Nu skulle jag inte identifiera mig som "MTB-cyklist", men eftersom jag nämnde studier så svarar jag. Det finns ganska många; här är några exempel. Den första publicerad i år.
"Our study shows that on-trail use by hikers and mountain bikers have relatively limited overall effects in terms of trail widening and deepening, but that effects depend highly on environmental conditions; enhanced use of trails in wet areas is likely to result in greater trail degradation, and more so if a large proportion of the users are mountain bikers. Management and maintenance of trails, in terms of re-routing or trail surface hardening, could thus be necessary to avoid negative impacts of increased use. For such management actions to be successful, they need to be targeted towards the actual user groups and the natural conditions in the area."
Effects of mountain biking versus hiking on trails under different environmental conditions (utdrag ur abstracts)
"It has not been established in the research done to date, that mountain bikes have greater overall impact on tracks than do walkers. However, it is obvious that mountain bikes do have some different types of impacts. The research to date indicates that it would not be appropriate to state that one is any "worse" than the other. It would appear that the main physical impact implication from the advent of mountain biking really lies in the increase in user numbers they may represent, rather than in the nature of the new activity in itself."
Off-Road impacts of Mountain bikes: A review and discussion s.26
Soil erosion and landuse management in the Swedish mountains have today become a discussed topic. The aim of this study is to give a glimpse of clearness about impact difference between two leisure activities that are conducted in these areas - cycling and walking. Four previously undisturbed sites in two vegetation types, two on subalpine heath and two on bog, with one plane and one sloping sub-surface respectively, were studied concerning differences in impact between cycling and trampling. Changes in vegetation were measured immediately after different impact intensity at one occasion and also after one and two months of recovery. The results show great variation with increasing level of use, but it could not clearly be shown that one of the two activities was responsible for any higher amount of damage on the ground than the other. There were signs of lower tolerance on bog than on heath to both cycling and trampling. There was also a general difference in type of impact, with broader and shallower disturbance after trampling and more narrow and deep impact from cycling. Other differences between the two activities and the necessity for further research are also discussed.
Annica Ideström, Markslitage i fjällmiljö - en jämförelse mellan cykling och vandring, UMU
När man läser igenom de studier som gjorts så verkar det vara svårt att dra tydliga slutsatser; både vandrare, cyklister och ryttare sliter och det verkar snarare vara totala trycket och terrängtyper som avgör omfattningen även om blötare partier verkar vara känsligare för cykling. På leder (som ju som sagt per definition är slitage) och i områden med högt tryck borde man kunna skapa förutsättningar för såväl de som cyklar och de som vandrar att uppleva naturen. Ibland får man uppfattningen av att vandring är en närmast jungfruelig aktivitet utan någon påverkan som helst, men så är det ju inte.
Såväl cykling som vandring är ju aktiviteter som är väldigt hållbara och bidrar till folkhälsan men erfarenhetsmässigt vet man också att det lätt uppstår konflikter mellan olika grupper av friluftsutövare.
