The planned closure of a popular backcountry road in B.C.’s West Kootenay region has recreational users pleading with the province to hold off. The popular route, known as Rady Creek Forest Service Road, is slated for physical deactivation, with a contract for the work needed to make it unusable out for bids until Sept. 24. The provincial Ministry of Forests says the closure is necessary because of slope stability and environmental concerns, but regular users of the route say the government has changed its justification for the plan over time. “They keep telling us it’s not a high value rec area,” said Colin Stuart, of the Four-Wheel Drive Association of B.C. “That couldn’t be further from the truth. People visit that area every season, no matter what time of year.” Forest service roads are the backbone of B.C.’s backcountry. Built for loggers and miners, they’re used by off-roaders, snowmobilers and other recreational users. “It’s just a great way to access the public land that we can all enjoy,” said Stuart. Plans to restrict access to the area back in 2021 were met with public outcry. Users have continued to petition the government to keep the road open during this latest push to close it. The B.C. Snowmobile Federation says what’s happening at Rady Creek isn’t isolated. There are other forest service roads facing closure across the province. The organization is calling on the province to find a middle ground with recreational users, according to executive director Amber Lane. “Without coming to the table and without examining this transition, we’re going to continue to deactivate our recreational assets, and I don’t know what’s going to be left in these rural communities,” Lane told CTV News. “These people don’t have (public) pools, they don’t have libraries. They choose to live in these communities because of the access to recreation. And when we remove that, what does living in those communities look like?” The province’s request for bids acknowledges that the project is “contentious,” but the opposition from users has not stopped the government from planning to complete the work as soon as Nov. 1. Opponents of the plan to deactivate the route have been meticulously documenting the process on their website, SaveRady.com. With files from CTV News Vancouver’s Isabella Zavarise
