USA Bikers fight to save dirt bike trails in Moab desert, Utah
Dirt bike fans in the USA are fighting to keep motorised access to trails in the stunning Moab desert in Utah
AS access to UK green lanes and trails is slowly eroded away, the same is happening across America, as dirt bike riders in the USA fight to save Moab trails.
The Moab is a vast wilderness located in Utah USA. It’s a hugely popular destination for outdoor recreation enthusiasts, be them hitting the trails on mountain bikes, foot, or dirt bikes. It is blessed with hundreds of miles of trails and tracks, many of which are extremely popular with riders of electric and petrol off-road motorcycles.
A large proportion of that access is at risk though, as it’s reported that up to 40 percent of the trails in the area are at risk of closure to motorised vehicles. A draft travel management plan has been drawn up by The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Moab Field Office and focuses on the Labyrinth Rims and Gemini Bridges special recreational areas. This travel management plan is currently under consultation, and those who use the area and want to see it remain open only have a couple of days to submit their opinions.
This story will likely be familiar to UK green lane riders, who were earlier this year urged by the BMF and TRF to have their say on DEFRA’s Landscapes Review. It was a similar proposal to the one happening in the Moab, although the DEFRA changes could affect motorised access to national parks across the UK, not just in one area.
US website CycleNews reports that Danielle McNiven, Assistant Director, Tread Lightly!, Inc. was keen to get as many people involved in the US consultation. She said:
“Public comments are an important part of land management, and by providing comments during a public comment period, you become an important partner in the effort to keep public lands open for responsible recreation,”
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Simon (AKA Toad) has been working within the motorcycle industry for more than twelve years, and a member of the motorcyclist family since birth. Growing up around British-built single and twins, it was inevitable that a life on two wheels was on the cards, from a very early age!
