BMORC Meeting

A tremendous turn out last night, an opportunity to discuss the Knapsack Park mountain bike trails.
The minutes from the meeting will be posted soon, however off the back of the meeting last night we were able to establish some key areas in need of attention including embracing the concept of including the Glenbrook Historical Society in the signage for the site. Allowing users of the park to be aware of when tours are scheduled and a mehanisim to alert walkers, runners and riders of when tours are physically in progress and the areas of the reserve that they are likely to encounter groups.
From BMORC point of view this is absolutely crucial as the current user groups on the area are made up local residents who have up until now enjoyed almost exclusive use of the site.
The last thing that BMORC as residents and users of the site want to see is a conflict, where one users interests are put forward ahead of the interest of another.

To this end I once again reinforce our ethos that as recreational cyclists we are fully aware of our responsibilty to respect the other users in the park.

I include below a draft version of our code of conduct that upon more community consultation we intend to adopt at the Knasack Park trails.

1.     Ride Open Trails: Respect trail and road closures — follow trail signage as if these were road rules. Trails are closed for your safety and to allow periodic maintenance. Riding Illegal trails only spots us from gaining more, legitimate trails.
2.     Leave No Trace: Be sensitive to the dirt beneath you. Wet and muddy trails are more vulnerable to damage than dry ones. Stay on the designated trail and don’t take short cuts or make new trails. And lastly, take any rubbish out with you.
3.     Control Your Bicycle: Ride within your limits and always be in control of your bike. Avoid skidding on the trails and be mindful of the speeds that can be safely maintained given the amount of visibility in front of you. Keeping in control saves the trails, other trail users and yourself from accidents
4.     Yield Appropriately: Do your utmost to let your fellow trail users know you're coming — a friendly greeting or bell ring are good methods. Try to anticipate other trail users as you ride a
round corners. Bicyclists should yield to other non-motorized trail users, unless the trail is clearly signed for bike-only travel. Bicyclists travelling downhill should yield to ones headed uphill, unless the trail is clearly signed for one-way or downhill-only traffic. In general, strive to make each pass a safe and courteous one.
5.     Never Scare Animals: Animals are easily startled by an unannounced approach, a sudden movement or a loud noise. Give animals enough room and time to adjust to you. When passing horses, use special care and follow directions from the horseback riders (ask if uncertain).
6.     Plan Ahead: Know your equipment, your ability and the area in which you are riding and prepare accordingly. Strive to be self-sufficient: keep your equipment in good repair and carry necessary supplies for changes in weather or other conditions. Always wear a helmet and appropriate safety gear.
7.     Respect Your Neighbours: Access to the reserve is often via public roads through local communities. Respect your neighbours, by limiting loud noise such as music, parking your car so that you do not block driveways or access points, and take your garbage with you.
    Care for the Trail: Join the local track care team by registering at www.bmorc.com and looking out for scheduled trail maintenance days. Many hands make light work, which means more riding for all of us, and less impact on the trails and the bushland environments that we enjoy.

As a collective of residents who ride bicycles and in my case as may be for others also enjoy the park for walking, running and sight seeing, I am acutely aware that for those residents who border the park directly they may well have grave concerns on exactly how the activity of mountain biking in the park is set to affect their everyday lives.
Will there be more traffic, will there be events, will there be risks for users in the park?
All of these types of thoughts will be foremost in the minds of the local residents and as a group we need to be aware that we have an overwhelming responibility to ensure that we adhere to strict guidelines that ensure that the ambience and tranquility of the area is maintained for the neighbours directly adjacent the reserve.
The most recent meeting at the Blaxland Community hall was well subscribed by residents but I was dissapointed not to have been able to meet with more of the local residents that may have had reservations about how the activity of mountain biking in the park would affect them. It would have been good to engage the residents and listen and understand any issues that they may have and answer questions they might have.
Unfortunately we did not get that opportunity and I believe we may have missed a vital chance to meet and interact with one of the biggest stake holder groups in the whole process.
I feel motivated to visit the residents on Barnett St and introduce myself, and explain how as a group we intend to move forwrd with revitalising the park to create an amenity will be a great asset for our local community.
I believe that by taking the time to meet the residents and allowing them to see how transparent our position is that we will be able to create a relationship that will not only benefit them, but also the community.
One of our biggest hurdles will be overcoming any ill perception of what mountain biking might bring to the area, many residents may already have the perception that the activity will lead to hundreds of cars lining the streets with the quiet reserve turning into a free for all reminiscent of the city to suf on bikes.
Whilst I can appreciate that line of thinking I know from experience that there is no inevitability of this ever taking place.
Our stout position on sustainability would never allow for the expanded form of activity with in the park that would generate the type of concentration of vehicular traffic in the area and the utilisation of the existing carpark areas adjacent to the playing fields will ensure that the serenity curently enjoyed in the street is set to continue indefinitely in spite of the changes in the park.
I am extremely happy that the council have allow us to create a sustainable mountain bike trail network within the reserve and know that as we move forward the positivity that it will bring the communtiy will far out weigh any teething problems we may encounter as we move into the early stages of the project.
An exciting time ahead for everyone, I can't wait