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Petition Against 2-Meter-Law

Boelthor

By Boelthor
in Geocaching

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Boelthor

+Boelthor

Posted
Posted (edited)

Hello,

 

i live in Baden-Wuerttemberg, Germany. In BW it is not allowed to ride your bike on small trails in the forest. Only on roads with min. 2-Meters. So if i want to go for a Cache with my bike i often do that against the law, because often i have to drive on smaller trails to get to the Cachelocation. Baden-Wuerttember is the only County in Germany with this stupid law. Now there is a petition online, a petition against this law which only criminalises all mountainbikers. I really hope that you folks support this petition - even if you don't live in BW, or either in Germany.

Here is the link. Share it on Facebook tell your friends, family..

 

{LINK REMOVED}

 

Thanks a lot

Edited by The Cheeseheads
Removed link to online petition.
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cerberus1

+cerberus1

Posted
Posted

In many places we've hiked, it's common to see "no bikes" signs on narrow trails, or trails that would have (or already had...) damage done through bike use.

I believe most who hike at all have seen trails widened and dug up by bikes (and ATVs - same damage) and anybody who has had that guy whiz by inches on a narrow trail (and with no notice) might understand why a "2 meter rule" came to be.

Just to be clear, we ride our bikes when we can, but prefer designated trails for them.

I personally like the idea that not all trails are open to them.

only getting one side of this story, why did Baden-Wuerttemberg institute the 2 meter ruling in the first place?

Safety of walkers I'd bet.

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kunarion

+kunarion

Posted
Posted
we ride our bikes when we can, but prefer designated trails for them.

I once went hiking for a cache at Dauset Trails, during a bike race. The race was on the wide asphalt trails, but some bikers were whizzing past on the thin dirt hiking trail. It was scary walking next to a ravine and becoming attuned to a faint "tick-tick" that meant my imminent doom if I didn't clear the way pronto.

 

Now I leave that trail to the bikes. I won't hike it again. It was that bad. If I were a bigshot, an authority figure who had to jump out of the way, I might write some new regulations. That's usually what it takes to get things done. And usually in that case, the new law is "Ban It", the most extremely opposite rule. Not that it's not appropriate in this case. It's just an observation. "Everything politicians know, they learned from Kindergarten teachers".

 

only getting one side of this story, why did Baden-Wuerttemberg institute the 2 meter ruling in the first place?

Some authority figure or their immediate family had an incident. Just a guess. :anibad:

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Boelthor

+Boelthor

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Posted

only getting one side of this story, why did Baden-Wuerttemberg institute the 2 meter ruling in the first place?

Safety of walkers I'd bet.

 

Baden-Wuerttemberg is the only county with this rule, because the other counties had recognize the nonsense of this law. Because of that, this law is "history" in the other 15 counties.

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cerberus1

+cerberus1

Posted
Posted

only getting one side of this story, why did Baden-Wuerttemberg institute the 2 meter ruling in the first place?

Safety of walkers I'd bet.

 

Baden-Wuerttemberg is the only county with this rule, because the other counties had recognize the nonsense of this law. Because of that, this law is "history" in the other 15 counties.

You didn't answer the question.

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cerberus1

+cerberus1

Posted
Posted

The point is, that my bike isn't a bike you just lock up and nobody cares. Even if you steal my wheel it's expensive.

Since it is a bike and can be moved easily, you simply stash it a few feet into the woods and mark a waypoint.

No one but you knows it's there. We've done that hundreds of times.

 

If theft at parking/trailhead's an issue, wouldn't someone parking a $40,000. vehicle have the same problems?

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Boelthor

+Boelthor

Posted
  • Author
Posted

only getting one side of this story, why did Baden-Wuerttemberg institute the 2 meter ruling in the first place?

Safety of walkers I'd bet.

 

Baden-Wuerttemberg is the only county with this rule, because the other counties had recognize the nonsense of this law. Because of that, this law is "history" in the other 15 counties.

You didn't answer the question.

 

No accidents happend in the last years. There is nothing to read in the newspapers, internet, or something else. So there is no reason for this kind of law.

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Boelthor

+Boelthor

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Since it is a bike and can be moved easily, you simply stash it a few feet into the woods and mark a waypoint.

