Mountain bikes eroding bush zone
By Brian Williams, heritage reporter
March 10, 2004
A CONSERVATION and community group has found the most extensive environmental damage done to Mt Coot-tha Forest is not from motorbikes or four-wheel-drives, but from mountain bikes.
It is estimated more than 2000 park visits occur each month by bike riders, although only the so-called downhill riders cause damage.
Countless illegal tracks wind through the dry eucalypt and rainforest patches on Brisbane's western edge, causing widespread erosion and silting of creeks in the steep shale country.
The Hut Environmental and Community Association yesterday called on the Brisbane City Council to stop downhill riders using the park.
Vice-president Rod Brown said it made no sense that the city's environmental levy was used to acquire parkland which was then torn up by bike riders and still more ratepayers' funds used to repair damage.
It was illegal to build tracks or ride vehicles in the forest and the BCC had enforced this in relation to motorbikes and 4WDs but had ignored mountain bikes.
So many mountain bike riders used the park that effectively parts had become bike precincts.
"Mt Coot-tha is an absolute maze of illegal tracks and eroded places," Mr Brown said.
His organisation had no issue with bicycles because they were mostly ridden at a leisurely pace on fire tracks but mountain bike riders went off-road.
"Mt Coot-tha is one of the city's best green areas," Mr Brown said.
"It would be far better to have bike riders moved to private property or an already degraded area."
Cr Helen Abrahams said she had inspected the damage and found it major.
Gillian Duncan, a spokeswoman for bike lobby group the Gap Creek Trails Alliance, said most mountain bike riders rode on relatively flat country in family or social groups and did no damage.
But downhill riding was fast and tended to cause erosion. About 100ha was needed for a couple of tracks for downhill riders.
"The fact is riders need somewhere to go," she said.
Ms Duncan said Mt Coot-tha was a suitable place, especially in the Gap Creek area, but the BCC had been too slow getting a management plan in place.
Conservationists had been asked to take part in preparing the plan but had declined.
"And now after the fact they come in, kicking up a stink," she said.
Cr Abrahams said she expected the draft plan to be implemented in about a month and it would allow bikes on fire tracks and provide a downhill section at Gap Creek.
Mr Brown said if mountain bikes were to be allowed, the least that should occur was that riders paid for the privilege so repair costs could be defrayed.
Cr Abrahams said the council would look at charging riders for rehabilitation.
Ms Duncan's submission to the management plan says a 2001 survey found that 375 riders visited the area, totalling 2200 visits each month.
About 200,000 bicycles were bought each year in Australia and of those more than half were mountain bikes.
The Courier-Mail
Fark i hate media.
By Brian Williams, heritage reporter
March 10, 2004
A CONSERVATION and community group has found the most extensive environmental damage done to Mt Coot-tha Forest is not from motorbikes or four-wheel-drives, but from mountain bikes.
It is estimated more than 2000 park visits occur each month by bike riders, although only the so-called downhill riders cause damage.
Countless illegal tracks wind through the dry eucalypt and rainforest patches on Brisbane's western edge, causing widespread erosion and silting of creeks in the steep shale country.
The Hut Environmental and Community Association yesterday called on the Brisbane City Council to stop downhill riders using the park.
Vice-president Rod Brown said it made no sense that the city's environmental levy was used to acquire parkland which was then torn up by bike riders and still more ratepayers' funds used to repair damage.
It was illegal to build tracks or ride vehicles in the forest and the BCC had enforced this in relation to motorbikes and 4WDs but had ignored mountain bikes.
So many mountain bike riders used the park that effectively parts had become bike precincts.
"Mt Coot-tha is an absolute maze of illegal tracks and eroded places," Mr Brown said.
His organisation had no issue with bicycles because they were mostly ridden at a leisurely pace on fire tracks but mountain bike riders went off-road.
"Mt Coot-tha is one of the city's best green areas," Mr Brown said.
"It would be far better to have bike riders moved to private property or an already degraded area."
Cr Helen Abrahams said she had inspected the damage and found it major.
Gillian Duncan, a spokeswoman for bike lobby group the Gap Creek Trails Alliance, said most mountain bike riders rode on relatively flat country in family or social groups and did no damage.
But downhill riding was fast and tended to cause erosion. About 100ha was needed for a couple of tracks for downhill riders.
"The fact is riders need somewhere to go," she said.
Ms Duncan said Mt Coot-tha was a suitable place, especially in the Gap Creek area, but the BCC had been too slow getting a management plan in place.
Conservationists had been asked to take part in preparing the plan but had declined.
"And now after the fact they come in, kicking up a stink," she said.
Cr Abrahams said she expected the draft plan to be implemented in about a month and it would allow bikes on fire tracks and provide a downhill section at Gap Creek.
Mr Brown said if mountain bikes were to be allowed, the least that should occur was that riders paid for the privilege so repair costs could be defrayed.
Cr Abrahams said the council would look at charging riders for rehabilitation.
Ms Duncan's submission to the management plan says a 2001 survey found that 375 riders visited the area, totalling 2200 visits each month.
About 200,000 bicycles were bought each year in Australia and of those more than half were mountain bikes.
The Courier-Mail
Fark i hate media.
