NPWS Bantry Bay Proposed Trails - Open for Comment - New Northern Beaches MTB Trails

112 reads and no-one replying that they've commented!?

Come on people, this is important and needs to be done.

(I commented on this the first time it was posted btw)

Reviewed and invested 5 minutes in some thoughtful comments. Absolutely no downside to more approved MTB trails.

Just wondering how the link trail will work between the eastern and western loops. The one that is flagged is a 1 way descent which has a little tricky section half way down. Not the sort of spot where you want to be riding down and meeting another biker pushing the bike up. I'm assuming that some thought has been given to creating a link back up the hill? Or maybe it is a different land owner/responsible body/approval process?

TrailCare is doing a walk through this weekend with NPWS before making comment.

It appears to have changed again since the last stakeholder meeting. The two segments used to link and also go all the way to Seaforth Oval.

There have been some challenges in getting the project this far.

It also crosses through Forestville Park which comes under Warringah Council. This is where TheOneRing identified. I'm not yet convinced this is the best outcome.

Will report back after the weekend.

Thanks for the update Simon and good luck at the weekend. I have already put a few lines in my submission about the link trail.

I noticed that the maps were different from previous submissions and, indeed, different from the maps that they have nailed to trees at the start and end of the previously published option 'A' and 'B' link trails.

Whilst the link trail(s) will be very important in the future, hopefully this component won't delay progress on the other trails. A legitimate loop on the eastern side will add a well needed optional extra to the usual Manly Dam circuit.

I've added my support. I wish went you filled in the form it sent a confirmation email.

Done

Here's the submission I submitted:

I am 42 and in the last 12 months I have visited Barrington Tops and Blue Mountains national parks for bush walking, cayoning and mountain biking recreational activities. I believe that mountain biking and other activities complement each other. Mountain bikers appreciate the pristine environment as much as other users. Increased utilisation minimises anti-social activities such as illegal dumping. My subjective observation is that the main opposition to mountain biking comes from bush walkers in the older demographic. I believe this is mainly a reaction to change, which I understand - I don't like much of the music on commercial radio like Psy's Gangnam Style - however I have to come to terms with the fact that my kids do like it. I have also visited Rotorua in New Zealand which is capitalising on mountain bike tourism with beneficial results for local business. Mountain bike trail building needs to be managed and I believe the Glenrock Conservation Area POM is a great template for this. I hope you proceed with the planned mountain bike trails in the Garigal National Park and I look forward to riding them.

... that this all leads to something actually happening in relation to some official mtb tracks in northern Sydney before the shutters go up prior to the next State election in March 2015. It all takes so loooong...... and I'm not getting any younger....

Done!!

My 2 cents worth....

I am a Northern Beaches resident who is a keen user of NSW national parks. My wife, 2 sons and I frequently visit National Parks and State forests to do some camping and walking. Our main recreation however is mountainbiking.
My sons ( aged 7 and 12 ) love riding well designed single track ( as do all mountain bikers ). Typically this involves a longish trip to either Wingello in the Southern Highlands or Awaba on the Central Coast. We recently drove to the Ottways in Southern Victoria for a week of riding around the town of Forrest.
Each of these places is well known for having well designed, well built sustainable singletrack for mountian biking. While these trips are excellent fun, having some similarly well designed and built singletrack a bit closer to home would be absolutely wonderful. As such, my family and myself are strong supporters of the proposals put forward. We look forward to the plans being implemented with great anticipation and would like to thank all of the stakeholders involved for their hard work in putting together these proposals.

CB

Done!

I'm on board with submitting comments also. Man I can't wait for this to happen, this is going to be awesome!

Rory

Also added a note re the link being unsuitable and asked that a new link be assessed some where in between the suggested link and the existing link that runs over the rock shelf.

Hi all,

Thumbs up, please make comment online and provide constructive feedback on any concerns.

Did the walk through with NPWS and the mountain bike committee in the rain Saturday morning. In 2 hours we only managed to bush bash through 1/4 of the more technical loop close to Wakehurst Parkway.

After 5.5 years if lobbying I couldn't stop grinning. I had been worried about it being not that technical, however the rock chute descent and terrain have huge potential. They are talking both loops to be the harder end of intermediate with options for more advanced at technical features. Done well with the features around this should have something to keep most interested. It won't be DH or FR, no surprises there but well worth the ride and a destination in its own right relative to the Dam.

The track we walked runs over slick rock and drops steeply down a rock chute onto the lower of two rock platforms with the track leveling out and passing well below and in the opposite direction to the old Bantry Bay loop. The track is on roughly a 20m wide ledge at the base of a cliff face having a feel in some places similar to the cave region of Deep Creek. The build will be challenging requiring helicopter lifts of sandstone for armouring and structure. Plus a few small bridges about 4m in length. The track location down low was required to avoid threatened ecological communities, however this is not a compromise and has ended up making it better.

We didn't walk the other side. The other loop is planned to have a tight steep entry with rock bermed switch backs leading to a flowing descending trail with a firetrail climb out.

The trails won't be Hornsby style wooden structures with NPWS preferring natural rock or metal due to fire management. Synergy however are providing input to the design specification as there were initial concerns by NP's that what they had first planned may not be fun enough.

The builder is yet to be determined during a tendering process.

The main areas I had been worried about that had changed a lot since the last meeting related to land outside of National Parks on both Manly and Warringah Council land. The track extension on this land has not been ruled out but due to timing and funding it is outside NPWS scope for their build and PoM amendment.

Given the importance of commenting online can everyone keep an eye on this and bump it up to keep it on the first page of posts.

Message sent!

Done!

Someone is putting up anti-cyclist posters around the Bantry Bay / Forest Way area. So we must make sure we get some good numbers on this one.

I wrote:

I have just finished reviewing the proposed Amendments to the Garigal National Park plan of management, and fully support the inclusion of provisions to expand and enhance the facilities for Mountain Biking and Cycling.

Mountain Biking is a wonderful activity that allows us to get fit while enjoying our previous nature reserves. As we have seen in other locations, cycling facilities when built correctly have a low impact on the land and will do much to support and encourage the preservation of nature reserves.

I feel in an age where we are losing so much land to housing developments that we need to encourage the use of our parks, so that those who enjoy them will fight for their protection.

Please keep up the good work!

If we can keep the technical features that are already there and include the variety that is available at OMV, then we can really start to get some good legal riding facilities in the area.

Anything special you'd like us to mention?

Needs to be on first page.

Final day.. please make a positive comment before 5pm

She won't meet with us. Doesn't want facts getting in the way of her story.

http://newslocal.newspaperdirect.com/epaper/ipho...

Personally I think Rosemary's too emotionally invested in her position and would rather die than give it up. Remember she spent 6 months of Saturdays gathering her few signatures. She doesn't want to change her mind. The evidence no longer matters to her. She thinks we're making it up.

Anyway, she is increasingly being marginalised by the evidence.

Council is working on a proposal to put those kinds of things into a bike trail around the playing fields and Aquatic Centre, with links to the Dam trail.

Perhaps you'd like to send them an email and enquire how it's going?