Swiss canton of Bern proposes banning mountain-biking
This article's title is admittedly a bit alarmist. Some landowning groups in Bern, a Swiss canton, have actually proposed banning mountain-biking on singletrack trails. This would restricting riding to fire roads and a few designated singletrack trails. The law (the Forest Act) has yet to been changed. The process is standard for the Swiss democratic system. The next step is solicit public comments and then for the various interested parties to table a solution or compromise. Key wording in the proposed law (Article 22) proposes to make it an offense to cycle away from roads on paths that are less than 1.2m wide.
Other noteable elements include fining repeat offenders who are abusive to police 20,000CHF (1CHF is approx 1.07 USD at todays rates). The normal fine will be more in the region of 250CHF; still a pretty hefty penalty for a day's ride.
This law is not a foregone conclusion. It is opposed by foresters, by law enforcement who wonder how they can enforce it, and by tourism operators who see it as giving Bern a black eye. It is also opposed by the grassroots bike advocacy organization trailnet.ch who has put together very well-developed rebuttals to the proposals. According to Samuel Hubschmid of Trailnet.ch - "It's about a very crowded little country with thousands of outdoor-enthusiasts trying to use and protect the natural resources in leisure sports."
![Restaurant Sanaspans is your basic Swiss alpine restaurant at a little over 2000m]()
Keep in mind that all Swiss cantons have considerable latitude to make their own laws (a canton is like a US state or Canadian province). Only one canton, Bern, has chosen to propose such regressive laws. Of course, Bern has all the proper authority to criminalize singletrack biking and make it illegal but they have asked for public comments and this is the time to give it. Bear in mind that Bern has many tourist attractions where biking is specifically advertised (eg the Jungfrau) so this proposed policy is inconsistent to say the least!
![Heading to Strellig on the Rinerhorn trail]()
Why are we at Pinkbike writing about this? We just took considerable time and effort to put a six part story about Riding in Switzerland on our front pages. We just told the world how friendly and welcoming Switzerland is to tourists and to bikes (and by the way we totally believe this is true). And now this? Why would biking tourists go to Bern when, with this, you are basically telling bikers that we are criminals and not welcome. Why is it that our tourism dollars are good in Graubünden (where it is enshrined in cantonal law that bikers and hikers can share trails) and not welcome in Bern? Bernese Oberland lawmakers and regulators say that bikers and hikers cannot share trails peacefully but respectfully, we cannot agree. What makes Bernese Oberland trails and trail users so different than in Canada, or Engadin, or Lenzerheide, or Südtirol that we cannot all share and get along?
![Miraculously there was no-one at this little photogenic alpine tarn that I ll call the Kleine Rifflesee]()
If you reside in Bern or Switzerland and ride a bike you probably already know of this. If you want to ride or have ridden in Switzerland and don't know where to ride please politely use the Comments page here to let lawmakers at Bern know your feelings on the matter.
The consultation process runs till March 2, 2012. You can also directly mail or email comments to Department of Economic Affairs of the Canton of Bern Law Department Münsterplatz 3 3011 Bern consultation@vol.be.ch. You can also email comments to info@trailnet.ch; they are the advocacy group who will collect comments and present them to Bern lawmakers
Coverage from other news sources
- Resistance against Bern Single-trail ban taking shape - Ride Magazine
- The Canton of Bern wants to ban singletrack for bikers - Ride Magazine
- Resistance to bike ban grows - Der Bund
- Mountain bikers oppose ban - 20 Minute
![Climbing to Urdenfuerggli from the Hornlihutte in Arosa]()
Other noteable elements include fining repeat offenders who are abusive to police 20,000CHF (1CHF is approx 1.07 USD at todays rates). The normal fine will be more in the region of 250CHF; still a pretty hefty penalty for a day's ride.
This law is not a foregone conclusion. It is opposed by foresters, by law enforcement who wonder how they can enforce it, and by tourism operators who see it as giving Bern a black eye. It is also opposed by the grassroots bike advocacy organization trailnet.ch who has put together very well-developed rebuttals to the proposals. According to Samuel Hubschmid of Trailnet.ch - "It's about a very crowded little country with thousands of outdoor-enthusiasts trying to use and protect the natural resources in leisure sports."
