The natural environment is a common heritage of all citizens, which all its devotees can enjoy in accordance with basic rules. There are those who go hiking, others practice climbing, horseback riding or enjoy it on two or four wheels. Its use, although regulated, is extremely versatile and allows you to find a haven of calm and clean air where you can escape from the high-sounding rhythm of the city. Or, at least, that’s how it would be on paper. Because in the rush of a day in the mountains, the same urban controversies have made their way to the mountains and natural parks, such as in Collserola, the great green lung of the Barcelona area.
In a post-confinement world, a massive influx of unprecedented visitors has arrived at the mountain, a phenomenon that has aggravated the already delicate coexistence in these spaces. “It is an issue that 20 years ago did not give the impression of being problematic, and now it is an issue that affects the entire year,” explains Marta Doñoro, head of the Public Use, Dissemination and Environmental Education service of the Collserola Park.
According to the data, in 2008 the Sierra de Collserola alone received 2.8 million visits, a figure that in 2019 shot up to 5 million, and would climb to 6.3 million in 2020. Doñoro points out that, although the number has declined a bit in the last three years, the new batch of outdoor lovers has stabilized and is here to stay.
Frictions between users are not new at all, and the first regulatory decree in Catalonia to stipulate the rules of coexistence of scientific, sports and photographic activities in the natural environment was approved in 1992. The current reality, however, is far from the one contemplated at the time the regulations came into force, given that several of the regulated activities have experienced substantial changes in terms of presence or change of habits, as is the particular case of the world of mountain biking.
The post-confinement interest, the cheaper equipment for this discipline, as well as the emergence of the electric bicycle, have not only favored the fact that there are more fans than ever, but also that it is possible to travel more comfortably for people of all conditions.
Thus, several studies carried out on this subject reveal that the use of mountain bikes increased by 32% between 2019-2020 and another 30% between 2020-2021, according to Estela Farias, researcher and professor at the National Institute of Physical Education of Catalonia. For this reason, administrations have increased their vigilance for the correct and safe use of protected spaces and paths, something that has further fueled criticism from the BTT sector.
Jordi Calsina has been dedicated to mountain biking for 25 years and another 18 organizing competitions in this modality throughout Catalonia through the Open Natura BTT Club, an entity of which he is president. He, like the entire cycling community, believes that the Administration continues to ignore the opinion of the sector and complains that the current regulations are detrimental to this activity: “There has come a time when there is too much prohibition, and I always say that putting doors on the mountain is unfeasible”.
The same opinion is expressed by Carlos Colina, also a devotee of mountain biking, and a practitioner of this discipline since he was 15 years old. In his case, he also criticizes the fact that there is little respect for the world of bicycles, both from the Administration and from the rest of the passers-by: “Compared to France or Switzerland, we do not have a bicycle culture, and on top of that it is poorly regarded. Sometimes you You pass people and they yell at you and insult you.
Both endorse the sector’s main demand for the use of mountain biking to be liberalized instead of restricting it to pre-established routes. They claim to be able to use natural passages and travel on secondary paths, because it is in the very nature of the sport to travel through new moors that involve a certain challenge of adventure. “This sport is to give the possibility of getting to know many landscapes and places that we didn’t know before. We don’t want to always be on the same three-meter paths,” Colina complains.
Likewise, they maintain that mountain biking deserves greater protection due to the positive impact it has on the economy and rural revitalization, thanks to the organization of competitions and mass events.
The Administration is aware of these claims, however, they maintain a strong position in favor of the preservation of the natural environment, a trend that extends to all the parks belonging to the network of the provincial councils of Catalonia.
However, they point out that it applies to everyone, regardless of the activity carried out. “Any activity involving the use of a protected natural space has an impact, whether you go on foot or by bicycle,” declares Doñoro. And, although he also clarifies that the impact depends largely on the attitude with which the activity is carried out, he points out that the bicycle “because it has greater presence and power than those who walk, can have a greater impact.”
