The most important thing has already been said: the popular Leiterliweg, which winds steeply down from the Uetliberg ridge to Zurich-Leimbach, is being cleared. Grün Stadt Zürich GSZ originally announced this on its website: "Logging will take place in the city forest between October and April." This information applies to eight different forest areas, including the Leiterliberg.

It was unclear - at least for outsiders - whether logging from October to April means that all paths are passable again afterwards. Or whether it just means that wood is felled during this period. Uncertainty spread in the Zurich bike community. Ride reported on this.

In an interview with Ride, spokeswoman Tanja Huber dispelled this uncertainty: The Leiterliweg will be made accessible again by the end of March. "However, it is not an official bike trail that has to be maintained by Grün Stadt Zürich, so the tree trunks in particular that obstruct pedestrians will be removed." The path will be made passable again, nothing more, she emphasizes repeatedly. The fact that for experienced mountain bikers accessible also means rideable in the case of the Leiterliweg is fine with GSZ.

Huber tells Ride that nothing else was ever planned other than to clear the path in due course. The information that privately researching mountain bikers received through informal channels, namely that the Leiterliweg would no longer be cleared, was based on a misunderstanding.

One of the reasons for the bikers' skepticism was that the cable car, which was used to place the felled trees on and next to the trail, has already been dismantled. This is because the trunks are not removed, as Huber from GSZ explains. They are merely sawn apart so that you can walk through them again.

Züritrails makes demands

The blog post by Züritrails from 13 February entitled "#FREELEITERLI - Opening Leiterliweg!" is also very intriguing. It states that those responsible have made the following demands to Grün Stadt Zürich: "The current closure of the Leiterliweg is legally tricky and does not make sense. The path is mapped, a positive example of functioning shared path use and an important part of the path network on the Uetliberg. The path must therefore be reopened and fully restored as soon as possible."

The attentive reader wonders why Züritrails, which works closely with Grün Stadt Zürich, has to make such a demand when nothing else was ever planned anyway other than to reopen the path after the felling. The statement on Instagram under the hashtag #FREELEITERLI "There is sometimes a fine line between constructive cooperation and a clear stance in the interests of sport. The current situation of the popular Leiterli trail after a felling has shown this", does not fit in with a process that was planned this way from the outset. Luise Rohland and Flurin Dörig, the co-presidium of Züritrails, confirmed in an interview with Ride that talks had taken place with the city on this topic.

All's well that ends well, one could conclude, as long as the fun trail is open again for experienced trail bikers, ambitious hikers and other adventurers in the foreseeable future.

The area is under multiple protections

However, there is another catch: Züritrails and Grün Stadt Zürich point out that the Leiterli Trail runs through an area that is under nature, landscape and archaeological protection. In addition, according to Tanja Huber, the trail is partly on private property. The city is therefore currently examining whether further measures are necessary as a result. She explains on behalf of GSZ that it is currently impossible to say what these measures might be.

The need for further clarification sheds a different light on Züritrails' demands: perhaps they relate to the future of the Leiterli Trail and that it will not be closed after all, having presumably been used for a hundred years or more and ridden by mountain bikes for at least 30 years.

Luise Rohland and Flurin Dörig, who share the co-presidency of the Züritrails association, reiterate: "The Leiterli Trail must be accessible and rideable again once the logging is complete, and the trail must be fully restored. Even in the 'forest protection zone nature IVA' of the protection ordinance, it is legal to use existing trails. If there are any further obstacles to the long-term accessibility of the trail, we will work together with Grün Stadt Zürich to find a constructive solution."

The Leiterli Trail, which is currently still closed, has obviously inspired the people at Züritrails even more: "#FREELEITERLI remains topical - and we will soon have a creative outfit on offer for anyone who wants to support the topic, the association and the community." Anyone who wants to know what it's all about should come to the association's general meeting in Zurich on March 6.