200 years ago, the bicycle was officially invented in Baden-Württemberg with Karl Drais' steerable running machine. One might have expected a dazzling career for the two-wheeler there, but in no other federal state does the bicycle have a more difficult position in the political debate.
Today, the bicycle is more a part of the urban landscape in Germany than ever before, and it has also established itself as a leisure sport off the road. Of course there are conflicts - on the roads as well as in the forest and on the mountains. But you rarely see signs banning cyclists in Germany. As a rule, common sense and a little social competence are enough to prevent conflicts from arising in the first place - or at least to resolve them in a civilised manner.
An indomitable country does not stop resisting
However, Baden-Württemberg, the birthplace of the draisine, has apparently taken it upon itself to make life difficult for cyclists, especially mountain bikers, in society. Even in 2017, the third-largest federal state in Germany is still convinced that mountain bikers must be restrictively banned from narrow trails. The two-metre rule has been in force in Swabia for over 20 years, as if it had been carved into granite. It stipulates that cycling on forest paths less than two metres wide is only permitted if they are specially designated mountain bike trails. Otherwise it is illegal.
For the bicycle programme "Kick-off" of the internet radio station Detektor.fm Antritt presenter and BIKE employee Gerolf Meyer took the 200th anniversary of the bicycle as an opportunity to talk to Baden-Württemberg Minister Peter Hauk about the two-metre rule. CDU politician Hauk, responsible for rural areas, consumer protection and agriculture, emphasised his restrictive attitude towards mountain bikers. On Hauk's Facebook page was followed by an unusually high number of comments.
A few militant mountain bikers want to undermine this
Following the interview, Peter Hauk has to listen to fierce accusations that his policy is lobby-driven and cannot be understood objectively. Hauk exclusively cites "conflicts of use and competition with hikers" as justification for the blanket ban on bikes, for which there is "empirical data" but "no comprehensive surveys", "because that would in turn mean a disproportionately high tax burden."
His predecessor, Alexander Bonde of the Green Party, also failed due to resistance from hikers who saw a high potential for accidents on narrow forest paths. Bonde had to 2013 from the Stuttgarter Nachrichten with the following revealing statement: "The hikers' associations in Baden-Württemberg therefore emphatically reject the abolition of the two-metre rule."
However, as the conflict situation was "obvious" according to Hauk, it was also "understandable to any reasonable person why we have regulated it in this way. And that is why we are sticking to this regulation." After all, he, Hauk, "apart from a few militant critics ... doesn't know anyone who seriously doubts this regulation."
With this limited view, Hauk not only incurred the displeasure of four cycling associations and over 58,000 supporters of the DIMB online petition. He also discredited the work of all those in associations and institutions who are committed to peaceful coexistence in the forest.
"The cycling associations and 58,000 mountain bikers have spoken out against the 2-metre rule in the petition. We are working constructively at the round table in Stuttgart. According to my understanding of the state, this is the democratic process and I don't know why Mr Hauk is talking about militants." Heiko Mittelstädt, German Mountain Bike Initiative (DIMB)
You can listen to the full interview here:
FDP MPs submit enquiry to the state parliament
The minister's comments caused waves of outrage, and not just on social media. Opposition politicians from the FDP/DVP parliamentary group also called for clarification in a small question on 11 July 2017. Specifically, the state government was asked to report on developments in the dialogue on the so-called 2-metre rule at the round table. They also demanded explanations and justifications for the minister's choice of words. The state government was then given three weeks to respond to the enquiry in writing.
It was probably a little too optimistic to believe that things would really get moving now. However, the state government of Baden-Württemberg is apparently still standing firmly on the brakes when it comes to the complete legalisation of mountain biking in the forest. Although prudence was certainly appropriate in view of the extremely factual but nevertheless heated social media debate surrounding Minister Hauk's statements. The very late and nonetheless unruly Reply from the Minister on his Facebook page had no calming effect on the mountain bikers concerned. On the contrary.
The participants eagerly awaited the Response from the responsible Ministry for Rural Areas and Consumer Protection (link to PDF)which has been available since yesterday. At last. There is no trace of remorse in it. It proudly emphasises that it was the ministry that initiated the round table in 2014, "the 'Recreation in the Forest' forum as a voluntary association of associations and organised user groups with a connection to the forest". And the fact that coexistence in the forest works "largely" without conflict is precisely the merit of the 2-metre rule, in addition to "the constructive commitment of many local stakeholders". It has therefore proved its worth and the ministry sees no reason to deviate from it.
And why are the people and associations campaigning for the abolition of the 2-metre rule now "militant"? The ministry says briefly:
"Minister Hauk MdL [has] reacted to the behaviour of individuals in the forest and in public, which he has repeatedly experienced as inappropriate, who act recklessly and only pursue their own interests. These individuals are endangering the good dialogue between the other stakeholders through their behaviour and statements. It is clear that these individuals, with their aggressive behaviour, do not speak for the majority of cyclists in the country and their associations. As far as we know, the associations, like the state government, are interested in continuing the constructive dialogue with landowners, hunters, hikers and other interest groups."
A slap in the face for the four cycling organisations, whose position is clear and well-known. The German Mountain Bike Initiative (DIMB) is still in favour of abolition, and not alone, and considers the statement to be simply disrespectful:
"We therefore continue to consider the minister's choice of words to be inappropriate to make such comments about the cycling organisations and their representatives. It is also a sign of non-acceptance of the cycling organisations when the MLR claims in its statement that their representatives do not speak for the majority of cyclists." DIMB, Open Trails Facebook page
You can only take your hat off to the representatives of the cyclists. Heiko Mittelstädt, for example, who as the DIMB's open trails officer continues to campaign for the rights of mountain bikers, will have to attend many more discussions in the "Recreation in the Forest" forum. In the Interview with the cycling programme "Antritt" on the internet radio station Detektor.fm he unwittingly anticipated the current result last week.
Finally, a comment on the following sentence in the ministry's response: "The two-metre rule was created to defuse potentially dangerous situations and possible conflicts of use between forest visitors." Even 200 years ago, when the bicycle was invented in Baden-Württemberg, it was the fear of potential but not so real dangers that stood in the way of acceptance of the revolutionary means of transport for a long time. Back then, people were afraid of balancing.
Sebastian Brust
Editor
