⚖️ Fully: ProVTT opposes the proposed mountain bike route due to lack of quality and strategy ⚖️
In May 2024, the ProVTT Valais association filed a formal objection to the proposed mountain bike route in the municipality of Fully. After a thorough analysis, ProVTT found that the proposed route does not meet the quality requirements imposed by the Federal Law on Cycle Paths, nor the expectations of experienced users. The association highlights major technical shortcomings, but also questionable strategic choices that risk permanently undermining the attractiveness of the area.
❌ Major technical shortcomings in the project
While certain sections of the route—particularly the upper section between the Portail de Fully and Sorniot—meet the criteria of attractiveness and landscape integration, the section along the Fully hillside suffers from obvious flaws:
- Insufficient homogeneity: the project makes excessive use of forest roads, while higher-quality trails exist, with little pedestrian traffic and better suited to mountain biking. Mountain biking.
- Broken continuity: between Chiboz and Planuit, the connection runs over very difficult sections, unsuitable for the target audience. However, two more fluid alternatives exist.
- Irrelevant route: the route selection includes steep climbs and punishing detours, particularly on the Chiboz-Planuit link and the Chemin Supérieur des Larzettes, where a 200-meter elevation gain is required for portage.
- Lack of analysis of variants: ProVTT regrets that the project does not justify abandoning alternative trails that are more attractive and technically more suitable.
These choices contravene the objective set by federal legislation To encourage cycling on "uniform and attractive" routes (Federal Law on Cycle Paths, Art. 4).
📌 The criteria for a good mountain bike route according to federal law
- Uniformity of difficulty levels
- Attractiveness of the route (landscape, nature)
- Continuity without disruptive interruptions
- Safety and coexistence controlled with other users (Source: Federal Law on Cycle Paths)
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🚫 Unjustified bans in emblematic areas
The bill also mentions bans on mountain bike access in strategic areas such as the Fully gate, exclusively for mountain bikers. These measures are neither justified nor justifiable in the eyes of ProVTT
"Studies show that the impact of mountain biking is comparable to that of hiking" — ProVTT
- According to Taylor and Knight (2003) and the reports of the Federal Office for the Environment (2020), the disruption caused by mountain bikes is no greater than that caused by pedestrians.
- These bans risk increasing pressure on existing routes and amplifying conflicts of use.
ProVTT warns: such poorly calibrated measures penalize local users and visitors, with no proven benefit to the environment.
✅ Opposition accompanied by concrete proposals
Refusing to confine itself to a purely critical stance, ProVTT puts forward specific recommendations to correct the project's shortcomings:
- Development of accessible and attractive routes, designed to promote local heritage and expand cycling to as many people as possible, including young people.
