OpenMTB, a group set up to advocate for UK mountain bikers, has decided to cease functioning, publishing the following statement on its Facebook page:
“We’re sad to make the following statement.
After six years OpenMTB has closed its doors.
The lack of a representative body for recreational mountain bikers has been and remains a serious issue – but as a small group with no resources apart from the willingness of its members, OpenMTB has not been in a position to step into the breach.
From the beginning, we have maintained a strong focus on a single issue: more equitable access rights for bike riders.
We have not been without success. In partnership with Cycling UK, we played a significant role in the Trails4Wales campaign and ensuring that the voices of mountain bikers were heard loud and clear.
OpenMTB committee member Tom Hutton will maintain his role in the process as things move slowly towards implementation.
We had hoped that this might set a precedent for progress on access in England too, but there has been little if any positive news here.
Occasional encouraging statements from government ministers have not borne fruit. The excellent Glover Report (officially the Landscapes Review: National Parks and AONBs) has been officially welcomed, but nothing of substance has resulted.
Our hope was that we could continue to work in harness with Cycling UK, but as time has passed our influence there has dwindled – and we have never had a productive relationship with British Cycling.
All our committee members have other calls on their time – and there seems little point in diverting energy into a project which offers little prospect of progress.
With great reluctance and heavy hearts, we’ve made the decision to close OpenMTB – but we can at least look back on one very significant achievement.
Huge thanks to all who’ve supported our efforts. Perhaps we’ll see some of you on some newly accessible trails in Wales soon.“
What now for access campaigns in the UK? Hopefully the Trails For Wales campaign and proposed changes are now progressed far enough that they will become a reality. But in England there continues to be a lack of access, with a potential loss of access on the horizon. Cycling UK is championing the ‘Lost Ways’ and ‘Missing Links’ campaigns, seeking to get incorrectly recorded rights of way corrected – helping to re-open bridleway connections that are currently recorded as footpaths. We have until 2026 to get rights of way correctly recorded before they may be eliminated forever – however councils have a huge backlog of cases to look at, and many more paths have yet to have applications submitted.
Add to that pressures on land use – developers re-routing or closing routes, land owners trying to block access, and increasing numbers of riders wanting to take to the trails – and there’s a definite need for advocacy for mountain biking, that goes beyond transport focussed campaigns around cycle lanes.
Developing Mountain Biking In Scotland recently identified the importance of trail associations, yet we don’t even have a directory of local groups here in the UK. OpenMTB did work on compiling one, but it has’t been maintained and will now fall by the wayside along with OpenMTB itself.
Perhaps our best bet for representation now lies with Cycling UK, whose agenda seems to be moving beyond its traditional commuter and touring focus, and into a broader access and advocacy role? What do you think – do we need to be more organised? Or can we remain a group of disparate riders, separated by differing definitions of mountain biking, alternative views of what’s fun, and stretches of footpath?
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