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Glenrock Plan is Up
As discussed in NPWS - Draft Plan of Management for Glenrock the POM was coming. It's now out and can be found here:
http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/parkmanagement...
There is an online form and you can complete a positive comment in seconds. Even something like, "I enjoy MTB riding and welcome legal single track and firetrail network in the park. I would be much more likely to visit Glenrock with these facilities in place." will do (although please don't copy that word for word as they weed out duplicates). So no more excuses - everyone should be commenting on this!
This is very important even for those living quiet a distance from Glenrock, as if passed in it's current form this plan will legalise single track in the park. If this happens we should all be using as an example of what can be done in other NPWS areas, and the benefit for Sydney riders should be pretty obvious in that light.
Huge thanks to Sammydog and co. for their work on this. They've done their bit, now it's time for us to do ours! Take a few seconds and use the comment form here:
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nice one rob, fingers crossed!
just sent mine,heres hoping!!
As Rob said if this goes ahead the chances of getting more facilities like this one increases.
Also this venue will also give organisers somewhere to hold races.
John.
I just sent a message !!! finger crossed
nice one, nothing like more tracks
pity its such a long way away thou...google maps is saying over 4hrs to drive there :S
meep!
this calls for a weekend away
submitted my comments on this as i do ride there occasionally, hope it is passed. It is only about an hour north of Ourimbah so not too far to travel & does have some great single track.
It sounds like we'd need to have a weekend up there to get the most out of it.
"As a mountain bike rider I would certainly travel to the area, for a weekend, to enjoy legal mountain bike single trails. I'm pleased to see the start of opening up our parks for us all to enjoy. Thanks
Greg Pike"
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The Liver is Evil and must be punished
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I'll give my thoughts as someone who has spent 5 years on this process.......For those interested there is a lot of talk from locals dissecting the plan in this thread http://www.setbb.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?t=1185&...
First off, I think the POM is very positive and if passed will have huge implications for everyone with discussions with NPWS. I really would like to thank the local NPWS for being so open minded.
To get trails not only sanctioned but worked on by World Trail in the north is huge.
My only concerns,
- Loosing the south end is causing some angst, but I think there is scope to have the exclusion boundary amended a little to be the Scout Camp Road. This would make our exclusion zone consistent with the orienteering groups (see Section 6.7) but would also mean the zone boundary was something physical on the ground. I have been led tro beleive that the scout camp road very nearly became the boundary.
- I'd also like there to be a concession to allow mtb access to Elvis Rock (only because I like to sit and admire the view, bit for the trails).
- Bit of a worry with Diuris Track on the map (suess land to us) has the following notation;
"Cycling will be unidirectional reducing the potential for track widening. Should track widening or branching occur in this location the track will be fenced to restrict the use to the track corridor."
Uni-directional in some areas will work, but not here. If you are accessing the park from Merewether, this is not really functional as it forces you to ride shaft, or down sewer works road, or up scenic drive to baileys.
Not sure this trail has widened at all since the early 90's (or earlier) other than some wet weather diversions that have nothing to do with two way traffic.
I guess though I think that the plan is very positive. A quick break down though..
What we have gained (or retained)
- 14km's of single trail
- 20km's of management trail (some of which may as well be called single trail)
- World Trail doing works over march/April
- Training of a volunteer build/maintenance crew by World Trail to allow maintenance of the trails.
- Legitimacy as a user group in the park.
- Reworking of the DJ's in the small quarries.
What have we lost
- The area south of the lagoon (scout camp trail, surfers walk, the dudley area and a few other minor trails).
- all the DH trails, although NPWS and myself are opening discussions with Newcastle Council to try and move them to Jesmond Park. Probably a long drawn out process though. I am very concerned about what the kids displaces by the DH closures will do elsewhere in the park.
I would welcome everyone though to comment on the plan (the suggestion to extend the allowable trails to Scout Camp Road would be nice). The more comments we get on the plan will increase its chances for success and will I hope have flow on effects for everyone.
I do know first hand that the Northern Beaches NPWS are keeping a close eye on our POM.
If anyone has any questions on the plan though, let me know.
I just threw in a pro single track comment etc. Will read the plan later. I might send another comment on behalf of my brother who will be back in Oz in a few months.