Lenzerheide can keep its alp restaurants. In Bern they would have to replace all the restaurants with police stations to enforce closures against criminal singletrack bikers
Keep in mind that all Swiss cantons have considerable latitude to make their own laws (a canton is like a US state or Canadian province). Only one canton, Bern, has chosen to propose such regressive laws. Of course, Bern has all the proper authority to criminalize singletrack biking and make it illegal but they have asked for public comments and this is the time to give it. Bear in mind that Bern has many tourist attractions where biking is specifically advertised (eg the Jungfrau) so this proposed policy is inconsistent to say the least!
This trail is in Davos where it's legal to ride. 20,000 CHF fine if I rode this trail multiple times in Bern.
Why are we at Pinkbike writing about this? We just took considerable time and effort to put a six part story about Riding in Switzerland on our front pages. We just told the world how friendly and welcoming Switzerland is to tourists and to bikes (and by the way we totally believe this is true). And now this? Why would biking tourists go to Bern when, with this, you are basically telling bikers that we are criminals and not welcome. Why is it that our tourism dollars are good in Graubünden (where it is enshrined in cantonal law that bikers and hikers can share trails) and not welcome in Bern? Bernese Oberland lawmakers and regulators say that bikers and hikers cannot share trails peacefully but respectfully, we cannot agree. What makes Bernese Oberland trails and trail users so different than in Canada, or Engadin, or Lenzerheide, or Südtirol that we cannot all share and get along?
This is in Zermatt where its legal to ride your bike on trails. Empty your wallet if you ride this trail in Bern and watch out for police
If you reside in Bern or Switzerland and ride a bike you probably already know of this. If you want to ride or have ridden in Switzerland and don't know where to ride please politely use the Comments page here to let lawmakers at Bern know your feelings on the matter.
The consultation process runs till March 2, 2012. You can also directly mail or email comments to Department of Economic Affairs of the Canton of Bern Law Department Münsterplatz 3 3011 Bern consultation@vol.be.ch. You can also email comments to info@trailnet.ch; they are the advocacy group who will collect comments and present them to Bern lawmakers
Coverage from other news sources
- Resistance against Bern Single-trail ban taking shape - Ride Magazine
- The Canton of Bern wants to ban singletrack for bikers - Ride Magazine
- Resistance to bike ban grows - Der Bund
- Mountain bikers oppose ban - 20 Minute
This is Lenzerheide where you would not get fined for riding singletrack. These criminals would not be so happy if they were caught riding this trail in Bern
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Why are so many people in this world hell bent on ruining the enjoyment of others?
I've been on group rides with no idea where I was and so I had to follow the group down llegal trails (which, to be honest, were really good). Their technique was to send one rider down first who would then call the rest of us to say its okay. No call = he was busted.
Sometimes the rangers would just park at the trailhead on busy days and you would just keep on riding down the fireroad.
I want 2012 to be the year everyone on Earth united to overthrow and end our corrupt governments, start anew.
Maybe that's what the Mayans "predicted" , the end of the dark days for mankind. Because if you look at the world we've gone from savage wild west to modern society (corrupt one though) so maybe the next and final chapter is really the beginning of a new world. It sure looks that way with the sheer amount of dissatisfied and angry people.
Call me an optimist but maybe we can view "the end of the world" in a positive light.
Either that or I'm just another peace lovin' , friendly Canadian
exept the noise a mountain biker is doing while riding a trail, i can't see anything that can disturb the population.
You know what would happen when you give people that level of control? They abuse it.
It wouldn't stop at 5 dollars no.....over time the price would raise, raise raise raise
We don't need Government (of all things...) in mountainbiking. Not ever. We're grown ass people who can handle things without "government" intervention.
Government would do all the opposite things you are describing. They wouldn't do it out of the goodness of their hearts, but only for money...if that. Plus why would you want a government knowing what you do on the trails in the first place? That's YOUR business man! You know what that would lead to? Laws, arrests and NO fun. You could be out there modifying the trail and get into shit because you deviated from the "government norm"
I can also guarantee the moment they had a deal with a foreign group (*cough enbridge pipeline cough*) they would tear down our beloved trails for the higher buck.
