Hikers and bikers at Bukit Timah Mountain Bike Trail

Happy trails, everyone
Some give-and-take between hikers andbikers would make Bukit Timah a much nicer place
Chiang Pak Chien, Today Online 29 Jan 09;

I REFER to “The hazards of cycling: Hikers, please stay off trails meant for mountain bikers” (Jan 28).

As an avid mountain biker who has cycled the Bukit Timah Mountain Bike Trail regularly for the past 10 years, there are some points I wish to add.

In land-scarce Singapore, co-existence is the order of the day. That means responsibility, and it necessitates cooperation and grace on the part of all users of the trail. There are bad hikers, just as there are bad bikers. The majority of hikers and bikers who behave themselves should not be penalised nor marginalised because of the minority who don’t. Exclusionary policies in respect of one group over another are, by definition, discriminatory and should only be used as a last resort.

:The mountain bike trail is narrow.A cyclist coming down a steep slope cannot stop or slow down too much mid-slope without falling. Because of the trail’s narrowness and the fact that there are limited paths (known as “lines” in mountain bike-speak) that bikers can safely ride down-slope, it would be appreciated if the hikers would stand clear to one side (or even better, step into the grass) to let the bikers pass.

:There are many times when I have come down a steep slope to find hikers smack in the middle of the narrow bike path, forcing me to take sudden evasive action to avoid a collision. Because of the width of mountain bike handlebars (typically around 60cm), there have been occasions when, despite my best efforts, I have inadvertently clipped them with my handlebars.

:Bikers tend to shout out their warnings loudly to ensure that hikers can hear them in good time. The bikers are usually out of breath from the physical exertion and seldom able to sound out a gentle “excuse me”. I am sure many mountain bikers can also relate incidents when hikers have been rude or aggressive.

More legal trails should be opened for mountain bikers. There are at least four trails open to the public at the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve and only one permitted for bikers to use. There are hefty fines levied on bikers who stray off the designated mountain bike trail, but no such sanctions are levied on hikers.

Naturally, some segments of the mountain bike community are aggrieved. This could be rectified by opening up more legal trails for mountain bikers so as to spread the volume of traffic across a greater number of trails and to ensure equality of trail use.

There should be clearer signs at the entrances and exits, as well as within the trail itself . Currently, it is only uni-directional, though on occasions, permission has been granted to allow the trail to be cycled in the opposite direction.

This has led to some inconsiderate bikers doing so as a matter of course, which significantly increases the risks of serious injury to hikers and bikers.I hope the authorities take a consistent stand and ensure that it remains uni-directional.

The gravel pavement of a section of the trail has not gone down well with the mountain bike community for a couple of reasons: One, if the gravel pavement is installed to address soil erosion, it would be appreciated if the specific erosion spots were addressed ad hoc and where required, rather than completely paved over. Bukit Timah Nature Reserve is meant to be rustic and the gravel paving seems to run counter to this natural setting.

Secondly and more importantly, as Mr Leonard Lim has alluded to in his letter, the loose gravel pavement has significantly increased the risk of injury, as loose gravel cause bicycles to skid and lose traction.

I urge the authorities not to carry out further gravel paving. The trail is great as it is.

All of us head to Bukit Timah Nature Reserve to enjoy ourselves.

Some understanding and give-and-take on the part of all trail users would go a long way to making us happy hikers and bikers.

The hazards of cycling
Hikers, please stay off trails meant for mountain bikers
Letter from Leonard Lim, Today Online 28 Jan 09;

I WOULD like to highlight that more hikers are using the :Bukit Timah mountain biking trail and in doing so, it is becoming increasingly dangerous for both hikers and bikers.

That trail consists of lots of downward inclines and mountain bikers go at extreme speeds there. But hikers usually assume that the trail is for hiking only and block it entirely.

There have been more than one occasion where bikers have nearly hit them and in such dense vegetation, if injuries were to occur, access by paramedics may take quite a while.

On Sunday, m:y friends and I were thrown off our bikes because a row of hikers were blocking the trail and could not hear us shouting at them to give way because they were talking loudly. :They even accused us of being rude and invading their turf!

We bikers do not mind sharing the trail but hikers behave as if we haveinvaded their space when it’s the other way around.

Furthermore, I believe the recentpaving of a stretch of the trail with gravel was done for the benefit of these so-called hikers. This has totally ruined the mountain biking trail. It is only a matter of time before someone gets seriously hurt. NParks has put up signs that it is a mountain bike-specific trail, so please let it be.