Biker Vs. Hiker - Coexistence In The Lenzerheide Bike Kingdom
Where there are many bikers and hikers on the move, conflicts can arise when using the path together. In a corona-related record summer like this year, even more so, which is why the issues of unbundling and coexistence of bikers and hikers are more present than ever before. The Bike Kingdom Lenzerheide is aware of the problem and has already taken the first steps with the repositioning to enable bikers and hikers to live together peacefully.
The special circumstances surrounding 2020 show that even in the Bike Kingdom Lenzerheide - one of the largest bike regions in the Alps with over 900 kilometers of single trails that can be driven on - conflicts à la «bikers vs. Hiker »not absent. In addition to the general boom in mountain biking in Switzerland, there are limited travel options and the search for relaxation and vacation, which drive many into the mountains, especially during the holiday season. As many guests as usually between Christmas and New Year - that is the balance of the "Corona summer" in the Lenzerheide holiday region, which, in addition to many positive aspects, also shows weaknesses that need to be addressed.
In order to resolve conflicts, in Lenzerheide, as in the entire canton of Graubünden, people have always relied on a lived coexistence of bikers and hikers that is characterized by respect and tolerance. As part of the canton's Fairtrail campaign, the Bike Kingdom Lenzerheide also endeavors to create awareness of harmonious coexistence and coexistence as well as mutual consideration. This is done on the one hand by means of various communication measures, but on the other hand also through unbundling. The municipality of Vaz / Obervaz has already invested around 1.8 million Swiss francs in unbundling measures, from which various new paths have emerged and are still being developed. The increase in the attractiveness of the Lenzerheide bike region through the launch of the Bike Kingdom is a further step towards unbundling. Bike Kingdom shows that the bike region consists not only of the Rothorn and Scalottas, but of a total of six regions that the bikers can spread over. The nine kilometers of new paths that were opened this summer are already having an effect. According to initial evaluations by the Bike Kingdom app, around 80 percent of bikers use the new trails and are no longer on the classic hiking trails.
With over 26,000 downloads in a month and a half and more than 3,000 sessions per day, the use of the Bike Kingdom app can already be considered a complete success. In its function as a digital tour guide, the app also indicates the less traveled trails outside the hotspots and can even influence the unbundling in the Bike Kingdom a little by spreading the individual challenges. The evaluation of the GPS app data also enables planning for future measures - a unique selling point of the Bike Kingdom app.
The generally high number of guests in the Lenzerheide holiday region - including both bikers and hikers - also shows weaknesses. "The need for relaxation in nature is growing ever greater and in both local recreation areas and tourist centers the desire for harmonious coexistence will certainly continue to grow in the future," says Bruno Fläcklin, Tourism Director of the Lenzerheide holiday region. In the Bike Kingdom, the current measures for this are already very good and consistent, but it is a process and therefore not yet completed. In addition to the topic of unbundling on the mountain, other topics such as unbundling at the lake or unbundling in the village are currently being discussed. «We have to stay tuned so that our contact groups feel understood, but at the same time we are taking another step forward. Standing still means going backwards and that would be the wrong sign, ”says Fläcklin in conclusion.
