THIS ROAD IS DOWNRANGE OF THE LOCAL RIFLE RANGE USE AT YOUR OWN RISK
THIS ROAD IS DOWNRANGE OF THE LOCAL RIFLE RANGE USE AT YOUR OWN RISK
Welcome to Joe's Bee Farm Tours by appointment only. For your safety, please keep windows rolled up while visiting our farm.
I would suggest you put a gate (sure, there is the cost).
Most bikers and hikers will be there on the weekends. The post office does not deliver mail on Sundays, so no problem with a gate on Sundays. You will likely know the approximate time of mail deliveries on Saturdays, so stake it out and open the gate for the mail carrier. Once delivered, you can leave the gate closed.
One word: Amazon
Amazon doesn't deliver. FedEx and UPS do. And they are happy to take gate codes.
We can put a chain across the trail as it enters the road, but the problem with the chain across the road is the mail delivery from the USPO won't hold onto a key or code.
Every other delivery and utility service will take down our gate codes, but not the USPO.
So the people at the end of the road don't want their mailboxes moved.
That's the only impediment to a fixed barrier.
We did find out more about California Penal Code 602L though:
Effectively, they have to "refuse to leave" after being requested to do so. It doesn't say that they have to go back the way they came (which is what I was trying to get them to do).
A trespasser called the local police (actually Sheriff, but let's call them the cops nonetheless).
He felt entitled to the road, and didn't like this little roadblock:
The cops arrived to ask me what happened, and they could easily see the roadblock.
I told them that I blocked the road, and that I called them last week to tell them I was blocking the road, and that I told the bikers to go back and they went right by me using the foulest language you can imagine.
Just one memorable sentence was "you can shove your private road up your...", right in front of my kids. The kids were appalled more than I was (as only my best friends talk to me that way); but, when they called the police, they also used foul language (according to the police).
The police declined to even take down the report, even though they told the police that I knocked them off their bikes (I never touched them) and when the cops asked if they had any injuries and if they wanted to press charges, they declined. The cops didn't believe them.
The cops did show me California Penal Code 602L, which says that in order for people to be convicted of trespassing, I need to have signage that is at least 3 per mile and at the entrance & exit to the "trail".
I saw a good sign at a gun show a while back:
NO TRESPASSING I HAVE A GUN AND A BACKHOE
Paul
I suggest you make sure it is legally a private road. You can call it anything you want but if it's a public road you're just blowing smoke.
These signs are all funny, and I appreciate the humor, but my question would be whether people would take them seriously.
We want them to take the California Penal Code 602L and N seriously.
So, we'll go with the standard signs. I noticed there are even "California" no-trespassing signs we can buy:
At $100 bucks a pop, these are a bit expensive though:
BTW, it's interesting that, in California, trespassing can be a felony!
Wow. Take a look at this!
It's *incredibly* hard to get someone arrested for trespassing!
Heh heh ... it's private. There are a whole bunch of ways to show that, but the police map can be fixed so I'll call the county tomorrow to figure that one out.
I don't know *how* they determine such things, but, the cops did drive down the whole road, and they kind of said that we should put up signs just so that we don't get sued by people using it and getting hurt.
So, if it were maintained by the county, it would sure be in much better shape! :)
Everyone but the post office will take gate codes. All the utilities will also (e.g., propane is what we all use).
The whole gate problem hinges on the post office.
These are good ideas, and we've thought of a few others over the past few days as neighbors wandered by our local roadblock:
Everything really hinges on the post office who won't do gate codes.
And Sunday deliveries are handled by USPS under contract.
If you don't know *how* they determine such things, you'd better find out post haste.
One of our current gubernatorial candidates f***ed with something he didn't understand and got burnt.
Can you say 'cluster box'?
It's what people who really live on private roads around here use. Large parcels are left in bigger lockers and the key is left in your mailbox.
According to this document:
Legally, apparently, California no-trespassing signs must say the explicit words "Trespassing/Loitering Forbidden by Law", and the letters must be at least 2 inches in height, and the sign must be at least 1-foot square posted at no less frequency than 3 per mile and at the entrance and exit to all entrances to any property that wants to enforce the no-trespassing rule.
A suggested legally accepted text is: PRIVATE PROPERTY TRESPASSING/LOITERING FORBIDDEN BY LAW VIOLATORS WILL BE PROSECUTED CALIFORNIA PENAL CODE 602
In addition, and only after adding the legally required signage, homeowners "could" send an official form every six months to the police who can enforce the rules in their absence (but they will only do so if the appropriate signage is already in place).
Well, one could say that the whole gate problem hinges on those who refuse to move their mail boxes.
That seems to imply that they don't enforce the rules when you are *not* absent.
If that's the case, who does? If it's the landowners, please define "enforce" in this situation.
Besides, even with all the signage, what do you expect to happen when the bikers ignore them and use the road again? The police won't be there 24-7 and I doubt that they will expend a lot of resources chasing down the culprits.
One last question, and please don't take this the wrong way, I'm really curious.
What is the actual problem with people using this connection between the trails and the park? Is it just a "this is my road" issue or are you concerned with liabity or are users an actual nuisance, etc.? Why is this such a big deal?
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