Published in the last week is probably the most comprehensive, insightful, and powerful report on the UK mountain bike trail scene to date, titled "The Trail – Its People, Place and Time". This summary of the first year's work by the UK Trails Project (UKTP) is a milestone for the industry.

What is the UK Trails Project?

Sponsored by SRAM and hosted by Developing Mountain Biking in Scotland (DMBinS), this unique project aims to enhance the sustainability, security and suitability of the UK trails network by bringing together the mountain biking and land management communities. The Project is divided into three phases: research, delivery and analysis. This report presents and discusses the findings of the research phase before setting out the actions to be delivered in phase 2.

Given the focus on the upcoming phase 2, or 'Delivery', this report has significant implications. It has legs in our view. 

The Report

This substantial read will undoubtedly hold the attention of any mountain biking enthusiast. As someone who considers himself well-informed about the UK trail scene, I learned a great deal and had several preconceptions pleasantly challenged.

The report does something quite special by focusing equally on the needs of both land managers and riders. The rider perspective is where much focus in the MTB media exists today (note to self), with far less attention and understanding given to landowners' needs. If we're honest, the industry hasn't always been particularly empathetic to these concerns.

Another significant learning from this report is the diversity of models and the complexity of the numerous bodies that land managers must work with. Who do they turn to? The report also provides insight into land managers' willingness to work with mountain bikers. Empathy and education regarding their needs are crucial for the future of MTB and how we organise ourselves. The media like us at iBikeRide.com needs to present a more balanced view.

Some Learnings and Preconception Busters

Here are some key points I found particularly note-worthy (this is certainly not an exhaustive list):

• Caution is advised for media and influencers to avoid over-promoting trails not set up to handle demand, which can cause tensions through increased visitor numbers. I'm aware this is why many trails choose not to promote the Trail of the Year campaign we do, but I might provide more guidance when smaller trails get involved to ensure they're aware of the post-getting in the Top Ten impact.
• Approximately 25% of landowners desire a formal agreement with a trail volunteer group, but less than 10% have one today. This is a positive statistic, a rich vein to tap and where I would focus most effort to deliver that goal. In addition, taken together 40% of landowners want either a formal or informal agreement with volunteer trail organisations. On the other side of the scales only 10% attempt to ban them. A not insignificant number but the opportunity far outweighs the loss. . We're not so far apart, and there's a rich opportunity to go after. 
• The UK has one of the highest proportions of black trails across Europe.  This is not the most substantial insight, but it surprised me. This good provision of harder-graded trails demonstrates the demand for more technical riding in the UK. We lead in black and high in red graded trails proportionally across the European network. Whilst in part COVID-related and due to our model of unauthorised being the UK backbone, we should still, consider how fortunate we are comparatively. We also have more to lose, mind.

Constructive Suggestions

A few hopefully constructive suggestions for the report: I'd recommend a few small builds: 

1. More focus on the role of formal media and big social influencers is needed to drive education, which I felt was limited in phase 1 in terms of both positives as well as negatives. As a start get them all on your distribution list for comms and this report (especially the influencers). 
2. A greater emphasis on the role of brands and their part in the long-term economic approach to trail operational investment to keep them safe would be beneficial and lead to synergistic sustainability and ensure long-term trail health. Sram may be leading the way and a key funder of this initiative but I'd also reach out to them all for greater brand collaboration involvement in terms of education and funding. 
3. There is a strong focus on Land Managers in this report and I welcome it. The title of this article is "Bridging the Gap" between this community and the Trail Associations. So, given the significant momentum of the UK MTB Trail Alliance to bring together Trail Associations be they formal or informal groups across the whole UK it's but an obvious conclusion that these folks play a significant role in bridging that gap going forward. That collaboration would create an opportunity for success as this initiative progresses.
4. How do we address UK rider apathy and increase rider participation in the sustainability of the trail network? 
5. There are many initiatives in phase two; it's ambitious and truly awesome. I would personally focus with a slight bias on what gets land managers into the most effective position that addresses their goals as well as their concerns. There is such latent demand to address and such ambiguity to sort. Let's help there and create the test cases.
   1. I say this whilst acknowledging that both trail associations and riders' and landowners' needs for policies, processes and education are inextricably linked, symbiotic, two sides of the MTB coin, and so investment is needed on both sides to win. I just think the balance is a little out of skew the other way, so recommend you address that.
6. Introduce some metrics and goals for success. These may exist, but if so, why are they not published for transparency? Either way, publish some goals so we all know what we're aiming for and if we get there.
7. The value would be exponential if the survey were repeated every two years.
   1.  This could then track progress, and the change of the core metrics could be one of the metrics of success or failure..
   2. So for example, if you aim for moving the dial to 15% formal agreements with landowners (rather than the current sub-ten per cent) in 2 years and 20% in 3 years then will help with the prioritisation and focus. 

The Main Takeaway

My favourite and what I felt were the most important two paragraphs in the report are these:

"All land managers stated any project within their organisations must be compatible with the three pillars of sustainability: Economic, Environmental and Social"

and..

"A well-managed trail network that meets the three pillars of sustainability (environmental, social, economic) is more likely to be appreciated by users, resulting in more visiting riders, and a greater number of return visits."

These two lenses convene on the same top three points hence offering an integral symbiotic benefit for both user groups of landowners and riders.

So what do these words actually mean? Let's dig deeper: 

Environmental sustainability in trail management involves:

1. Adhering to land management plans
2. Protecting habitats and conservation areas
3. Avoiding interference with planned forest operations
4. Managing site access to prevent user-caused damage, for example by shortcutting through protected areas

Social sustainability requires:

1. Designing trails with maintenance in mind
2. Ensuring sufficient volunteer support if using a voluntary model is essential to keep up with the workload the design and rider numbers dictate
3. If the venue is likely to attract visitors, proper parking provision must be planned to avoid creating tensions with the local community

Economic sustainability focuses on:

1. How the trail will be paid for, both in construction cost and operational revenue
2. Careful integration with local community facilities such as housing, cafés and parks can help build an income stream from both local users of and benefactors from the trail

These three pillars of sustainability: Economic, Environmental and Social are the yin and yang of success; they are symbiotic to both groups, the win-win. If we keep these at the forefront and judge all actions by them, our trail network will flourish and we will all become better, happier riders and landowners.

What's Next in Phase 2

This project's Phase 2 consists of ten work packages aimed at improving the relationship between mountain biking (MTB) and land management.

The work packages cover a wide range of activities, from data analysis and reporting to creating educational materials and establishing management frameworks.

Key focus areas include developing country-specific reports, defining management levels for MTB trails, and creating guidance for trail organisations. The project also emphasises education and information sharing, with plans to create documents explaining MTB culture and land management concerns to various stakeholders. Additionally, there are efforts to improve collaboration between MTB governing bodies and learn from other outdoor sports organisations.

Practical aspects of MTB trail management are addressed through the development of an education programme for positive behaviour change, exploration of insurance requirements, and specific assistance to Natural Resources Wales (so needed I could not emphasise enough). Overall, these work packages aim to create a more structured, informed, and collaborative approach to MTB trail management and stakeholder relationships.

The full report can be found here.

Read: 172 times Published: 09/11/2024