Make it green for mountain bikers

Letter from Leonard Lim Today Online 21 May 12;

THE outdoors are like a second home to me and so too for many others. Unfortunately, access to most of Singapore's lush nature reserves, such as the Central Catchment Nature Reserve, has recently been cut off for mountain bikers.

The reason given is that mountain bikers are destroying the nature reserves. This misconception has resulted in an unnecessary show of force by the National Parks Board, whose officers are staking out these areas, imposing fines and even confiscating bikes.

As a mountain biker, whenever I cycle in the great outdoors, I make sure to stuff my empty food wrappers and drink bottles/cans into my pockets and backpack.

If the concern is about litter or destruction of the terrain, then fine the culprits instead of banning an entire group. If a motorcyclist litters in a public car park, do we then ban all motorcyclists from that car park?

The preservation of nature is everyone's responsibility, not just that of NParks. As far as I have seen, no mountain biker has wilfully sought to destroy the trails or leave trash behind.

Mountain biking is a way to keep fit and also helps to keep our youth out of trouble. Not everyone has the money and/or time to go to Malaysia, where land is vast, or Pulau Ubin's biking trails.

Cycling in our own backyard is the closest piece of heaven mountain bikers would have. But the restrictions in Singapore are getting excessive.

Mountain biking more damaging than hiking
Letter from Michael J Vandeman Today Online 23 May 12;

I REFER to the letter "Make it green for mountain bikers" (May 21). It is obvious that mountain biking is much more damaging than hiking. The alleged scientific articles supporting mountain biking are junk science.

Bicycles should not be allowed in any natural area. There is no right to mountain biking. In the United States, that was settled in a federal court in 1994.

Mountain bikers have exactly the same access as everyone else, on foot. Why is that not good enough?

A favourite myth is that mountain biking is no more harmful to wildlife, people and the environment than hiking. This is not true. I read the research and found that of the seven studies cited, all were written by mountain bikers.

In every case, they misinterpreted their own data to come to the conclusion they favoured.

They also avoided mentioning another scientific study, which did not favour mountain biking and came to the opposite conclusions.

Those were experimental studies. Two other studies used a survey design, which is incapable of comparing hiking with mountain biking. Mountain bikers often cite them, but scientifically, they are worthless.

Mountain biking accelerates erosion, creates V-shaped ruts, kills small animals and plants on and next to the trail, drives wildlife and other trail users out of the areas and teaches children that rough treatment of nature is okay. What is good about that?