policy is not within the board's authority, Erickson said. Few voices of support Several hikers told the board during an impassioned comment period that they thought the proposal was a "knee-jerk reaction." Statewide, several people have died this summer on mountain trails during extreme heat. The Phoenix Fire Department carried out 140 mountain rescues this year as of June 27, according to Capt. Reda Bigler. The department doesn't track which calls are heat related. Patrick Fuchs, who called himself an avid hiker, said the proposal came with no information on who would benefit, how much money would be saved or why 110 degrees was the right threshold. “The statistics do not bear out that we need this rule that takes my rights away,” Fuchs said. Other people said the policy could make the trails more dangerous because people would still hike but have fewer passers-by on the trail or be reluctant to call for help. A few attendees, though, said they supported the proposal to reduce rescues. Chelsey McHale, whose brother died on Camelback Mountain after an accident unrelated to heat, said she was speaking from an experience of loss to advocate for hiker safety. “They’re not stupid, they’re just uneducated about the heat,” McHale said. Phoenix runs a "Take a Hike. Do it Right." campaign that deploys rangers to popular trailheads when temperatures reach 110 degrees. The initiative includes providing hikers with heat-awareness education and extra water. |