Now I'm not knocking on you about this man...just when I look at the government all I see are a bunch of spoilt, useless and corrupt people with gold plated pensions slowly destroying mankinds potential....they're like a cancer
Gabriel offers a solution for both extreme propositions: one wants no riding, others want free riding. I don't see why you would bash on him. A gouvernmentless life is impossible, I will not explain everything here, but look at communist Russia and its fall, you'll understand.
On the other hand, I don't see why hikers should have the privilege of walking freely while mtbers would have to pay. We should all pay, or no one should. Keep in mind though, that with the articles here on PB about riding in Switzerland, more people go there to ride and that does little more harm to the trails than hikers do while Nordic walking.
It's complicated, but to make things simple, we can all fight together against the proposition with a petition. This said, there are always people who do not support. I'd sign just because I ride a bike and I like to support fellow riders.
trust me, i pay loads of it and understand your point.
It is already a reality to pay to acces network of trails everywhere. want it or not, mountain bike cause erosion on trails. I'm a park builder in mont-comi during the summer. we do it for free and if there was no trail maintenance it would be destroyed realy fast.
A load of public parc, if i take "sepaq" who actually protect envirronemental park, let us pay like 4 $ to acces the trails. It's a fair trade : they are building trails and keeping them clean + yeah, they clean the trash that some people leave. Everybody is not perfect and as**oles also ride bikes.
We all would like to ride everywhere, everytime we want, without problems, AND for free. But this is an idealistic (not sure if this word exist, i don't speak english much) point of view and it could not be applied to reality. We have to give and to take. mountain bike being illegal is not realistic either. We have to get to a middle point. And yes, governement exist for some reason and we need them as much as they need us and beliveve me, i'm not proud of our current governement and being a quebecois don't help it a all.
and the bike noise was sarcasm.
And yes your english is fine
if we all would stand up to the goverment or any big control organisation .. they would be nowhere..
like said by rage against the machine.. > we gotta take the power back..
i really like how its said above.. the end of the world will be the end of corrupt goverments.. people will stand up eventually.. and say THIS IS ENOUGH.. no more rules no more taxes..no more corruption.. and when that time comes.. we will have a short period of anarchy and riots.. but in the end it will calm down ,, and every country will see where they whent wrong.. (i hope)
governments should be run by normal people.. a school teacher.. a butcher.. normal peeps with normal lives.. not overpayed fat politicians..who dont live in the world like we do.. and should be changed every 1-2 years.. with a bunch of other people..
we all have our differences.. but we still think the same.. also as said above.. these days the government is not ruling for us anymore.. a country has become money making machine.. but the money it makes does not get distributed over the people who live there.. it stays on top... it all began with privatizing ..
I wish Portland Oregon would get this kind of attention having already banned mountain bikes on 99% of it's local trails. The local governing officials have their heads up their butts with regard to local user groups and fair distribution of what the local parks have to offer everyone.
It gets really old hearing the garbage spewed from them such as, "Erosion, Noise, Hazard to other usergroups, etc."
Bottom line: Stand-up for your trails. Keep the wheels turning.
As you can see, quite a decent cross-section of responses here. I am told that trailnet also received lots of feedback which is great.
BTW if there was an advocacy issue in OR, it would be great to have OR advocates submit stories
Don't get it wrong guys, it's only a part of switzerland that's afflicted (bern, like leelau correctly stated) and the swiss bike community does everything possible against the fullfilment of the law. Articles like this one (thanks again lee) are a great way to make clear what the impact of such a decision would be for that region.
Still lots of great trails to ride though - even legal ;-)
But I'm sure something will happen, since the community has become more sensible and will hopefully work together in the future. Voices are getting loud in certain touristic regions as well.. The goal must be to get acceptance as high as it is in other countries, like canada.
Ten years ago this wasn't a problem. But today many more people has discovered mountain biking. And because so many people now cycling in the forest, these are bothersome. And just because more and more people want to like mountain biking, it's so stupid to make it illegal.
I'm sorry for my bad english..
If the downhill track is the main problem, why not "yield" it to bikers only and redirect walkers somewhere else, or even build them their own trail? I understand that some bikers aren't too polite but in my experience, the same can be said about some hikers. I don't see a law being passed to ban hikers though.
@jaybird951: I haven't forced you to read it.