No one but you knows it's there. We've done that hundreds of times.

I don't stash my bike into the woods. Not that bike.

 

If theft at parking/trailhead's an issue, wouldn't someone parking a $40,000. vehicle have the same problems?

 

It's easier to steal a bike, than a car. No explanation needed...

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Boelthor

+Boelthor

Posted
  • Author
Posted

I made this thread for all our supporters. Because this law makes no sense. Everybody who lives here and everybody who isn't an old Nazi knows that. I'm tired of this "everytime-the-same-discussions". These discussions make no sense, so as the stupid law.

I said everything. More than once ;-)

I'm out.

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cerberus1

+cerberus1

Posted
Posted

only getting one side of this story, why did Baden-Wuerttemberg institute the 2 meter ruling in the first place?

Safety of walkers I'd bet.

Baden-Wuerttemberg is the only county with this rule, because the other counties had recognize the nonsense of this law. Because of that, this law is "history" in the other 15 counties.

You didn't answer the question.

No accidents happend in the last years. There is nothing to read in the newspapers, internet, or something else. So there is no reason for this kind of law.

Sorry, but I cannot believe a law was placed for no reason.

- Maybe if you had more of the story, this "petition" would make sense.

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TheAlabamaRambler

+TheAlabamaRambler

Posted
Posted

I made this thread for all our supporters. Because this law makes no sense. Everybody who lives here and everybody who isn't an old Nazi knows that. I'm tired of this "everytime-the-same-discussions". These discussions make no sense, so as the stupid law.

I said everything. More than once ;-)

I'm out.

Discussion forums don't work like that. You get supporters and opponents. "I'm out" because you get opinions different than yours? Folks who disagree are "old Nazi"? Seriously?

 

I know you said you were out but I think you will read this, so I will tell you this is a good law. Bikers and hikers don't mix well on narrow paths, and bikes cause rutting and erosion and expansion of hiker trails. So if I had a vote... and since I don't even live in the country I can't imagine why they would even consider my (our) vote, I would vote to keep the law.

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TheAlabamaRambler

+TheAlabamaRambler

Posted
Posted (edited)

This law is from the year 1975. In this year there were no Mountainbikes. Nowhere. So this law cannot be based on facts, like accidents. Because of that, the other counties had abolished the law.

That part is interesting. Mountain Bike development as we know them today didn't really begin until about 1978, so if a law banning bicycles on 2m or less (~6'6") wide trails was written in 1975 it had to be aimed at traditional bikes.

Edited by TheAlabamaRambler
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Michaelcycle

+Michaelcycle

Posted
Posted

Ah, now there's a pet peeve of mine. I wish we could have something like that, here. I'm tired of dodging bikes.

 

And I am tired of dodging hikers, especially those with unleashed dogs!

 

That law is draconian, banning bicycles on paths less than six feet wide. Singletrack mtb trails are 18" wide. If there are areas where the foot and bike traffic leads to conflict then divide the trails into hikers only and mtbs only.

 

BTW, the poster that equated ATV trail damage to mtbs doesn't know physics. I live in a part of the world where illegal ATVs are found in nearly every public space. They cause immense damage. The mtb dirt trails around here look essentially the same after 10 years of use as the did when they were built.

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TheAlabamaRambler

+TheAlabamaRambler

Posted
Posted

It's not just unleashed dogs. Many owners don't control their dogs on a leash! I meet folks on a trail with their dog on a leash, maybe we stop and talk, their dog has his nose in my crotch and they're all 'Aw, isn't he cute!' while I am thinking about whacking their dang dog across the head with my crutch. They just don't get that because they love their dog doesn't mean everybody will like their dog. /peeve

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Gitchee-Gummee

+Gitchee-Gummee

Posted
Posted

It's not just unleashed dogs. Many owners don't control their dogs on a leash! I meet folks on a trail with their dog on a leash, maybe we stop and talk, their dog has his nose in my crotch and they're all 'Aw, isn't he cute!' while I am thinking about whacking their dang dog across the head with my crutch. They just don't get that because they love their dog doesn't mean everybody will like their dog. /peeve

Use your crutch on the owner, not the dog. Ya gots to use a 2X4 to get a mule's attention, maybe a crutch upside the head would do for a dog owner!

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