Switzerland: Now the trail order comes from the state

Wegweiser für Mountainbiker und Wanderer

In March 2022, the Swiss population wrote the Cycle Path Act into the national constitution, making MTB infrastructure a top priority for the authorities. Now we can see which direction it's going in: single trails!

The organization Schweiz Mobil is a household name in Switzerland and has made a name for itself over the last 15 years in the development and implementation of "mountain bike country". Following the adoption of the Cycle Route Initiative in March 2022, Switzerland Mobility was elevated by the Federal Roads Office (Astra) to the status of official specialist agency for mountain biking and thus became the central institution when it comes to implementing the Cycle Route Act for mountain bikers. This stipulates that the planning, construction and maintenance of mountain bike trails is a state task in Switzerland.

The future lies in the trails

Where the journey is heading was recently revealed by Switzerland Mobile: The focus is on trails! While mountain bike infrastructure in many regions has so far been limited to gravel roads because the cantons and municipalities had to be guided by their own ideas, things are now turning around. The integration of trails into the mountain bike network is becoming a binding requirement from above or from the electorate.

While many tourist regions have long since developed their mountain bike offerings in this direction, the striking difference will be in the local recreation areas of cities and conurbations. Cities such as Zurich, which previously wanted to keep mountain bikers away from the trails, are now receiving the trail command for their MTB offerings. It will be interesting to see how the situation develops in Appenzell Innerrhoden. This canton has so far banned mountain bikers from all trails - a strategy that will be diametrically opposed to the federal government's guidelines in future.

Misuse is the magic word

It is also revealing where Switzerland Mobility stands on the issue of coexistence: It states that blanket separation makes neither ecological nor economic sense. The magic formula for them is "mixed use", meaning the joint use of existing or new infrastructure. It is also possible and desirable for mountain bike routes to be marked along the route in future. Hiking routes have always been marked with white-red-white signs on trees, stones or house walls. According to Switzerland Mobile, similar markings are conceivable for mountain bikers.

Dominik Hug presented Switzerland Mobility's trail offensive at a symposium. His informative presentation is available as a video recording.Presentation "System Mountainbike 2.0" by Dominik Hug