Geographically, Stuttgart is located in the centre of the Two metre rule. Bikers don't have it easy here in Baden-Württemberg. All paths narrower than two metres are prohibited. That's why the bikers in Stuttgart founded an association in March 2020. They want to make their voices heard by the city and have existing trails legalised. "It's about providing the city with an official point of contact," explains Christoph Scholz, 2nd Chairman of the Stuttgart MTB Association. The city of Freiburg in southern Baden serves as a role model. Here, a committed association Despite the two-metre rule, there is a wide trail network - quite officially. DIMB-However, expert consultant Heiko Mittelstädt believes that the situation in the state capital is more complicated than in Freiburg. "There are many protected areas in the basin around Stuttgart," says Mittelstädt. Nevertheless, there is reason to be happy. The city has already approved 80,000 euros to develop an initial concept. A further 10,000 euros per year are available for maintenance and construction work on the routes.
Controls and fines instead of co-operative work for the concept
However, it could be a long time, if not years, before a concept is developed and implemented by the city council, the MTB club and the various interest groups. But what can bikers do until then? Because there is currently only one official trail in Stuttgart. The "Woodpecker" is one kilometre long. What's more, the local police started carrying out checks on popular trails around Stuttgart months ago. However, as reported by various bikers, initially only checks and warnings were issued. In contrast, the Stuttgart police are now taking a tougher stance, as one current press release is to be taken from. It states: "Bikers who continue to ride on trails that are less than two metres wide must expect to be charged with an administrative offence and a fine of up to 40 euros." Anyone caught building a trail could face a fine of up to 255 euros.
Anyone who has received a notice of hearing or a fine can contact the DIMB IG Stuttgart at w2mr@dimb.de.
Update: Demo on 5 September
The Stuttgart MTB club and the DIMB call for an MTB demo in Stuttgart "For a legal MTB trail network in Stuttgart - amendment of the so-called 2-metre rule". The date is Saturday, 5 September 2020, 2:30 pm on the market square in front of Stuttgart City Hall.
Afterwards, you can ride on the Woodpecker, the only legal mountain bike route in Stuttgart. The aim is to emphasise how absurd the idea is that all Stuttgart bikers should only ride on the Woodpecker. Participants should ideally come to the demonstration with their bikes and in MTB outfits.
Fabian Scholz: "Biking legally at last."
Four questions for Fabian Scholz, 2nd Chairman of the MTB club founded in Stuttgart in March 2020.
BIKE: Fabian, how can the foundation of the association help you?
Fabian Scholz: We no longer want illegal biking, we want to be able to ride legally in the forest. To achieve this, the nonsensical two-metre rule in the Stuttgart district must be abolished. That way, our existing trails can be legalised.
The area around Stuttgart is largely a nature reserve. Could that be the biggest hurdle?
Admittedly, that could make it complicated. Nature conservation is very important to us. Solutions must be found together with all interest groups. We are working on this, as it is the only way to prevent illegal routes being dug into the forest in the future.
There is already a legal trail about one kilometre long in Stuttgart - the Woodpecker Trail. So the city has already reacted.
The Woodpecker may have its raison d'être, but it's not nearly enough. It doesn't appeal to enduro and touring bikers at all. We want to choose a different route. Most of the trails should be so-called "shared trails", i.e. not just MTB trails. The idea is to share all trails in the forest with hikers and walkers in a spirit of mutual respect. No money needs to be spent on this, as was the case with the Woodpecker. The trails are already there, the city would just have to legalise their use for mountain bikers. We as an association would also pay for the necessary maintenance.
Is your labour input perhaps your strongest argument?
No, our strongest argument is that with legal trails, we enable several thousand Stuttgart residents to practise their sport safely and acceptably. At the same time, we want to minimise the potential for conflict with other forest users.
The more members the club has, the more important it is to the city. The annual fee for MTB membership in Stuttgart for adults costs just 25 euros: www.mtb-stuttgart.com