I have been following this in the Swiss news and for me it is difficult to understand who the drivers are behind this law change...No where its mentioned which party or organization. Do I have to read from this that they are hiding...or have no real facts to build their case. I guess both...
Where are DT Swiss and Scott in this? They are both headquarter in Switzerland and would have thought they would at least do everything to promote their industry...
Trailnet is doing a great job. I am supporting them to keep the Berner trails open...! CH is riding paradise and I like to keep that way... :-)
Main points:
1) water erodes trail, water management on a trail is essential for it to be sustainable
2) traffic erodes trail, popular bike trails have high traffic, impact per user is usually is the same.
3) Hiker and biker trail impact are more or less equal, and equally reversible, Hikers have higher ground pressure than bikes (N/m^2) and thus make deeper impact on soft grounds, bikes carry high trail shear (sideway forces perpenducular to the ground) under heavy braking and hard turns.
4) Trail reinforcement works. Reinforce soft grounds and make sure the trail drains water.
5) Trail management and planning works. Many trails are just serendipitous, and were not planned with high traffic in mind. Sustainable trails follow contour lines in the terrain and obey "the half-rule". Many trails with excessive wear can be made sustainable by rerouting, water management, and reinforcing.
What would you as a govt officer do, get trail users involved in trail management, or ban them?
But I'm still not entirely convinced about the 3rd point. To expand on the thinking: with an average(ly) inflated tyre, the total contact patch area of two MTB tyres can be about 2 x 2.5" x 3" = 15 square inches = 97 cm^2, which generates, under an avg. 75kg rider with a 12 kg bike, a pressure of ~90 kPa. A 75kg hiker (obviously sans the bike) with a US-size "8" hiking shoe (roughly 26 x 8 cm = 208 cm^2) with all his weight on the fore of one of his shoes (hiking up-hill) produces ~70 kPa, which is less than a bike. And, much more importantly, a hiker's shoe doesn't usually skid or bounce off rough terrain like a bike's rear wheel does under braking, nor do hikers corner at insane speeds sending roost everywhere
So I think bikers do actually inflict more damage to trails than hikers, BUT it shouldn't really matter because unless motorbikes really start messing things up, the common "wear and tear" of mountain trails is definitely manageable. And that, I think, is the way to go - have a dedicated maintenance crew who will look after the trails, and if the damage is starting to be overwhelming, implement some sort of taxing. This could be some "global" tax included in the accomodation price for every tourist visiting the place, or even an actual "pay box" for donations located directly on the trailheads. I don't want to be naïve, but i would be happy to pay a few euros every time i'd hit a trail, knowing that someone has to come there every now and then and mend the stuff that i've just ruined. I just hope I wouldn't be alone
I do find it frustrating as well... but you have to see, that in bureaucracy anything needs time. It is going to change for the future... mainly for tourisms sake... but it will take it's time. There is a positive aspect though... in the end it's all about being sustainable in Germany. Better the environment is (too) well protected, as if all of people's waste gets dumped on the fields like the Gomorra did in Italy or something like that.
Apart from that, Germany is pretty small compared to Canada or the US and most of the woods are private property... so there are two main problems: Firstly, property obliges. This means, you can get sued if someone gets injured or dies on your property, if you did not provide for safety (i.e. jumps = security risk). And Second, there are a lot of different interests, mountainbiking is not the only thing in the world just because you and me and others here like to do it, but there are also people who are "leasing" a part of forest for hunting for instance. So they are actually paying to use it... we don't.
And then again... it's pretty much like in Switzerland... there is a law in effect indeed, but actually it's not enforced for the most part.
It seems like their is a global rejection of montain biking in Europe. I live in France and it's hard to find trails, appart from dh resorts, where it's allowed to ride. And it looks like it's soon going to be the same in Switzerland.
I really do not understand this hatred of the biker. Bikers, as hikkers and other nature-enthousiasts, respect nature and know they have to act in order to preserve it. More over the impact of mtbs on trails is not worse than the one of hikkers and in a way bikers are sustaining the trails. But for my par,t wherever I ride, I keep in mind that I'm part of a minority (bikers) among whom forsees are set. That's why I always ride with a smile and whith cortesy. And even if a hikker is wrongly accusing me of bad attitude I stay calm and polite, and I apologize, try to show a good image of my sport. I think it's the only way to break the forsees among us.
