Mountain bikers on trails in the canton of Zurich have been a political issue for years. They have just taken the next step as the subject of a political initiative. In October 2023, Cantonal Councillor Andrew Katumba submitted a motion calling on the cantonal government to propose a planning law basis for a needs-based mountain bike infrastructure.

The motion would have obliged the cantonal government to propose legislation to make this possible. The cantonal government has now weakened the motion to a postulate. This means it only has to submit a report and not new articles of law.

Zuritrails believes this is a good thing, as it speeds up the process and no change to the law is needed in Zurich. Mountain biking on trails is permitted. From the perspective of Switzerland's largest mountain bike association, it is now a matter of communicating coexistence on trails from the official side.

All parties agree

In fact, the proposal states that "a coexistence characterized by mutual tolerance for all those seeking recreation on foot, on horseback or on a bike" should be the goal. All of the parties represented in the cantonal parliament support the postulate.

A milestone, says Züritrails on its website. The support that mountain bikers enjoy from parliamentarians throughout the canton is impressive. The need for accessible trails is recognized, as is the fact that it must now be met.

However, it is not certain that coexistence on trails will become the canton-wide norm. Even if it currently applies according to the Uetliberg ruling - with the exception of municipalities that regulate this differently on their territory. Postulant Katumba expects the process that has now been set in motion to clarify the legal situation. If all paths are allowed to be used, it must be defined which paths are considered paths, he says in an interview with Ride. He can also imagine that the approval for mountain bikers could be based on the trail class, as is currently being discussed at federal level.

As President of the Parliamentary Group for Sport, SVP Cantonal Councillor Daniel Wäfler Katumbas supports the postulate. The planning of the necessary infrastructure and the avoidance of conflicting objectives are the core concerns of the initiative. "It should open up more legal routes for mountain bikers in future and align infrastructure planning accordingly." Again, that sounds more to the liking of the bikers.

The postulate can be interpreted in different ways

The cantonal offices are now preparing the report that the cantonal government will submit in response to the postulate. In it, it will state what it considers necessary in terms of infrastructure for mountain bikers and how the canton believes the need should be met. It is also possible that it will - as expected by Cantonal Councillor Katumba - comment on whether coexistence on trails needs to be regulated by law or whether the current laws are sufficient.

The postulate also states: "With an attractive and needs-based mountain bike infrastructure, demand should be managed to minimize user conflicts with other recreational users and protect nature, wildlife and the landscape." This is a formulation that all those who spend time in nature, from mountain bikers to hunters, can subscribe to. As long as they do not have to agree on implementation, everyone can maintain their interpretation. The cantonal government will deliver its interpretation, i.e. its report, in two years at the latest.