Kingy
Likes Bikes
Hello,
If you don't feel like reading this but still feel strongly about the issue of track closures and want to show your support, then type an email telling the powers that be, what affect the closure of Old Bathurst Road and Nichols parade Downhill tracks would mean to you.
Send them to;
asearle@bmcc.nsw.gov.au,
fcreed@bmcc.nsw.gov.au,
mgreenhill@bmcc.nsw.gov.au,
hmccallum@bmcc.nsw.gov.au,
SMortensen@bmcc.nsw.gov.au,
FGarofalow@bmcc.nsw.gov.au,
Many Thanks hope to see you on the trails soon
Kingy
Hello,
I hope that by offering another point of view to the Nichols Parade and Old Bathurst Road mountain bike access issue that I may facilitate some more open and constructive dialog in the lead up to the scheduled meetings at council.
In order to move forward and assess the issues at hand I believe it would be a positive move to begin to establish exactly the nature of the reasoning behind closures be they environmental or resident complaint based. Establishing exactly what is a stake in these increasingly complex issues would be an excellent way for those concerned to gain a more holistic understanding of the arguments being put forward and the measures proposed to deal with same.
Balance in this debate can be found but first we need to find out exactly who all the key stake holders are and ensure that these groups or individuals are appropriately briefed and represented before any finality can be brought to the current stance on the areas affected.
Fast tracking and legislating a ban on the areas with out proper consultation amongst known stakeholders which on observation seems skewed towards residents and council a majority over bicycle representatives will seriously aggravate the situation and the ensuing angst amongst all parties may well be a precursor to a problem bigger that is harder to manage than the original issues we are facing at the moment.
Statistically with the amount of bicycles being sold these days and the influx of riders in the sport I feel that idea of closing off any area and making it off limits to riders be they downhill cross country or free ride mountain bikers is going to be impossible for any local council to police.
The Council appear from what I have been able glean from the finite postings on national internet forums and recent article in the Blue Mountains Gazette a perception that the amount of riders who actually use these trails is no where near as large as it is. They may also have the perception that these riders are some how all networked and fully aware of the issues for the affected trails and that by advocating this perceived network riders via an independent cycling forum that they will get the message across and the riders will cease using the trails.
I beg to differ, I live with in a 4 minute bicycle ride of both affected areas on Old Bathurst Road and Nichols Parade and only when the appearance of signs at the trail heads was I even aware that there were any contentious issues pertaining to the sites,
I would entertain the notion that from my point of view as a rider and also from the conversations that I have had with fellow riders there has been no consultation with users or residents.
I believe that riders who commute many kilometres to ride these trails are going to be ignorant to the closures and will proceed to ignore these rulings for better or worse and they will ride the trails and they will continue to build and the councils are going to continue to get complaints.
The sad thing is that as a local resident I have not been kept informed about the developments of these matters either by mail or via the council newsletter, it would seem that this matter has been fast tracked with little concern or consultation for rate payers or user groups who will be directly affected by the closures of the trails.
The reality of the situation is the trails have always been there to a degree, I have been riding Nichols parade for 15 years it has never been an issue before because we did not do shuttle runs.
Old Bathurst Road has been going over 15 years and placing a few sticks across the track is not going to extinguish riders desire to ride these trail networks.
If council believe that "closing" a trail is going to protect the area and reduce complaints then they need to revisit there stance on these issues, if protection of the areas and preservation is important to them then they need to manage these sights and develop maintenance programs that will encourage technique and strategy to be employed for the ongoing restoration and longevity of the trails.
If council plays the Ostrich on this one then they will exacerbate the problem, the riders will not like having the trails taken away with out consultation and they will take matters into their own hands, council have the opportunity right now to get this situation in hand make the right decisions and implement the right policy to keep the trails maintained.
Home owner complaints, what is exactly is the issue? "Oh Hello there is a vehicle towing a trailer that keeps turning around in front of my house and dropping off riders and then they are disappearing into the bush"
I am concerned now that council has drawn the line in the sand that what could have been a win win situation will now degrade into a situation where instead of riders caring for trails and doing restorative works and mitigating soil loss and taking ownership of trails and adopting a rider code.
Now they will hit the trails at speed never stop for fear of being caught, never lend their name to the cause for fear of litigation, they will become criminals. An exaggeration? Perhaps, but once infringement notices start being issued the complexion of the matter will change.
Is this where we want all this to go?
I have weighed in on the debate as I see this issue fast becoming a political football, tunnel vision will not work on this one, we need open dialog time to reflect, consultation with other shires who have faced and are managing the issues at hand.
A carte blanch ruling on closing trails with no direct consultation with the affected users and residents is unfair, and unethical, talking to a handful of people can not be called consultation, a meeting needs to be held a debate raised and the real issues addressed so that problems can be work shopped to a mutually satisfactory out come for residents and riders alike.
If this were a beach and the riders were surfers, how long do you think it would take to make front page news?
This problem is not going to go away with the sweep of a pen and by laminating a few signs and tying them to trees with a bit of wire.
I for one am disappointed with how this whole process has handled and am writing to demonstrate same, I am a simple bike rider, rate payer to Blue Mountains council, witness to the positive and healthy influence access to these trails has had to a generation of young riders.
Where to from here, perhaps this subtle rant will spur on the debate, there are individuals attached to this issue far more articulate than I that may be able to organise a meeting of the minds.
