Okay.....since we're on the subject (again) here is my take, from A-Z, as simply and as clearly as I can put it. No slam against the opinions against any others, just my opinion.
First, kudos to MSA for recognizing a problem (too many people riding irresponsibly and unsafely fast) and deciding to take a stand against it. I couldn't agree more. However -- the problem didn't spring up in just one season, so why was it necessary to try and correct it in one season? For better or for worse, many riders have become accustomed to riding with plenty of signage. I believe a more responsible approach would have been to implement it over the course of several seasons, i.e., "wean" people off of it. The change would have been more transparent and seamless, and before long nobody would even realize there'd been a change.
Also.....when portions of the Huron-Manistee National Forest were in danger of being closed to snowmobiles, MSA waged a mail and email campaign urging members to write to the authorities to voice their opposition. Why was there no such campaign seeking members' input on ways of correcting the problem?
I am an MSA life member and would be the first to say they do a TON of good, but in this case I don't think they handled the issue appropriately.
Now, let's look at the reasons for the signage change (depending on which agency you talk to), in no particular order of importance:
1.) Reduce clutter -- mission accomplished, although personally, I never felt that signs were clutter or that they detracted from my riding experience or views of the woods.
2.) Reduce speed (or "sign-to-sign" riding). In theory, maybe. In the real world, I don't think the change is going to affect most of the people they want it to affect. People who ride responsibly and cautiously are going to be even more so; Ricky Racer is still going to be Ricky Racer. You can't mandate common sense, nor can you mandate courtesy and respect for your fellow rider. No sign or amount of signs will change that.
3.) Reduce lawsuits. Again, maybe in theory. But I also believe the legal eagles will find a way around that. Consider the person who approaches a fence, reaches over to pet the dog, and gets bitten. Victim sues owner and wins, because owner should have known his/her dog might bite and didn't warn the victim. Fair enough.....so the owner puts up a "beware of dog" sign. Victim #2 reaches over the fence (ignoring the warning) to pet dog, and gets bitten. Victim #2 also sues owner and wins, because owner is knowingly harboring a "vicious" animal. Likewise -- rider blows unmarked turn, gets hurt, sues because there was no warning, or rider blows marked turn, and sues because club knew of a dangerous situation. In short, you can't win. It's just the way society is today and sadly, it's part of the cost of doing business.
At any rate....I will be the first to admit that I predicted doom and gloom, and that doesn't appear to have happened. I'm glad I was wrong. It also didn't affect my riding enjoyment any. I'm glad about that, too (although I wouldn't say that I saw any more or any less idiots coming around a corner too fast, on my side). In fairness, I think we need more than one season to make a full and fair analysis, but so far it really hasn't had much affect on my riding.
