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Warringah Council Mountain Bike Rider Survey


hawkeye's picture

By hawkeye - Posted on 29 June 2011

NB: Originally posted elsewhere on the Global Riders Network and appears via syndication.

I just received notice of this today. No link as yet. If you are on the mtbinfo mailing list, check your inboxes tomorrow.

On Thursday 30 June 2011 a survey will go live on Council's website that aims to collect demographic and participation data from residents and visitors who ride mountain bikes in Warringah. The survey is an important component of the moutnain bike research that is being undertaken by Council. It demonstrates to the mountain biking community that we are looking closely at the current and future provision of facilities in Warringah.

For the purposes of this survey the term mountain biking refers to all types of off-road cycling that does not occur on roads or formal bike paths, including such disciplines as cross country, BMX, downhill and dirt jumping. As mountain biking is an ongoing and controversial issue in Warringah, the survey is expected to receive many responses.

The online survey will be available for four weeks until Sunday July 31 2011, to ensure that people who may be away over the school holiday peroid have sufficient opportunity to participate.

Publicity will include, for example:

  • Inclusion in the Manly Daily Warringah Update on 1 July 2011
  • Email invitations to Councils mountain bike contact lists, including bike clubs and bike shops
  • Media release
  • Emails to schoools, Youth Coouncil representatives and Student Representative Councils
  • Twitter and Facebook

If you have any questions about the survey contact ...

willy101's picture

how do i get the survey?

nrthrnben's picture

As soon as the survey comes online,i will post up on RotorB

hawkeye's picture

@Willy: details will be posted on here in due course, but in the meantime if you send an email to mtbiketrailinfo@warringah.nsw.gov.au requesting inclusion on their mailing list for trail status updates, you should get the survey info directly.

Rob's picture
Isildur's picture

Just got the email in my inbox 15 minutes ago or so.

Pretty easy to complete, just have a go on your lunchbreak!

BT's picture

They're asking the right questions. Smiling

hawkeye's picture

Indeed. Excellent questions. Smiling

Here is what I added to the additional comments section:

Mountain Biking has the capacity to generate great societal exercise and health outcomes for much lower cost of investment in facilities, maintenance and management than other sports such as football, soccer, cricket, and swimming. Additionally, it fosters greater appreciation of environmental values than these other activities.

It would also be great to have a facility within the Shire where organised events and monthly club races could be held on a circuit which comprised mostly singletrack. Given that cycling is the fourth most popular exercise activity in the Shire, and that mountain bikes account for 70% of bicycles sold, this is an obvious gap

FLY's picture

Useful survey - hopefully the results will be used for good!

Chuck's picture

Did my bit as a visitor!!

Andy Bloot's picture

It is important to note again that this is for visitors as well, not just residents

FlyingTomato's picture

Tripple ditto, filled in my bit!!

Bikeboy's picture

With the questions they asked . hope it adds to some more singletrack for you guys up there

Hop fiend's picture

some good questions!

nrthrnben's picture

is up on rotor also

Great survey,didnt take long

Also asked for a regionwide audit by Glen Jacobs,more sustainable single trail and most importantly Legal Dh trails as there is currently zero in the region.

hawkeye's picture

Excellent idea re the trail audit.

nrthrnben's picture

If you think about it we have so many trails in the region already that are informal for example:
Red Hill, Cromer, Bantry, Garigal, Bahai, Oxford Falls, Monavale, Terry Hills..If we help Glen Jacobs(or similar) map them all out, see what can be made sustainable and create new trails at his and our suggestion, where there are trail or trail connections needed.

http://www.world-trail.com/services.php

We could then have a non land manager specific (council,crown,NPWS) region wide map, IMBA rated, Trails Signposted and Rated,Volunteer maintained, Grant Funded where needed.

Combined with the other projects going ahead in North Sydney we could have a sustainable Multi-disciplinary MTB network to be proud of, and would be great asset for the region!

Pete B's picture

All filled in.

Great idea and I like nrthrnben's ideas of a fully mapped and rated network. Laughing out loud

armo's picture

Looking forward to rideing more trails

Simon's picture

nrthrnben, that would be the ideal.

Many of us are doing what we can to investigate fixing up and legitimising parts of the trail network in these areas. For this sort of thing (government approvals) the ground work is one of the last things that needs to happen, hopefully we are getting close to this point.

Over the last 3 years we have been slowly and steadily making progress. There are many key discussions in terms of management, funding, education, community consultation, looking at the multiple land ownership (NPWS, Crown, Church, ALC, Council) and wider environmental discussions. Also basics explaining riding to non-riders (community and government) who have only seen eroded trails as examples.

We have collectively donated over $500,000 of volunteer time as consultants to this cause. It is a long process timewise (government pace), there will be a big party when we get results on the ground! Its starting to happen around Sydney, eg Jubilee Oval and up in Hornsby from the great work locals up there are doing.

World Trail are aware of the area and we have been talking about doing a volunteer audit as an initial step. Some of us have assisted IMBA in other regions as paid subcontractors.

We are talking to Rob about a dedicated link to help communicate what we have been doing and to get more people involved.

You are probably already aware of many things that have been going on, others may not be.

The group that met with NPWS http://nobmob.com/node/11175 has been keeping up liaison with:

-NPWS
-Policy advisors
-Local Green Groups
-MP's
-Recently met with a member of the State Government Upper House
-Local shops and industry
-Councils

The meeting with NPWS was set up following the briefing paper we prepared and meeting with Carmel Tebbutt http://nobmob.com/node/10285

We also prepared a submission for a PoM http://nobmob.com/node/9398, referenced in State Parliament http://nobmob.com/node/9579, which provides general discussion of OF/RH. It is hoped that trails can form part of a proposal for a Crown Reserve, State or Regional Park at OF/RH. The draft PoM has our submission in the appendix and has an action to engage riders and to resolve formal trails. Part of the purpose of these parks is to provide more active recreation eg Glenrock.

We have also been invited back to talk again by Friends of Narrabeen Lagoon Catchment (FoNLC) at a forum later in the year to discuss recreation in this area. Members of FoNLC have been defending the regions bush from residential development for years including current proposals for part of Red Hill.

Since the first Tram Shed meeting with FoNLC http://nobmob.com/node/13359 we have continued in high level talks to look at how to resolve issues and set up management structure and how things could be managed. They also introduced me to very senior politicians to help our cause.

More immediately we are focused on getting the dam back in shape (reduce widening problems and regenerate, improve drainage etc, get rider input into contractor works) to show locally what we can do and we have been organising meetings with council staff and rangers with other NobMoB members and local club reps to get things going.

http://nobmob.com/node/22408
http://nobmob.com/node/22068
http://nobmob.com/node/22483

hawkeye's picture

... today at Manly Dam, including a photo walk-through:

http://nobmob.com/node/22502

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