I welcome your input.
Kingy
If you don't feel like reading this but still feel strongly about the issue of track closures and want to show your support, then type an email telling the powers that be, what affect the closure of Old Bathurst Road and Nichols parade Downhill tracks would mean to you.
Send them to;
asearle@bmcc.nsw.gov.au,
fcreed@bmcc.nsw.gov.au,
mgreenhill@bmcc.nsw.gov.au,
hmccallum@bmcc.nsw.gov.au,
SMortensen@bmcc.nsw.gov.au,
FGarofalow@bmcc.nsw.gov.au,
Many Thanks hope to see you on the trails soon
Kingy
Hello,
I hope that by offering another point of view to the Nichols Parade and Old Bathurst Road mountain bike access issue that I may facilitate some more open and constructive dialog in the lead up to the scheduled meetings at council.
In order to move forward and assess the issues at hand I believe it would be a positive move to begin to establish exactly the nature of the reasoning behind closures be they environmental or resident complaint based. Establishing exactly what is a stake in these increasingly complex issues would be an excellent way for those concerned to gain a more holistic understanding of the arguments being put forward and the measures proposed to deal with same.
Balance in this debate can be found but first we need to find out exactly who all the key stake holders are and ensure that these groups or individuals are appropriately briefed and represented before any finality can be brought to the current stance on the areas affected.
Fast tracking and legislating a ban on the areas with out proper consultation amongst known stakeholders which on observation seems skewed towards residents and council a majority over bicycle representatives will seriously aggravate the situation and the ensuing angst amongst all parties may well be a precursor to a problem bigger that is harder to manage than the original issues we are facing at the moment.
Statistically with the amount of bicycles being sold these days and the influx of riders in the sport I feel that idea of closing off any area and making it off limits to riders be they downhill cross country or free ride mountain bikers is going to be impossible for any local council to police.
The Council appear from what I have been able glean from the finite postings on national internet forums and recent article in the Blue Mountains Gazette a perception that the amount of riders who actually use these trails is no where near as large as it is. They may also have the perception that these riders are some how all networked and fully aware of the issues for the affected trails and that by advocating this perceived network riders via an independent cycling forum that they will get the message across and the riders will cease using the trails.
I beg to differ, I live with in a 4 minute bicycle ride of both affected areas on Old Bathurst Road and Nichols Parade and only when the appearance of signs at the trail heads was I even aware that there were any contentious issues pertaining to the sites,
I would entertain the notion that from my point of view as a rider and also from the conversations that I have had with fellow riders there has been no consultation with users or residents.
I believe that riders who commute many kilometres to ride these trails are going to be ignorant to the closures and will proceed to ignore these rulings for better or worse and they will ride the trails and they will continue to build and the councils are going to continue to get complaints.
The sad thing is that as a local resident I have not been kept informed about the developments of these matters either by mail or via the council newsletter, it would seem that this matter has been fast tracked with little concern or consultation for rate payers or user groups who will be directly affected by the closures of the trails.
The reality of the situation is the trails have always been there to a degree, I have been riding Nichols parade for 15 years it has never been an issue before because we did not do shuttle runs.
Old Bathurst Road has been going over 15 years and placing a few sticks across the track is not going to extinguish riders desire to ride these trail networks.
If council believe that "closing" a trail is going to protect the area and reduce complaints then they need to revisit there stance on these issues, if protection of the areas and preservation is important to them then they need to manage these sights and develop maintenance programs that will encourage technique and strategy to be employed for the ongoing restoration and longevity of the trails.
If council plays the Ostrich on this one then they will exacerbate the problem, the riders will not like having the trails taken away with out consultation and they will take matters into their own hands, council have the opportunity right now to get this situation in hand make the right decisions and implement the right policy to keep the trails maintained.
Home owner complaints, what is exactly is the issue? "Oh Hello there is a vehicle towing a trailer that keeps turning around in front of my house and dropping off riders and then they are disappearing into the bush"
I am concerned now that council has drawn the line in the sand that what could have been a win win situation will now degrade into a situation where instead of riders caring for trails and doing restorative works and mitigating soil loss and taking ownership of trails and adopting a rider code.
Now they will hit the trails at speed never stop for fear of being caught, never lend their name to the cause for fear of litigation, they will become criminals. An exaggeration? Perhaps, but once infringement notices start being issued the complexion of the matter will change.
Is this where we want all this to go?
I have weighed in on the debate as I see this issue fast becoming a political football, tunnel vision will not work on this one, we need open dialog time to reflect, consultation with other shires who have faced and are managing the issues at hand.
A carte blanch ruling on closing trails with no direct consultation with the affected users and residents is unfair, and unethical, talking to a handful of people can not be called consultation, a meeting needs to be held a debate raised and the real issues addressed so that problems can be work shopped to a mutually satisfactory out come for residents and riders alike.
If this were a beach and the riders were surfers, how long do you think it would take to make front page news?
This problem is not going to go away with the sweep of a pen and by laminating a few signs and tying them to trees with a bit of wire.
I for one am disappointed with how this whole process has handled and am writing to demonstrate same, I am a simple bike rider, rate payer to Blue Mountains council, witness to the positive and healthy influence access to these trails has had to a generation of young riders.
Where to from here, perhaps this subtle rant will spur on the debate, there are individuals attached to this issue far more articulate than I that may be able to organise a meeting of the minds.
I welcome your input.
Kingy
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