Condition of Northbridge Pumptrack
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bikesarefun
Likes Bikes and Dirt
It's a pity. People push hard to get council to take the sport seriously, get the land, get the money spent, then pretty much abandon the facility.
Chuckie
Likes Bikes and Dirt
Hi All
Ok...sorry guys for not providing an update earlier...
Believe it or not (contrary to the above comment) there has been a fair bit going on behind the scenes....so nothing has been left "abandoned" as working with council is sometimes a lengthy process...
Over the last 9 months we have been working with the council to get hopefully get a revamp and some maintenance, the issue has been they had been focused on fixing the tennis court area, which unfortunately also meant they had to remove a roller to give access to machinery. Hence the track has been in quite a poor state, and has been left as is until the work is completed.
firstly, on our recommendation Willoughby Council have engaged a professional trail building company to provide a risk assesment on both Northbridge and castle Cove sites, in preparation for a maintenance plan. This was only completed in April this year
About 6 weeks ago, we met with Willoughby council on site to discuss, not only maintenance for Northbridge but also castle Cove DJ's as well, as both facilities fall under the council's jurisdiction. There was a well known 3rd party contractor (trail builder) there as well, who have been engaged by council to provide quotations on redesigning the facilities to not only work better, but also be more sustainable, easier to maintain and most importantly ensure it meets council guidelines. To add to that, we have also requested that council include budget for regular maintenance, carried out by professional trail builders (not individuals that are not qualified), to ensure there are no changes to the trails that may affect the council's compliance with safety and insurance. This is also to be included by the contractor in their quote, as council agreed that this is a necessity.
to add to the complexity...The contractor is even looking at the type of soil mix to resurface, as the original pump track was built a little in haste and to a budget, (no one had any idea of costs and maintenance was an afterthought) so access to good soil was not qualified before it was used. Hence...a lot of rocks have come thru. The discussion has been about a mix that is more durable and is low maintenance, like what is used on some bmx tracks.
They have aslo been asked to look at the appearance of the facilities to make it all look friendly to the public, instead of big mounds of dirt with holes and mush in the middle...so landcaping needs to be included in the scope
Council has made it clear that they have a preference for un-qualified volunteers not to work on the trails for insurance reasons and to ensure the facilities meet their safety standards.
So I am waiting on an update, but last I heard a few weeks ago, was that the council was waiting to see the final designs and the quotes from the contractor. The council is very positive and are keen to get this completed to ensure ALL users are happy, not just a selected few. Anyone that has dealt with coouncil knows this is not a fast process, and that they have certain processes that they must abide by. We are working with the council, to have Northbridge up and running (including inside lines) asap
I will provide further updates via the Face Book Page "Northbridge Pump Track Riders" so feel free to find us there.
If you feel strongly enough about pushing things along, you can always send Willoughby Council an email, stating firstly how appreciative you are of their support providing these facilities, and then tell them what you think....
Letters and email show the council there is demand, so dont be shy
let me know if you have any other questions
Mark
Ok...sorry guys for not providing an update earlier...
Believe it or not (contrary to the above comment) there has been a fair bit going on behind the scenes....so nothing has been left "abandoned" as working with council is sometimes a lengthy process...
Over the last 9 months we have been working with the council to get hopefully get a revamp and some maintenance, the issue has been they had been focused on fixing the tennis court area, which unfortunately also meant they had to remove a roller to give access to machinery. Hence the track has been in quite a poor state, and has been left as is until the work is completed.
firstly, on our recommendation Willoughby Council have engaged a professional trail building company to provide a risk assesment on both Northbridge and castle Cove sites, in preparation for a maintenance plan. This was only completed in April this year
About 6 weeks ago, we met with Willoughby council on site to discuss, not only maintenance for Northbridge but also castle Cove DJ's as well, as both facilities fall under the council's jurisdiction. There was a well known 3rd party contractor (trail builder) there as well, who have been engaged by council to provide quotations on redesigning the facilities to not only work better, but also be more sustainable, easier to maintain and most importantly ensure it meets council guidelines. To add to that, we have also requested that council include budget for regular maintenance, carried out by professional trail builders (not individuals that are not qualified), to ensure there are no changes to the trails that may affect the council's compliance with safety and insurance. This is also to be included by the contractor in their quote, as council agreed that this is a necessity.
to add to the complexity...The contractor is even looking at the type of soil mix to resurface, as the original pump track was built a little in haste and to a budget, (no one had any idea of costs and maintenance was an afterthought) so access to good soil was not qualified before it was used. Hence...a lot of rocks have come thru. The discussion has been about a mix that is more durable and is low maintenance, like what is used on some bmx tracks.
They have aslo been asked to look at the appearance of the facilities to make it all look friendly to the public, instead of big mounds of dirt with holes and mush in the middle...so landcaping needs to be included in the scope
Council has made it clear that they have a preference for un-qualified volunteers not to work on the trails for insurance reasons and to ensure the facilities meet their safety standards.
So I am waiting on an update, but last I heard a few weeks ago, was that the council was waiting to see the final designs and the quotes from the contractor. The council is very positive and are keen to get this completed to ensure ALL users are happy, not just a selected few. Anyone that has dealt with coouncil knows this is not a fast process, and that they have certain processes that they must abide by. We are working with the council, to have Northbridge up and running (including inside lines) asap
I will provide further updates via the Face Book Page "Northbridge Pump Track Riders" so feel free to find us there.