To my mind forsees are the basic problems that lead to that kind of laws. And we, the bikers, have to change it. We know we are good guys (and girls), let's convince of this the others !
Kelowna, BC
I speak from a country that although it host The Cape Epic it still has some retarded National Parks officials that are easily manipulated by lobbyist who use the so called eco excuse against trail riders. Generally local decision makers, lobbyist and national parks official are those from another generation that never rode bikes and that are not tolerant of today's generation and their choices. That said after reading your article about this beautiful regions biking some weeks ago and placing it firmly on my radar coming winter, their summer thanks to tons of BA miles I am certainly not booking my hard earned miles in this direction and won't give this region the pleasure of my visit. Its a pretty sick mind that cannot logical explain a decision to ban something that can only make people more aware of the beauty and natural heritage of this area. I'm still to find proof natural areas spoilt by managed trails anywhere in the world. Mountain bikers like hikers don't just ride for the bike but also for our appreciation of the natural beauty this world has to offer. If people can be tolerant of the choices of generations before and after them this world will tick over far better.
The only thing that works (and i have seen it work), is for the local mountain bike population to get organized. Hikers and equestrian groups have been around a long time, and are typically more organized, and much more vocal. Strong local bike clubs are your best defense from trail closures. There are many success stories to be found in North America, of local organizations creating legal and sustainable trail networks, even in the most regulated areas. IMBA, IMBA, IMBA! Give them a call!
I mean, the use of the highway is in Austria and Switzerland only allowed if you have one sticker (for one day, week, month or year) on your windshield.
So if you book one week Hotel in the region they should give you this "pass"or you buy it. With it should also come the kind of services to expect, like emergency phones, signaling of danger, pedestrian only or bike only tracks.
just my opinion
biking is enviromentally friendly, it is better than people going out and breaking real laws (like vandalism or something worse).
It would make more sense for goverment to be taking advantage of biking. its good for the economy, good for the citizens, and good for tourism. on average i'm willing to bet that a bicycle costs more than hiking gear ($2000 bike vs. $70 boots
and if they are worried about bikers and hikers getting along then i have to ask exactly how many trails there are out there. if there is only 1 trail then you may have a problem, but if it is that much of an issue then y don't they just designate certain trails for bikes and certain ones for hiking?
I love biking and because of my experience with my familiy I respect hikers and try not to bother them. Many of them are also happy to see us come up/down a trail and step aside.
A ban is not a solution it will only make the hate towards eachother bigger, start a campaign about respecting each other...
If it's to do with multi-use issues, developing a system where all users can respectfully use the trail would be a better solution. Maybe designating some trails as for a single type of user only?
If for some stupid reason the bill does end up passing, just grab a tractor or other earth moving equipment and widen that trail out past the illegal 1.2m. It won't be single track any longer and probably won't be the same but it won't be illegal.
Finally a slightly relevant quote; not the exact wording for what is to be conveyed but the theme is relevant.
"If the machine of government is of such a nature that it requires you to be the agent of injustice to another, then, I say, break the law." Henry David Thoreau
I've posted it in response to an MTB hater, who signed up just hours ago to post one single message.
Here's my original post. Please don't delete.
Mike, thanks for sharing.... I see you signed up on PB today to post the above comment. I trust not many of us PB users and MTB enthusiasts will share your point of view: "It is hard to think of any other (legal) use of public lands, other than hunting, that is as harmful as mountain biking." I am a full-time trail builder in the BC Interior and make my living building legal trails only. I work closely with municipalities, the Ministry of Natural Resources, local bike clubs, local builders and other user groups. I see massive amounts of environmental destruction caused by the mining and forest industry and by motorized recreational users. Outdoor enthusiasts like MTB riders, climbers, hikers, back-country skiers create awareness and help protect our fragile environment. MTB riders as described in your research paper stick to lift accessed parks and shuttle rides. Your statement: "Not many mountain bikers volunteer for trail maintenance." .... is not just wrong, it's insulting. Just this morning I finished writing a paragraph for our 2011 Annual Cycling Club report. I've calculated a total $ value of CAN-$60,000.00 in volunteer trailbuilding and trail maintenance. And this is in a community of 15,000 (Williams Lake, BC). I'm not sure where you are located and how your situation differs from ours here in BC. It is sad to see such a huge opposition to this great sport.
