At the risk of turning the world into a red tape fest, I wouldn't disagree with those other licenses. It's a bummer because most people are fairly sensible, but there're always them wot ain't.

Long before I owned a car I used to cycle everywhere & was even then convinced you should need a license for a pushbike & have to pass a test for using one on the road etc.

The way some cyclists cause danger to themselves and others beggars belief. (What DO I sound like?) It also makes other road users antagonistic towards cyclists.

I also know someone who was apparently knocked off their (motor) bike by a 4x4 (as it happens!) and very severely injured.

BUT the accident was judged to be the fault of a cyclist who was KILLED in the accident. Because the cyclist is dead and wasn't required to have insurance, this guy on the motorbike got bugger-all as compensation etc for horrendous injuries....

Think I got that story right.

Licensing & stuff isn't always the answer, but they can't do any harm. Unless of couse someone comes up with a better way!

love

Moth

hahahaha!
sorry- just can't imagine having a bell on my mountainbike! What difference is that gonna make is I'm hurtling off a hill at 25/30 mph??!!!
In all seriousness though- I agree that erosion on the hill and mountain tops is getting worse, but MTBers cant be blamed fot it all. I'm only speaking from experience, but take the Pentlands for example- I've been walking em for almost 20 years now and the greatest effect on path widening and erosion was when they made the place a National Park. There has been a huge increase in outdoor pursuits/hill walking/mountaineering in the past two decades and that in itself is no bad thing, god no. The more folk that get out of the city and into the hills the better as far as I'm concerned, but education is the answer to the erosion problem, not 'special permits'. The idea of permits needed to bike (walk, run, ride, etc) through the hills makes me shudder. Does that mean setting up check points throughout all hill ranges to make sure someone has a valid permit? What about horse riders (who seem to cause more damage to fragile uplands than do bikers)? What about walkers- would it depend on the number/depth of ridges on yer boots?
No- you need to tell folk that those hill tops can only sustain a certain amount of traffic and that because of their location/height many of then are fragile ecosystems.
Anyways- the best MTB trails I have ridden are all on Forest Enterprise land which is harvested every 20 years or so and jeez that fairly fucks up the hillside!
Sorry- but I feel v strongly and emotive on this issue being a hillwalker/mountaineer/mountain biker (even been known to be seen on horse back too!).
It ain't, and should never be, a theme park out there in the hills.