FAQs

IMBA World Summit 2010 Resources – Dealing With Unauthorized Trails

Below is a summary of the IMBA presentation:

The Problem:

• Mountain bikers are building and riding unauthorized trails
• This is an increasing trend
• Thousands of miles of non-system trails
• Varying degrees of impact

Why is this a problem?:

• It can damage natural resources
• It can damage cultural and historical resources
• It violates trust between mountain bikers and land managers
• It threatens current and future trail access
• It portrays mountain bikers as being lawless, arrogant, disrespectful, selfish,  irresponsible, and ignorant
• It alienates other members of the trail community
• It can create a safety hazard to other cyclists
• It’s against the law

Causes of problem:

• Growing demand for more trails, and more diverse trail experiences
• Increased skill levels and new technologies driving desire for technical trails
• Mountain bikers are in a non‐conformist subculture
• Lack of connection to trail community
• There is a disrespect for government oversight
• Perception of entitlement to public lands
• Lack of legal awareness
• Perception unauthorized trails will become system trails
• Ignorance of environmental impact
• Perception won’t be caught
• Passive acceptance in bike community
• Industry sometimes subtly condones
• The public process for new trails is slow, cumbersome and costly
• Land managers are understaffed and stressed out

Strategies to deal with problem:

• Change mountain biking subculture
  • Educate mountain bikers
    • Environmental ethic
    • Stewardship of the land
    • Sustainable trail design
    • Legalities of trail building
    • Environmental impact
    • Bike patrols
  • Improve advocacy skills
    • Get organized to advocate for the trails you want
      • Form an effective advocacy group
    • Participate in the larger trail community
      • Become involved in issues beyond your own
      • Become knowledgeable about trail planning, environmental issues, agency structure and needs, other user groups, etc.
    • Work with industry players
      • Get them to support your efforts
      • Help them project a good image of our sport
• Change agency subculture
  • Land managers need to:
    • Increase efficiency and effectiveness of the process of bringing new trails on line
    • Create diverse and technical trail experiences
    • Partner with mountain biking community to build trails
    • Converting existing unauthorized trails into system trails where appropriate
    • Establish fair and logical mountain biking policies
    • Enforce their own rules