"I've been riding my mountain bike illegally for over 40 years now. It would be nice if that could finally change," says Gerald Simon, initiator of the referendum "Mountainbiken Freies WEGERECHT", which can be signed in Austria as of this week. Simon is tired of the uneasy feeling that every after-work ride and every family outing in the forest is accompanied by the possibility of being involved in a discussion with a forester, hunter or hiker or even being threatened with prosecution. This is a frustrating everyday occurrence for mountain bikers in most of Austria. An outdated forestry law generally prohibits cycling in forests in the Alpine republic. The law dates back to the 1970s and no longer reflects the reality of 2025.

For financial advisor and insurance broker Simon, it was one such unpleasant encounter that prompted him to campaign for freedom of movement. He was cycling with his family on a forest path when a hunter on a "rubber stalk", i.e. in a car, stopped the family and gruffly informed them that they were not allowed to cycle here. At the wheel of the car was the hunter's apparently still underage son. "If someone is given the right to reprimand others, there will always be people who take advantage of it," says Simon, explaining why he is now going to the trouble of launching a popular complaint.

New attempt in the digital age

However, thanks to digitalized authorities in Austria, this effort has now become significantly less than it used to be. This is because Simon already tried once before in 2007 with a citizens' initiative on the same topic. Back then, he collected 21,000 signatures so that at least forest roads could be opened up to cyclists. These signatures had to be painstakingly collected and were ultimately ignored by politicians. A frustrating experience for the initiator. 

This time, it cost Simon 630 euros to start the so-called initiation phase. This means that every citizen entitled to vote in Austria can sign the referendum until fall 2026 either conveniently and with just a few clicks online, via the so-called ID Austria, or in person at the municipal office. If Simon manages to collect at least 8,969 signatures during this initiation phase - which corresponds to one per thousand of Austria's population - he can apply for a registration procedure for an additional fee of 2,500 euros. If this is granted, the referendum will be available for signing for eight days in all municipalities and online. 

It is important to note that every signature that has already been submitted during the initiation phase also counts for the registration phase. This means that anyone who signs now will already have their support counted and will help Simon to collect the 100,000 signatures required for the referendum to be dealt with in parliament. The initiator has no illusions about the parties represented in parliament: "Two of the three current governing parties reject freedom of movement." And the third, as he knows from experience in 2007, only appears to be interested in it during the election campaign. Nevertheless, Simon hopes that with a sufficient number of signatures, he will be able to shake up the politicians and get them to act.

Subordinate use of all suitable paths

This time, the petition for a referendum not only demands the opening of forest roads, but also chooses the following wording:

Only existing and available paths that are used for forestry purposes or are used as sufficiently wide paths for recreational purposes are considered suitable for use with a suitable bicycle (mountain bike). They are sufficiently wide if they offer enough space for experienced cyclists and other users to pass each other safely. Cyclists have priority use over pedestrians. Anyone wishing to create new paths may only do so with the consent of the owner.

He deliberately chose somewhat elastic terms here. However, he notes that he primarily rides downhill on single trails himself: "Adults should be able to treat each other with respect and consideration on trails in the forest." In reality, this is usually the case. But individuals who have reservations about cyclists would feel superior and therefore justified in reprimanding mountain bikers due to the current legal situation. Simon is convinced that a change in communication between the different user groups is only possible with the change in the law. However, in the text of the petition for a referendum, he has given mountain bikers secondary use of the trails, meaning that hikers have priority in terms of cooperation.

New situation vs. outdated reservations

When he launched his first attempt in 2007, he was "massively attacked" by forest owner associations, who were not happy with the petition. Now he hopes that times have also changed in this respect and that resistance is waning. After all, cycling has experienced a real boom in recent years and the major mountain sports associations such as the Alpenverein and Naturfreunde have now also recognized that mountain biking is the most popular summer mountain sport in Austria after hiking. They also demand and promote the opening of trails and climbs.

The reservations against mountain biking that have been handed down in Austria for decades are eroding faster than the hiking trails in times of climate change. Simon does not accept the reference to nature conservation and points out that only 2.9 percent of Austria's forests are so-called aerobic, i.e. natural forest areas. The rest are forests and ecosystems that have been shaped by humans according to economic interests and influenced to a greater or lesser extent. The liability issue that is often raised is a bogus argument anyway, as this has been resolved for all other user groups in the forest - such as hikers - and this would also be possible for cyclists. The expropriation complained about by landowners is just as insubstantial, as it only concerns a limited and defined use and not a change in ownership.

The current initiation phase should be seen as a marathon, not a sprint, explains Simon. He hopes that the topic will fall on fertile ground among Austria's estimated 800,000 active mountain bikers and that many will support it. Because as soon as a six-figure number of eligible voters bring an issue to the attention of politicians, it will probably be more difficult for those involved to ignore this in favor of a much smaller, albeit financially influential, owners' lobby. Simon is convinced that only when mountain bikers are granted more rights will there be more understanding for their needs. And he takes a sporting view: "I've been riding illegally for over 40 years and, if necessary, I'll continue to do so for the next 20 years. But it would be nice if something changed."

Further information

• The detailed text on the petition for a referendum.
• Austrian mountain bikers with ID Austria: Please sign here