Stepping out of the shadows is a new, British mountain bike access organisation. It’s made up of volunteers from several different corners of mountain biking in the UK – there are access officers, advocacy representatives from organisations such at British Cycling and the CTC, as well as journalists, IMBA (remember them?) and trail-building organisations throughout the UK.
The formation of a national body to represent mountain bikers has been made more pressing by the recent Welsh Government consultation on access to land in Wales, but many riders are finding that, without a strong local group, like RideSheffield, there isn’t really a national body that the likes of local councils and National Parks can talk to about trail access. Hence the formation of OpenMTB.
There’s a Facebook group and you can follow @openmtb on Twitter (though there’s nothing to see at the moment). Knowing some of the people on the panel (who will, presumably, introduce themselves shortly, rather than remaining a shadowy organisation like U.N.C.L.E.) we have high hopes that they will carry both the needs of mountain bikers and the Government-facing authority to actually get things done in our name.
Here’s what OpenMTB (not to be confused with the mountain bike brand, Open) has to say about itself:
“Early in 2015 representatives from a number of mountain bike associations met journalists and industry experts from across England and Wales to see how we could work together for the benefit of our community.
In the past it has been difficult for governing bodies to consult our diverse community due to the lack of a single point of contact.
OpenMTB has been formed to act co-operatively on behalf of our supporters – locally, regionally and nationally on issues that concern our supporters. These issues include improved access rights, user group consultations, trail improvement and maintenance etc.
We have agreed how we will work in partnership with cycling’s main bodies. By using existing relationships with our supporters and the campaigning experience and organisational skills of CTC and British Cycling we aim to work in a positive manner to bring about real benefits for the off-road cycling community.
The group already have links with National Park Authorities, the Forestry Commission and other land managers and will continue to build on these in the future.
Current rights of way were created before the mountain bike was invented and we believe the system needs a thorough review in order to reflect current patterns of recreational use. Scotland has undergone such a review and is seeing the benefits modernisation brings. User groups are equal and are bound by a single responsible access code. Using such a code we seek to bring access rights up to date across the UK.
In our first campaign OpenMTB, CTC, British Cycling and Welsh Cycling will soon be launching ‘Trails for Wales’ which focuses on the current Welsh Government consultation for increased access in Wales. We feel that modernising the Welsh access system is a sensible step towards a fair system across the whole of the UK.
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Well I for one would like to wish them all the luck in the world.
I think they may need it, although I hope I’m wrong.
Is there any chance of OpenMTB getting involved in the Rushup Edge issue, or is that too far down the line now?
We’re talking to them 🙂
After living in Scotland for over 10 years and subsequently moving back to England – the access rules here do make me weep.
I feel your pain soulrider! living in Scotland, I sometimes take for granted that you can ride pretty much ride/walk where you like- within reason. There is no specific trespass law, criminal damage has to be proved (this is my understanding anyway- I’n no legal expert though). Even before the land reform bill (Scotland) existed, we have enjoyed the ‘right to roam’ spirit here. Fingers crossed that some day the rest of the UK could have a similar model
This has to be good news and will follow this with interest. Good luck to all involved.