My weekends are always a joy when I meet up with my friends to use the trails at Bukit Kiara, whether it is riding on my mountain bike or building and maintaining the trails. Some of the trails that you see in Bukit Kiara now started off as trails for rubber tappers, but some had the vision of building trails so walkers, runners, and bikers could enjoy them. Most of the trails that still exist today are literally handcrafted by the trail builders i.e. the public using cangkuls and small tools, to ensure sustainability of the trails and to minimise the effect on the forest.

Unfortunately the past weeks have been a heart breaker for many who love and help maintain these trails. Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) has sent a small army of heavy machineries to build what is known to be endurance horse trails. In protest against this, many have written to the media highlighting the trail users’ disapproval for this. DBKL has responded with a letter in which they mentioned the growing popularity of endurance horse riding and their findings that Bukit Kiara would be suitable for this sports would benefit the public who enjoy this sports.

Although DBKL said that some of the trails have existed since 15 years before, most of the trails that they have built now are 5-7m wide, where it could only fit one person in a single file before.

Those trails that they are building are not horse trails, but were planned out by trail builders. Most the horse trails from 15 years ago have degenerated because Bukit Kiara is not suitable for horse riding, both in terms of soil conditions and the terrain.

The number of trail users per day during the weekend is in the hundreds and they are taking them from us because endurance horse riding is getting popular? How many horse riders are there on the weekend?

Another point also is that DBKL should have mapped out other routes with proper planning so as not to rob the public of these beautiful trails and also to avoid contact between the horses and other trail users, i.e. avoiding horse droppings on the trails for walkers and bikers. Or a frightened horse causing injuries to other trail users or the riders themselves.

DBKL says allegations against them for destroying the forest, closing waterways and causing erosion are not true. According to them only a few trees have been chopped to give way to the building of the trails. Does DBKL think the public or trail users are blind?

Saddened Trail Users
Via e-mail

Source: The Sun – January 31, 2008