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One way at Royal National Park


mrptl's picture

By mrptl - Posted on 04 October 2011

Wouldn't that be a good idea to setup an 'one way' on some single tracks in the Royal National Park?
It can be easily dangerous when riding and have someone coming on the opposite way.

I'm thinking on the 'Loftus Sniggle', 'The Lakes Trail' and 'Goarra Single Track'.

It never happen to me yet on a single track, but it did on the firetrail/single trail
next to The Avenue in Heathcote… wasn't far to be a serious crash.

What's your opinion?
If so, who and how should we contact to make thing happen?

Cheers.

Flynny's picture

My personal opinion... I really dislike the idea of one way trails.

What was that quote from clunkers "It's all about no concrete no cars and no cops"

There are too many rules as it is. I ride a MTB to get away from them

craked's picture

I agree mrlouis ,I have had a few close calls and one head on crash at Engadene( that would be Goarra?),so one way would be good ,allthough the track flows nicely in both directions, which way is best?

craked's picture

@ Flynny, the tracks in question get a lot of traffic, I have allways wondered If one way was the go here .

Talldude's picture

Been going to this track for 3 years now, before it wasn't too bad now I see a few people using it, never had an accident. the fast parts are wide enough for a few riders to pass each other going in different directions.

I go either way as they present different challenges.

But some parts of the trail link others and no matter what they are going to be two way traffic. So a loop isn't possible until they make a circuit.

Little-Ditty's picture

Agree, they need to make a circuit that travels around the outside of the permitted area. Then, any of the corner cut trails in the middle are two way.

But good luck there, RNP is notoriously busy and plenty of youngsters are going to ignore the proposed signs anyway. I don't reckon it will work.

Hop fiend's picture

I find that the open vegetation(compared to Glenrock) of shrubs & small trees give a bit more warning from sight & sound of approaching riders

crank's picture

We've had this discussion at maintenance days with the ranger and (from memory) all of the mtbers agree that one way trails around Loftus/RNP would be a bad thing, mainly because of the limited singletrack available to mtbers in that area. If lines of sight are a problem that can be easily solved with some trimming of the trees, the only problem with that is the amount of work to be done every 3rd Saturday of every month and the amount of volunteers that show up to do the work.

Scottboy's picture

I agree with crank I been out there for a working bee once & numbers are limited compared too riders that are riding thru while work was done , one of the main things that we focused on was trimming back for line of sight only which doesn't involve trail widening only taking tops of shrubs or trimming back around head height too see riders approaching .

mrptl's picture

Flynny, I'm with you on the point of "It's all about no concrete no cars and no cops"… but not when you are in NP which next to a city of 4.5 millions.
I agree with Talldude, either way as they present different challenges, but sometimes you have to compromise pleasure for safety; even more when you are in a such accessible location that so easy to come by car but as well by train… which is good argument both environmentally and economically. It's maybe time for the RNP to move one and a create a loop!

Noel's picture

http://www.imba.com/about/rules-trail for shared trails
Refer to #3.
Refer to #4 (if you're pointing downhill)

There are lots of organised (and insured) races that you can join if you want to push your limits of control.

The person to contact is Ranger Grant at the Royal National Park. If you go to the build days, no doubt you know him. He's a really nice bloke. I live in the opposite side of Sydney to the Royal, so I've only been to one build day there. I've never actually ridden it. The Royal appears to rely on an email list but I think putting up some temporary signs (laminated A4) about the build days regular timing, deep into the single track you might get more 'penetration'*.

Grant Millar
Ranger - Royal Area
Metro South-West Region
National Parks & Wildlife Service
Tel: 02 9542 0618 Fax: 02 9542 1420
[email protected]

*Penetration is one of my favoured childish/immature words of choice *giggle*

Flynny's picture

Safety....

What is the concern? That you'll come around a blind corner and run into a rider coming the other way?

Ok what if you come around that same blind corner, pushing hard because it's one way so you're sure no one will be coming the other way but instead of a rider it's a walker/kid/dog/kangaroo/fallen tree....

Shouldn't we all be riding within our limits and to the conditions of the trail? ie slow down for blind corners. If you want to race, enter a race where there is a certain amount of control over all that.

Advocating that is preferable to placing one way rules. Lets face it if someone is arrogant enough to ignore the ride to the conditions guideline they will just as easily ignore the one way guideline.

In the end the rest of us would be better off expecting riders coming the other way rather than be riding along confident that all traffic is going the same way only to have a clown take us by surprise.

crank's picture
The Royal appears to rely on an email list but I think putting up some temporary signs (laminated A4) about the build days regular timing, deep into the single track you might get more 'penetration'*.

The laminated signs have been tried, but they disappeared soon after without anyone new turning up to the next maintenance day. We always tell people riding past that we're out on the 3rd Saturday of every month. Unsurprisingly we see the same people riding past every 3rd Saturday.

But definitely get on the mailing list. You just have to remember that it's the 3rd Saturday every month because the emails might come out with only 3 days notice prior to the day.

Scottboy's picture

the same guys riding past could be the local mtb club metro mtb riders from Sutherland mtb they do regular ride still I think & show ppl around to get them into mtb riding .

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