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Manly Dam Feedback


Noel's picture

By Noel - Posted on 19 October 2009

LETTER I SENT TO WARRINGAH COUNCIL (29/09/09):

"I fully support recreational mountain bike riding. Could you please look into reducing the amount of sealed road that the Manly Dam trail follows.

Also, riding fire trail lends itself to faster speeds than narrow trail. Could you please run narrow, slower and more interesting single track along sides the fire trails in Manly Dam. Just off-set it by say 5-10m.

Maybe we don't need so many fire trails, let them grow back over once the single track is in."

LETTER BACK FROM WARRINGAH COUNCIL (15/10/09):

"Thank you for your email of 29 September 2009 regarding mountain biking at Manly Dam. Council is glad to hear you derive much use and pleasure from your bike riding at Manly Dam.

This facility attracts many riders, and while Council has no intention of rebuilding this route to “purpose-built” mountain bike standards, it is committed to maintaining the route for this low level of challenge that suits a variety of riders.

The fire trails will always be required for emergency access around Manly Dam. Council will not be creating any new single tracks alongside the existing fire trails.

Should you have any further enquiries please contact Council’s Team Leader Land Management and Foreshores, Mr Steven Bax on 9942 2538"

nrthrnben's picture
Council will not be creating any new single tracks alongside the existing fire trails.

Who wrote the above, was it Steven Bax?

IMO the sentence quoted above came across as a bit of a power trip.

What are his reasons for not wanting to build new single track? Does he have any? or is it not on his agenda or priority list?

Ok so he says the council is not going to create new single trails, or he just doesn’t want them to create them. So let us create them, why? Because there is no major reason not to that i can see.

That was a typical council response to blow you off, ask why, and give solutions, world trail consultation,volunteer builders and so on.

marhleet's picture

it's his area to manage.

and just because you want to cut down his trees to make your use of his area better for you, doesn't mean he has to acquiesce to your demands.

I'm all for a bit more interest around the dam (having ridden it all of once so far) but don't go off being all pushy when he has governmental oversights to see around and manage and weigh up the pros and cons of.

try neatly working with him asking for his concerns and why or why not so that we can justify murdering a whole lot of fauna to make our day better.

Justin's picture

Wonderful response Marhleet.

He will also have a set of guidelines to work to. Which means that until those guidelines are changed (perhaps via representation?) his job is to abide by the,

nrthrnben's picture

there is nothing there we dont allready know or have asumed.
He is just reafirming it.

As said in my last post

ask why, and give solutions, world trail consultation,volunteer builders and so on.

Agreed nothing must be done in a pushy way but my post above relects how fed up with the way council manages and the way it seems to disregard the main user groups of the dams concerns, sugestions or opinions.

I think it is not at all unreasonable to request aditional single trail at the dam for mountain biking, considering the vast quantities of fire trail which are not "low level chalenge" as quoted in the response, its infact "zero level challenge". In my opinion, a firetrail is just that, a firetrail, its just a way to get from one single trail to the next:)

I love the "its about as exciting as a hiker walking across an oval", accept of couse if its long steep and has jumps all the way down!,having said that single track with jumps all the way down would be much better:)

marhleet's picture

you should start with a
< rant mode on >
tag and finish with a half smiley Eye-wink

dangersean's picture

could actually do with a rant mode off switch Eye-wink

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