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Save Red Hll and Deep Creek now...
I know Rob put this up as a meeting but they are actually discussing stopping MTB riding in Red Hill and Deep Creek at this meeting on Monday.
The more riders to show up the better or else it slides under the radar - this isn't a protest but a meeting, however numbers ARE needed.
"Friends of Narrabeen Lagoon Catchment are having a meeting on Monday the 22nd of February from 7pm to 9pm at the tramshed Community Centre Lakeview room (Upstairs 1395a Pittwater Rd Narrabeen). Warringah Mayor Michael Regan Will be there as well.
Now you might think what does this have to do with us Mountain Bikers?
[Mod: Deep Creek is actually part of Garigal National Park and illegal riding right now]
Well it has plenty to do with us as THIS MEETING WILL DIRECTLY AFFECT Mountain Biking around the bush around the Lagoon which includes Redhill and the trails around Deep Creek, as these areas are considered part of the Narrabeen Lagoon catchment.
With all the Single track at Manly Dam having been recently closed and all the National parks being off limits, Redhill & Deep Creek represent the last place of untouched/unrestricted single track for Mountain bikers on the Northern Beaches to legally ride. We need a big turn out to show support for these great riding spots and to help propose ideas for the successful management of these areas for Mountain Bike use. I stress that is not a protest meeting but is a show of support for Mountain Biking at these locations. There have been several meeting in the past with zero turn out so it is important that there is a good showing of support.
Entry is free, and drinks will be provided, but Donations would be welcomed to cover basic costs.
For More Info on this meeting please contact Judith Bennett on 9905 2135"
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It needs to be made abundantly clear that the damage at Red Hill is the result of MOTOR bikes.
will be there then?
apparently there has been no mention of trail bikes...
actually water is a massive problem there with the run off, and any 'grading' they have done hasn't been done properly which creates rivulets as it all goes downhill....
This should be made very clear, but we must also display an honest attitude that mountain bikers want to help fix up the trails that already exist, as we generally don't like severely boggy, rutted trails either.
We wish to protect the terrain for future generations also, but we also like to take our kids along for a ride through the bush, this is fun for them, gets them outdoors and helps build appreciation for the bush for the next generation.
Also display practical ways that they can work along with mountain bikers to help protect the terrain whilst allowing sensible recreation.
These people don't know what an MX or Trail bike is. You should always use the term 'motorbike'!
And just like at the lane cove meeting, to some, motor bikes, trail bikes and mountain bikes are all just the same and are thrown in the unsuitable to be anywhere near the bush pile.
As Rob says we must be clear about our termonoligy and point out there is a big diference between motorbikes and mountain bikes.
One is noisy, the other is silent
Generally one is dangerously fast, the other is not
One has excessive power(torque) which creates wheelspin thus erosion, the other does not
It has been scientifically proven that mountain biking has no more impact then walking.
We can also hand out a copy or 2 of imba's trail book, to show the facts and how it should be done
While its been to wet for me to ride my bike up the hill (once educated I now show restraint) it seems that the wet tracks don't seem to stop the all the Moto's, not to mention the 4WD or two that I have seen up the hill in the last year.
While I'd agree that MTB on a wet track is not good ( for anyone ) there's a hell of a lot more damage caused by the moto guys up there, even in the dry, but most of the damage is done in the wet.
Next time its a rainy weekend, I'm heading up there with a camera to collect some evidence.
I wonder if they are getting together ( at this meeting ) to discuss how they can hand over sections of red hill the the MTB community and we could all form a committee to construct and manage an MTB designated AM/XC single track that runs a loop through Red Hill.. now that would be awesome hey?
http://www.narrabeenlagoon.org.au/Newsletters/ne...
They are asking the question, all we have to do is show/prove how...easy!
Spoke to Judith Bennett on 9905 2135 as an interested member of the public about all 3 issues and she said its best to book,but you can just turn up(not guaranteed a seat then)
FYI David Yonge is the downhill co ordinator for MWMTB Club!
We are well represented!
Although Moto X riders cause much of the damage at Red Hill, so too do mountain bike riders, which is unfortunate as some still ride around there when the ground in sodden and ruts up easily. The same outcome occurred at Oxford Falls, particularly the Nursery Rhymes area. The thing to impress on landholders is that mountain bikers (whose bikes cause little to no erosion in the dry) are more than willing to establish and maintain a trail (or trails) that are fun, sustainable and environmentally friendly, just like they do overseas like Canada, Wales, et al. But how does one communicate that message to people that can't listen?
There are always going to be those that go against common sense and council directives regarding wet/closed tracks and it is never going to be possible to argue against this or provide any sort of guarantee. What we need to do is overwhelmingly show ourselves to be the mature and responsible community that, in reality, I believe we (mostly) are. This will involve efforts to self-police tracks (as this website does), educate fellow mountain bike riders and do more than our fair share to maintain and protect the facilities that we know we are lucky to have but which we deserve. This needs to be done in numbers, needs to be at little or no cost to the council (any money to be spent adds time to decisions) and needs to have the buy in of other groups. The best way to have buy-in from other groups is to show them the benefits that they will receive as a result of this.
Australian Mountain Bike magazine will be there too...
I would have liked to attend this to show support, but unfortunately I will be working back too late to make it there in time. Like we saw at the Lane Cove meeting, such occassions are a good opportunity to see how the minds of anti-mtb people (for want of a better term) work and what they are perceiving as the issues, (like certain older ladies being confused between moto and mountain bikes, as mentioned earlier in the thread). I trust those that attend will let us all know how the meeting goes? I'm expecting it could be quite an interesting evening with so many vocal supporters of both sides attending.