Vens Bike

Dear Mr. Vandeman, In Switzerland and Valais, mountain bikers are legally allowed to use hiking routes. When it comes to promote cycling and mountain biking offers and infrastructure, Valais/Wallis Promotion complies, like Switzerland Tourism, with the official directives, whereby it must be based on approved cycle paths and mountain bike routes. Therefore, Valais/Wallis Promotion works closely with Valrando, the Department of Territorial Development, and only with destinations that have an approved network of mountain bike trails. The routes published on our platform have been subject to a cantonal homologation procedure and users are therefore authorised to use these mountain bike routes. More informations about coexistence between hiking and mountain biking. Common position Suisse Rando/bpa – Bureau de prévention des accidents/Swiss Cycling/ SuisseMobile/Club Alpin Suisse CAS/Remontées Mécaniques Suisses/ Suisse Tourisme/Fédération suisse du tourisme : Download the PDF: FR: https://www.bfu.ch/fr/Documents/01_Ratgeber/01_Ratgeber-Unfallverhuetung/02_Sport-und-Bewegung/2017_Coexistence_rand-pedestre_velo_vtt.pdf DE: https://www.sl-fp.ch/admin/data/files/asset/file_it/279/1902_prise_de_position_vtt_def.pdf?lm=1550764789 For any further information do not hesitate to contact us. Best regards, Valais/Wallis Promotion

Bicycles should not be allowed in any natural area. They are inanimate objects and have no rights. There is also no right to mountain bike. That was settled in federal court in 1996: https://mjvande.info/mtb10.htm . It's dishonest of mountain bikers to say that they don't have access to trails closed to bikes. They have EXACTLY the same access as everyone else -- ON FOOT! Why isn't that good enough for mountain bikers? They are all capable of walking.... 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 https://mjvande.info/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. Mountain bikers also love to build new trails - legally or illegally. Of course, trail-building destroys wildlife habitat - not just in the trail bed, but in a wide swath to both sides of the trail! E.g. grizzlies can hear a human from one mile away, and smell us from 5 miles away. Thus, a 10-mile trail represents 100 square miles of destroyed or degraded habitat, that animals are inhibited from using. Mountain biking, trail building, and trail maintenance all increase the number of people in the park, thereby preventing the animals' full use of their habitat. See https://mjvande.info/scb9.htm for details. 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? To see exactly what harm mountain biking does to the land, watch this 5-minute video: http://vimeo.com/48784297. In addition to all of this, it is extremely dangerous: https://mjvande.info/mtb_dangerous.htm . For more information: https://mjvande.info/mtbfaq.htm . The common thread among those who want more recreation in our parks is total ignorance about and disinterest in the wildlife whose homes these parks are. Yes, if humans are the only beings that matter, it is simply a conflict among humans (but even then, allowing bikes on trails harms the MAJORITY of park users -- hikers and equestrians -- who can no longer safely and peacefully enjoy their parks). The parks aren't gymnasiums or racetracks or even human playgrounds. They are WILDLIFE HABITAT, which is precisely why they are attractive to humans. Activities such as mountain biking, that destroy habitat, violate the charter of the parks. Even kayaking and rafting, which give humans access to the entirety of a water body, prevent the wildlife that live there from making full use of their habitat, and should not be allowed. Of course those who think that only humans matter won't understand what I am talking about -- an indication of the sad state of our culture and educational system.