"Good on NPWS for allowing appropriate bicycles on specific single tracks. Most riders prefer to ride on single track as the challenges are compressed into a smaller environmental footprint at a reduced speed. Fire trails are often way too steep. Steep trails result in erosion. Undulating single track at is the better option and seems to be accessible to a larger variety (skill wise) of users.
Good job to NPWS for working with the users on this one. Looking forward to riding at Glenrock one day soon and having a lunch break down at the beach right next to it. What a great way to experience the Australian bush."
Looks like a good plan
I'm a huge fan of uni directional trails, though the single track being a shared walking & Cycling is a bit interesting. I would have thought the'd want to seperate the 2?
Hope they get a trail in there like (or better than) "Mariners Run" in Forrest, got to ride it on Sunday and still can't wipe the smile off my face.
All the trails in the Plan currently exist (with the exception of some works in the small quarries). If you haven't ridden up here before, you are missing out.
As for the shared use with walkers. That is currently the case and there is minimal walkers or conflict at the moment. I don't think the POM will change that at all.
Just uploaded some short comments.
"As a keen user of national parks, can I take this opportunity to commend you on your work so far with the draft POM. My primary recreational pastime is mountain biking and I must say that I and many others are greatly encouraged by any proposal to provide well designed, sustainable, legal trails. In particular, the provision of legally accessible single track show that you are trying to provide a high quality experience. While I live some distance from the Glenrock area I usually travel to mountain bike trails out of Sydney at least once a month. I look forward to being able to add Glenrock to our list of destinations. Managing and balancing the needs of many different user groups is often a lengthy, thankless task. I just wanted to pass on some thanks for the hard work done so far by all involved."
Sammydog...... Love Your Work !
CB
Done
Just submitted mine.
likewise
Maybe I'll have to hike-a-bike down to the sand: http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/resources/natu...
Can't ride all the way to it? Like to go for a mid-ride swim?
Comments are there
Done
Thanks for the support people, keep it coming.
Hopefully we can return the favor for you in the near future.
Had a chat with parks yesterday, so far there is around 65 submissions to the plan with a lot of them being mtb related. Hopefully we can keep the momentum rolling on the issue.
Just submitted mine.
hey sammy, why did they rule out all the DH trails in the park?? talk about being unsypathetic to our cause!
Personally I think the reason was that the DH use was a step too far for the NPWS to take at this time. Add to that the bottom of all the DH trails are in a bad way (In some of the last remnants of pre-european vegetation) and the parks wanted all users out of that area.
To be fair to the DH trails, much of the erosion at the bottom can be attributed to pre-mtb use of the park when dune buggies and moto's were rampant in the park, but the area is undeniably a mess.
The NPWS are speaking to Newcastle Council (which I am trying to get involved in) about relocating the DH trails to Jesmond Park behind the hospital. Will this happen, who knows, certainly not before the POM is ratified.
I am a bit worried that just turfing out the DH type trails with out some form of alternate access will cause issues, but finding the solution at the moment is proving to be the issue.
My submission does have a section on DH trails and the need for them to be provided, and as I said, there are moves afoot to try and rectify the issue. My guess though is the solution won't be on NPWS land.
largely plaigarised from others (laziness is a key attribute)but sufficiently different to be unique.
for the cause.
Just a reminder... last day to comment is Monday.
If this goes well then we might stand a better chance of getting some legal single track of our own.
Well I have just received my letter of receipt for the Glenrock plan so it looks like things are heading in the right direction there.
I will be very interested to see the outcome of the works that people have put into this.
Yep, people started getting letters yesterday.
First impressions I received from the parks is that there is a lot of pro-mtb submissions. what the ratio is though, I am not sure.
I'll keep you all posted on events as they occur. Hopefully we get a positive result. The bare minimum we will end up with will be the northern trails, but I am hoping that we can retain a few of the southern trails as well. Time will tell.
Yeah, I got my letter too, but when I saw on the envelope who it was from I thought it was a fine for riding a fire trail.
No need to worry about that from the NPWS up here. It took a while, but we are on side with the NPWS and have a pretty good relationship happening. Its taken concessions on both sides, but I think it has been for the best.
The number of things they consult us on now is amazing and certainly a good sign.