Build Trails, Ride Bikes!
In Austria, Salzburg Land and Vorhalberg have closed to bike nearly all the good single trails. Not to avoid destruction of the trail, forest or mountain... (as they would say). They don't want bikes "messing up" with pedestrians and because in Austria, every forest is Private and are most of the time Hunting places, You have no choice but to respect this or they'll shoot
Dialogue, understanding and evolution in mind's people will change this problem. Well i hope so...
I do hope they can sort the issue as I'm there pretty much every year and would love to be able to ride again!
You could say, let us be free. But then there wouldn't be enough work pressure and you'll see a whole system collapse.
I hate to say it, but we are all slaves of modern society.
"No scientific studies indicate that bicycling causes more degradation of plants than hiking."
Source: IMBA
A great document "Off-Road Impacts of Mountain Bikes" can be found here:
tinyurl.com/89kympn
Good luck in fighting the ban and keeping your trails legal!
get out and ride yourself for a month and tell me that walking is the same....
w
Where I live in southern Switzerland I've already encountered (climbing, mind you!) groups of bilious pedestrians who occupy the width of a whole fire road and really would prefer not to let you pass just "because...". And as much as I say "buongiorno" "schöne tag" "bonjour" and thank them profusely all I get is hard icy stares.
Then there's the whole subject of trail condition... here again a few individuals literally rip up the secondary trails, leaving ruts which then erode into canyons. Unfortunately the tire marks are there for everyone to see - it's no use to say that it's pedestrians or horseback riders that are causing the damage.
So at the end of the day I think - but I'm not alone - that many of us who ride all-mountain will be forced to ride in bike parks or quit...
Damn shame...
Paul
What a stupid ban
So we build our own secret trails and dont get caught riding on theirs
If the Swiss government specifically requested feedback from all affected parties, including non-domestic parties, then that is different. But is this the case, or is it the tourism associations and advocate groups asking for feedback, which is completely different?
In general, I respect a government's right to set its own domestic laws without international interference (assuming those laws don't impose on basic human rights). If this is why you refer to me as being "insular", then I proudly bear your label.
I stand by my comments regarding your views and their insularity.
I agree with you of course re sovereign rights but I totally disagree with you that the comments on this article and even this article are interference. The message that many potential tourists who are ready, willing and able to spend money on visiting Bern and riding bikes and are much less willing to do so if biking is restricted is something about which Bernese lawmakers should be aware. To characterize it as interference? I don't know how you could possibly come to that conclusion.
Search www.be.ch for "Revision des Waldgesetz". The most recent document is only in German but contains the specific proposals again specifically asking for input from all users. Not just Swiss. All users. I don't have a translation.
swiss-cycling.ch/fr/news/1761-online-petition-gegen-bikeverbot-im-kanton-bern-.html
Who exactly is in favour of this?
I believe that certain landowners have proposed the law. the law then gets input (that's this process underway presently). Right now there's considerable opposition to the law. As Bern is a democracy I am assuming that all interests will be taken into account. I'm trying to confirm this with local bike advocates and will update
I think we should complain about all people walking in the forrest ! what an outrage
... or have a trail maintenance team?
The current Norwegian govt wants to be world champions of % protected land, around `02 - `04 several bills were unanimously passed in parliament designating new, big, national parks. In the bills the trail impact of single mountainbikers is likened to organized (group) tours with horses and dogs and sports events. This lacks any scientific basis and is a reflection of the views of hiker-enviro-traditionalists, a.k.a. 68`rs, working in public land management and environmental agencies. They see bikes as some sort of technological intrusion in nature. Bills were passed, cyclist organizations were not consulted, and we now have wast areas where biking is banned. Now Scotland has got the current most bike-friendly legislation.
This type of shit happens when you don`t care to bother and JRA your flashy, new, full carbon bike.
Stop JRA`ing, get involved in your local IMBA/trail advocacy groups!
