Track, Road Closures Hit the Spanish Pyrenees

[advrider]

It seems we have an international problem with noisy bikes… or are more and more “civilians” in different countries hitting on the excuse of noise to attack motorcycling?

After the road closures in Germany and other northern European countries, we are now seeing something similar in Spain. And it is not just road closures this time; it is an entire nature reserve of 80,000 hectares with all the roads and tracks in it. The closures are comprehensive, without decibel limits or volume measurements.

A sign in the Alt Pirineu Natural Park, in Catalonia’s province of Lleida, depicts a road motorcycle and an enduro circled in red. It reads: “Access is prohibited for motorcycles, quads, ATVs and non-electric buggies all year round for noise protection reasons.”

The Spanish Motorcyclists’ Federation RFME (Real Federación Motociclista Española) has called the latest closures “unjustified discrimination” because motorcycles are affected without a posted limit which they might be able to meet in this “designation of a Special Protection Area for Acoustic Quality in the Alt Pirineu Natural Park”. The closure applies to quads and buggies, which are also simply classified as “particularly noisy” vehicles.

Since there is no stated noise limit, and therefore no action is planned against loud cars, Moto de Campo Sostenible is examining whether legal action can be taken against the exclusion of motorcycles. Moto de Campo Sostenible’ is a part of the Spanish Motorcyclists’ Federation, which supports the interests of enduro riders and is committed to sustainable and environmentally friendly off-road riding. The park management cites the reasons for the establishment of these acoustic protection zones as protection of the habitats of various species as well as peace and quiet for tourists.

The park administration works together with the Noise and Light Pollution Prevention and Control Body of the Directorate-General for Environmental Quality and Climate Change to promote studies to assess the environmental impact of noise pollution, as “the available scientific evidence is scarce”. They claim that the measures in the Alt Pirineu Nature Park should help to “better assess the importance of acoustic quality for the conservation of ecosystems and to understand how noise affects biodiversity”.

It is definitely peculiar that they have banned bikes even before doing their studies. One positive development is that charging points for electric vehicles are planned near the park to promote the use of electric vehicles in it. Let us hope that that includes electric motorcycles.

Vezi sursa