MPs and the UK MTB Trail Alliance call for legislation to increase mountain bikers’ access rights and reduce landowner liability.
The UK MTB Trail Alliance has contributed to a pivotal report launched by the new All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Outdoor Recreation and Access to Nature.
It calls for legislation to expand everyone’s access to green and blue spaces, and for the legislation to include increased access rights for mountain bikers and reduced landowner liability. The report gathered views from over 750 organisations and individuals from across the outdoor sector and includes 40 recommendations in total.
The report can be downloaded here.
The report includes all three of the UK MTB Trail Alliance’s main asks in its recommendations to the government:
- Establish statutory rights to responsible access across a broader range of landscapes, including woodlands
- Extend statutory access rights for a broader range of recreational activities, including mountain biking
- Reduce landowners’ concerns about mountain biking by removing any liability associated with physical features on their land
The report also asks the government to simplify the process for upgrading suitable public footpaths to allow cycling, to require that stiles on public rights of way are replaced with accessible alternatives within five years, and to overhaul the Countryside Code and Land Managers’ Code to actively promote public access rights, inspire outdoor activity, and embed responsible behaviour.
If the UK Government were to implement the report’s recommendations, it could mean that woodland is included alongside mountain, moor, heath, down and common land as access land in England, and that mountain bikers could have a right to ride tracks and paths on that access land (which we do not under current legislation). Importantly, reduced liability for landowners would go a long way to ease their concerns about mountain biking on their land. Potentially, it could also mean more footpaths being upgraded to bridleways, and fewer stiles to lug your bikes over.
The UK MTB Trail Alliance has been working to advocate for greater access rights for mountain bikers since its inception. It has been an active member of Outdoors for All for the last 18 months, a coalition of over 50 organisations campaigning to extend responsible access in England, which has successfully led to the creation of the new All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Outdoor Recreation and Access to Nature and the publication of this report. The UK MTB Trail Alliance is also a member of Outdoor Alliance Wales, which is campaigning for a similar extension of responsible access in Wales, and is a corresponding member of both the National Access Forum for Wales and the Scottish National Access Forum.
“We’re feeling really optimistic about the All-Party Parliamentary Group including our three main asks in their report’s recommendations to the UK Government. If implemented, they would represent a monumentally positive change for mountain biking in England, and potentially also influence reform in Wales and Northern Ireland. If you want to help make this happen, please write to your local MP urging them to join the APPG and for them to lobby for the legislation the report recommends” Robin Grant, UK MTB Trail Alliance
“The government now has an historic opportunity to improve access for everyone to the great outdoors through primary legislation. Our report sets out clear policy priorities ministers can deliver across government to provide tangible improvements to access.
We know spending more time outdoors has incredible mental and physical health benefits. Yet, with 93% of the English countryside still out of bounds to the public, too often people struggle to enjoy outdoor spaces.
Now is the time to deliver lasting change, so that each and every one of us can exercise a right to responsibly enjoy our natural surroundings.” Phil Brickell MP