If you feel strongly enough about pushing things along, you can always send Willoughby Council an email, stating firstly how appreciative you are of their support providing these facilities, and then tell them what you think....
Letters and email show the council there is demand, so dont be shy
let me know if you have any other questions
Mark
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NUMBER5
Likes Dirt
Has there been any talk of building the pump track out of concrete like a skate park? I know that lots of local kids ride the place(in any weather/condition) and seen mums there letting their toddlers run all over the place kicking/digging at the rollers.... just a thought.
Anyway, thanks and keep us informed on progress.
Anyway, thanks and keep us informed on progress.
bikesarefun
Likes Bikes and Dirt
Good to hear there's stuff happening still.
I reckon this is a perfect example of how to build a public pump track right. It's pretty clear that maintaining a public dirt facility will be a real challenge; this sort of thing eliminates that issue.
http://www.pinkbike.com/news/video-...=facebook&utm_medium=mobile&utm_campaign=news
Chuck - post up the relevant council email addresses and the precise request you want people making, and let's turn up the pressure.
I reckon this is a perfect example of how to build a public pump track right. It's pretty clear that maintaining a public dirt facility will be a real challenge; this sort of thing eliminates that issue.
http://www.pinkbike.com/news/video-...=facebook&utm_medium=mobile&utm_campaign=news
Chuck - post up the relevant council email addresses and the precise request you want people making, and let's turn up the pressure.
Chuckie
Likes Bikes and Dirt
Thanks Matt for the support, I apologise for not updating everyone earlier
Will post up the email address when I get to work.
By the way I probably used the wrong language when I stated "qualified", I really meant certified organisation with it's own insurance etc. there are a lot of good trail builders that are qualified , but dealing with an official contractor means it is easier for council to obtain budget as it's all compliant with their processes.
Will post up the email address when I get to work.
By the way I probably used the wrong language when I stated "qualified", I really meant certified organisation with it's own insurance etc. there are a lot of good trail builders that are qualified , but dealing with an official contractor means it is easier for council to obtain budget as it's all compliant with their processes.
NUMBER5
Likes Dirt
That's the shit.. There should be one of those in very suburb,, get the kids out and exercising and some daddys too
CourseOut
Likes Bikes
Agreed! How good is it, looks like an old school snake pit! Seeing everyone use the same terrain regardless of equipment is pretty awesome.That's the shit.. There should be one of those in very suburb,, get the kids out and exercising and some daddys too
Chuckie
Likes Bikes and Dirt
emails should be sent to
Jason.Baker@Willoughby.nsw.gov.au
Melanie.Cowles@Willoughby.nsw.gov.au
please be polite everyone,
Jason.Baker@Willoughby.nsw.gov.au
Melanie.Cowles@Willoughby.nsw.gov.au
please be polite everyone,
Do you have a preferred template for an email?
Chuckie
Likes Bikes and Dirt
Nah Richie, just email them the same as what you posted and that you would like to see the facility better maintained and improved ...thanks
Chuckie
Likes Bikes and Dirt
hey all
good news.... first draft of the improvements has come back
http://haveyoursaywilloughby.com.au/northbridge-park
Looks pretty good if you ask me
Please leave comments of support so we can get things moving
good news.... first draft of the improvements has come back
http://haveyoursaywilloughby.com.au/northbridge-park
Looks pretty good if you ask me
Please leave comments of support so we can get things moving
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My post copied from the other thread - IMO the more support we can get to Council the better:-
I submitted a post on the 'have your say' page as well as sending an email to each of the Council contacts listed in the other thread.
i received this response from one of the Council contacts:-
"Thanks for your comments about the Northbridge Park Pump Track Draft Plan. All comments will be considered as the project progresses."
My comment on the 'have your say' page was only the second on there - come on guys let's get behind this proposal and get another quality legal facility happening in Sydney!
I submitted a post on the 'have your say' page as well as sending an email to each of the Council contacts listed in the other thread.
i received this response from one of the Council contacts:-
"Thanks for your comments about the Northbridge Park Pump Track Draft Plan. All comments will be considered as the project progresses."
My comment on the 'have your say' page was only the second on there - come on guys let's get behind this proposal and get another quality legal facility happening in Sydney!
Bumping this up!
There has been very little feedback on the Council's website! A little disappointing especially when I see the mountain bike community generally complaining about lack of facilities and the poor condition of existing facilities - here is your chance to do something about it!
I'd encourage as many people as possible to put their 2 cents into the proposal to ensure we get a 'riders track':-
http://haveyoursaywilloughby.com.au/northbridge-park
I work for a Government organisation and they love consultation/feedback for public proposals! (especially positive!) - so get posting!
There has been very little feedback on the Council's website! A little disappointing especially when I see the mountain bike community generally complaining about lack of facilities and the poor condition of existing facilities - here is your chance to do something about it!
I'd encourage as many people as possible to put their 2 cents into the proposal to ensure we get a 'riders track':-
http://haveyoursaywilloughby.com.au/northbridge-park
I work for a Government organisation and they love consultation/feedback for public proposals! (especially positive!) - so get posting!