A favorite myth of mountain bikers is that mountain biking is no more harmful to wildlife, people, and the environment than hiking, and that science supports that view. Of course, it's not true. To settle the matter once and for all, I read all of the research they cited, and wrote a review of the research on mountain biking impacts (see mjvande.nfshost.com/scb7.htm ). I found that of the seven studies they cited, (1) all were written by mountain bikers, and (2) in every case, the authors misinterpreted their own data, in order to come to the conclusion that they favored. They also studiously avoided mentioning another scientific study (Wisdom et al) which did not favor mountain biking, and came to the opposite conclusions.
Those were all experimental studies. Two other studies (by White et al and by Jeff Marion) used a survey design, which is inherently incapable of answering that question (comparing hiking with mountain biking). I only mention them because mountain bikers often cite them, but scientifically, they are worthless.
Mountain biking accelerates erosion, creates V-shaped ruts, kills small animals and plants on and next to the trail, drives wildlife and other trail users out of the area, and, worst of all, teaches kids that the rough treatment of nature is okay (it's NOT!). What's good about THAT?
For more information: mjvande.nfshost.com/mtbfaq.htm .
How's Prison treating you?
You should change your nationality back to American. Last time I checked its pretty tough for a convicted felon to become a Canadian Citizen.
Not that being a criminal makes your opinion or 'facts' any less credible, they already were.
I trust not many of us PB users and MTB enthusiasts will share your point of view:
"It is hard to think of any other (legal) use of public lands, other than hunting, that is as harmful as mountain biking."
I am a full-time trail builder in the BC Interior and make my living building legal trails only. I work closely with municipalities, the Ministry of Natural Resources, local bike clubs, local builders and other user groups. I see massive amounts of environmental destruction caused by the mining and forest industry and by motorized recreational users. Outdoor enthusiasts like MTB riders, climbers, hikers, back-country skiers create awareness and help protect our fragile environment. MTB riders as described in your research paper stick to lift accessed parks and shuttle rides. Your statement:
"Not many mountain bikers volunteer for trail maintenance."
.... is not just wrong, it's insulting. Just this morning I finished writing a paragraph for our 2011 Annual Cycling Club report. I've calculated a total $ value of CAN-$60,000.00 in volunteer trailbuilding and trail maintenance. And this is in a community of 15,000 (Williams Lake, BC).
I'm not sure where you are located and how your situation differs from ours here in BC. It is sad to see such a huge opposition to this great sport.
Nice to see you spouting your vitriol yet again.
Obviously you do NOT spend as much time outdoors as you claim.
Have you never run across total destruction caused by animals?
Moose can make a he|| of a mess on waters edge, especially when win the rut. I've seen acres huge areas ripped apart by bear. Dear trails 2 metres wide going on forever. Not even going to get into wild hog, beaver, horses etc. The list just goes on and on. Then we can move onto cattle ranges, industrial farming, logging, mining, oil extraction, and nice mountain side sub-divisions just for a start...
Now you are trying to tell me that a 6" wide natural terrain trail causes more damage than the above?
continued...
As well as garbage. Water bottles, candy wrappers and the best of all - cigarette butts dotted like bread crumbs down the trail.
(I'm not really thinking that a biker stops every few meters for a butt. - Never seen it in my 40 years of trail-riding.)
As well in my experience, MTB seem to do more trail work than any other group. MTB first, Hikers second and a LONG way back are the equines. I think you should stop attacking people with brush saws, but instead pick up a f^cking shovel and rake, and fix all the cuts you hikers make. Maybe also make up some signs telling hikers to stay on trail, not cut hard uphill corners and not wonder thru the sensitive areas to take a picture of what you just destroyed.
I would rather a kid get a mtb AND a pair of HikingBoots and learn to enjoy and cherish the outdoors than sit before a video game eating chips, being totally removed from the outdoors and then growing up to be another real-estate developer looking at the mountains with $ in his eyes.
michael
From my perspective, the areas where people can enjoy and benefit from being in a beautiful place, participating in their chosen activity are more important than true nature sanctuaries. We are already plagued by depression and obesity, why restrict freedoms that do not need to be restricted?
I accept that I have killed plants and animals in the pursuit of a full and enjoyable life. I suppose this is because I value human life over ferns. Someone who has attacked another person with a weapon probably does not share this perspective.