Update: The German Alpine Club has commented and answered our questions in writing. You can read the interview below.
All parties have been in agreement for years: The utilisation pressure on the Munich Isar trails is too great. Nature conservation organisations insisted that bikers be excluded from the fauna-flora habitat (FFH area), landowners no longer wanted to tolerate the uncontrolled growth of new trails and mountain bikers insisted on their right to enter the forest. After many discussions at the round table, numerous local inspections and hearings, the authorities, landowners and nature and cycling associations finally agreed on this compromise in 2017 and submitted it to the city:
NatureRecreation Isar Valley" concept (2017)
- Steering without prohibitions
- A defined network of paths totalling 78 kilometres, including 28 kilometres of trails
- Continuous routes on both banks of the river with some feeder roads
- Closure of so-called "wild roads"
- Possible closure of particularly ecologically sensitive areas
After that, nothing happened for almost seven years. The process seems to have been blocked by the legal question "With or without a regulation?" In other words: with or without closures for mountain bikers. After all, the compromise concept had agreed to refrain from blanket bans. Further discussions were the result.
Since the end of February 2024, however, it is now official: the steering concept project in the Isar recreational area is being implemented. Between Marienklause and Großhesseloher Bridge and on to Schäftlarn, a defined network of trails for mountain bikers will be designated over the next few years. The Munich City Council's Committee for Climate and Environmental Protection has allocated 1.35 million euros for the implementation and signposting. The Munich section of the German Alpine Club, which has been at the negotiating table since 2010 and organises weekly group bike rides on the Isar trails, will be responsible for maintaining the trails.
We contacted the Munich section of the German Alpine Association (DAV) and asked for a statement. In a written interview, Tabea Draese, Head of Nature, Environment & Climate Protection, gave us the following answers about the next steps.
"Initial implementation of concrete measures is expected to begin in 2025"
BIKE: Will the compromise decision from 2017 be implemented or have there been any changes in the meantime?
Tabea Draese: The steering concept from 2017 serves as a basis and will presumably be applied in part. Due to spatial and contractual changes, the steering concept will have to be further developed.
In 2021, you once announced that you would not accept any closures for bikers. What is the current situation?
General closures are not accepted. Closures are possible due to special rest/protection zones and in areas where the safety of the route cannot be guaranteed. As the Isar Valley is a river landscape with its own dynamics, decisions must be made at the moment and for specific sections of the route.
When exactly and how are you proceeding now? Do you have a rough schedule?
There are a few more intermediate steps to be taken before implementation, which will also take some time. The first step for the Munich & Oberland Alpine Club is to establish the contractual basis with the partners involved - the City of Munich, the District of Munich and Bavarian State Forestry - as well as the other landowners. We will look for an experienced trail construction company to build the trail network through a Europe-wide tender. This invitation to tender may again take several months, as it requires a thorough evaluation of the bids and the selection of a suitable provider must be carefully considered.
Initial implementation of specific measures, such as road construction and signposting, is expected to begin in 2025. This timeframe takes into account the necessary lead times for planning, tendering and contract conclusion as well as the practical implementation of the measures on site. During this phase, the Munich section of the German Alpine Club will work closely with the stakeholders involved to ensure that the measures are implemented in accordance with the agreed standards, FFH guidelines and timetables.
Is it possible to view the routes that are to be signposted on a map, for example?
A new route network concept including signposting will be developed for this purpose by 2025 at the earliest.
Will there be a similar regulation for the Würmtal trails, which are currently massively closed?
The Würmtal trails have no connection to our project. The Alpenverein München & Oberland has no knowledge of the status of the project. The area is the responsibility of the district of Starnberg.
Gitta Beimfohr
Editor