To prevent the deterioration of protected natural spaces, they have delimited networks for all walkers. In the case of Collserola there are up to 250 kilometers of sections to allow the combination of different uses and prevent pedestrians and cyclists from entering areas considered environmentally sensitive. In them, the bicycle is delimited to three-meter lanes and with a speed limit of between 20 or 30 kilometers depending on the place where it is circulated.
Even so, Doñoro confirms the existence of other narrower secondary sections that serve as a link between areas and in which the circulation of cycles is allowed, but it is where conflict situations between users occur the most. “During Covid times we had an avalanche of complaints from people who encountered cyclists on these trails, and who reported that they had a feeling of danger,” explains the manager.
For this reason, it is reaffirmed the need for the regulation not to be modified, to stop conflict and that no type of passersby dedicate themselves to opening secondary roads not contemplated by the Administration. “We want to avoid the deterioration of the natural space, and the pressure on the local fauna,” explains Doñoro.
Faced with diametrically opposed positions, the question arises as to whether a consensus between the parties is possible. Estela Farias, researcher and professor at the National Institute of Physical Education of Catalonia, is an expert in managing sporting events in the natural environment and the public use of protected spaces. She knows in depth the claims of the mountain biking sector as she is one of those responsible for numerous studies on the environmental impact of this sport, in addition to being a two-wheeled enthusiast herself.
Her work has led her to participate in round tables and debates, and in her experience, negotiations between the parties have not been easy, but there has been significant progress: “There is a willingness to negotiate, but the bicycle world sometimes has a tendency to always be on the defensive.” “There are also people who are very extreme, who say that they are free and that nothing can be said to them,” she declares.
He states that he has always defended the presence of mountain bike cyclists and their equal right to use natural spaces. But the solution to the controversy is extremely complex. From the cycling world, they propose the consensual creation of exclusive trails according to use. “Let there be paths only for bicycles and only for walkers, so there will be no more conflict,” says Colina. “In the case of Collserola, we cannot all go along the Carretera de las Aguas,” she says. And that is why he once again gives the example of France and other European countries such as Sweden or the United Kingdom where cycling is more protected.
As a third interested party, the Hiking Center of Catalonia (CEC) has also tried to contribute to getting the situation back on track with awareness campaigns for environmental education and respect among users, through the Federation of Hiking Entities of Catalonia (FEEC) and the Federation Catalan Cycling Association (FCC).
Marcel Blanes, technical director of the CEC, comments that beyond educating about respect for the environment and good coexistence, he proposes specific signage in natural spaces where trails can be shared with certain regulatory measures or differentiate trails for each type of activity. with limitation.
In that regard, Farias partially agrees with both. “The ideal would be to have areas only for walkers and cyclists, but the reality is much more complicated.” On the one hand, he points out that in other parks there are already segregation models with bicycle tracks and paths for walkers, but in the case of Collserola and other Catalan parks it has been ruled out.
The researcher points out that this option would only be possible if respect for the environment and the maintenance of paths present in French or English cultures were first taken into account, something that she considers not yet widespread in Spain.
Likewise, he also points out the drawback that due to the very nature of the sport, the route designed for mountain biking would not contain the practitioners of the discipline forever, and that they would end up looking for other paths as soon as they got bored of traveling through the same areas: ” For a solution like this to be viable, there must first be respect for the rules, because if you invest and people later do not comply with them, you are even more disempowered.”
Given this, Calsina, from the Open Natura BTT Club, responds: “There will always be people in this world who are not satisfied even if there is a secondary network only for cyclists, but it is easier for us to give in and reach an agreement if from parks like “At least we see that they concede something.”
Even so, not all parties are so hopeful that the sector’s claims will be resolved. Carlos Colina settles into pessimism and asserts that nothing will be achieved from the representatives of the parks due to stubbornness and lack of culture towards the sport: “We still have 20 years left in both Catalonia and the rest of Spain to reach the level of France, and in Catalonia we are in the most advanced region on this issue.
Despite everything, for Farias the question does not depend so much on the time in which said cultural change occurs, but rather on the time in which it takes people to put themselves in the shoes of the other: “When everyone is able to put themselves in the shoes from others, you will begin to find options for what is viable. And sometimes it takes time and other times it is faster. But there is no other option than to understand each other.”
