You are hereForums / By Discipline / Mountain (off road) / By Location / Australia / NSW / Northern Beaches / Sign at Bantry Bay
Sign at Bantry Bay
I was at the Dam today and went over the Bantry Bay. There is now a no bikes sign at the start of the singletrack. It also has a little comment about it being a Aboriginal site.
Is this new? It's been a fair few weeks since I been there.
Unfortunately I still saw plenty of bikes riding out of there who obviously ignored the signs.
- Login to post comments
- Bookmark & share
I rode it Monday and there was no sign then!!
I know this is a sensitive topic, but I didn't get any satisfaction from talking about this with my Grandma so here's a post. NPWS (are they still NPWS?) are facing a dilemma. With so many riders these days, how can they possibly police the trails sufficiently to successfully achieve 'their aims'? They might stop some, but won't stop most.
Eventually they will realise that they can work WITH the riders to the benefit of all, or, there will just be ongoing issues to the detriment of all. While many riders will agree to lay off while riding these trails while negotiations take place, how long will this last if it drags on and on? And when riders are spending thousands of hard earned coins on their rides, I cringe to think of anyone trying to confiscate someone's bike.
There are trails where I live that we have ridden and kept clear for over 17 years and recently 'no bike' sign syndrome has kicked in and all these trails are, apparently, off limits. And for our local trails it's simply ridiculous as they are barely used by anyone else and hence we were the main ones keeping them in a decent state to use at all.
Interesting times.
I have also seen a sign at the end of the Ralston/Cascades Technical downhill. It was for motorbikes 2 weeks ago, but now is MTB as well. About a quarter of Bantry Bay is due to be bulldozed soon for townhouses. From memory Little Moab at Oxford falls also got signposted a while ago. Looks like everyone will be forced to ride the Freeway at Manly Dam. Maybe its a conspiracy and they will charge entry for MTB at the dam soon!
on a mission aren't they! My sister said the Cascades downhill is one is blocked off totally now. I don't think the townhouses were approved for Bantry Bay were they? But if they were, then there is no reason to stop us riding there until the build is there...
How on earth is Manly Dam going to cope with everyone going there if they close everything except fire trails?
one of you would say that - being you, cupacke or steve...
Well the section from just before "Round The Carpark" to under Dam wall has been made wide enough to cater for thousands in the last few days.
I know that is fire trail access and it has to be done, but my goodness it is different without the trees.
But be careful....... there are no trees to navigate anymore but the 8 inch stumps from the trees are still there hiding under the shredded bark and leaves to catch out unsuspecting riders.
Just more fun for our favorite trail.
these are indeed sad times, i for one have resorted to street riding making use of urban obsticles to "simulate" actual bush riding due to such a lack of options now, lets face it, it was already limited with where we could ride, now its just pathetic..and to think we live in such a bushy country, why cant we get the npws and whoever else are the governing bodies to actually work with mtb'ers? i know rob and justin and alot of you guys here are doing a great job working with them now, and doing a hell of alot more than i am by whiging, but the people have a right to speak their minds about this too, even if it is a bitch and a moan!
on that, in real terms, fine print aside, what is actually happening? are we going to see some new or old trails opened up to mtb'ers in sydney anytime soon? or at least an idea of a way to facilitate the growing need for trails that bikers can legally ride on? or are we just going to continue to see everything closed because theres a rock on every trail that happens to have been painted on by indigenous people? or keep debating the foolish notion of how our ruff bush is in such a dire fragile condition that trail "damage" caused by bicycles is going to mean the end of days for our yet to be mcdonalds-ed lanscape
i mean it is starting to get a bit ridiculous isnt it?
screw this im moving to canada!
*end rant
Ah, seems I was sent an update on Friday but didn't get it until today:
http://nobmob.com/node/5082
This is the sign you are talking about?
Thats the sign Rob.
This comment has been moved here.
Well this has just been a sad week for all mountain bike riders, perhaps they will want us to go out and buy an excercise bike.....but as long as we dont go over 15kph....
or get a road bike SORRY to all you road riders on this site.
Lets all launch a Class Action against NPWS for mental distress and turning us all into fat c#nts (scuse moi pour la francais).
Are they incapable of doing anything positive? Amazing to contrast the scene here and in NZ, soo much better over there. Australia is becoming a nation of whingeing (myself included, just the whingeing mind) fat jobsworths. Between NPWS and NRMA we're being forced into the maw of an oncoming semi...
I was initially positive about engagement with NPWS but they seem incapable of giving us a good news story anywhere, pretty soon we will have absolutely nowhere to ride, is that whet they're after? Do they want Sydney's MTBers to have to burn more fuel to get a decent ride?
I really hope by the time my daughter is old enough to ride a bike that things have changed drastically.
Ta,
Matt.
Okay, so we went, we listened and we offered to work with the npws.
In spite of this they are acting incredibly insensitively and at a rapid pace with no apparent consultation with the vast movement of mountain bike riders.
There are sites that require preserving, and from what I have observed over a number of years is neglect of fencing and a lack of appropriate signage around these sensitive sites.
This kneejerk reaction by npws is going to displace many mountain bikers to other areas, and concentrate erosion issues rather than spread them evenly.
It is no doubt also going to result in many riders 'running the gauntlet' and risking confrontation, and potentially prosecution.
I find it so inapropriate to block out entire areas to *protect* small areas of cultural and historical significance (which I full support by the way).
Time to put our strength behind our voices.
I propose we start petitions, get some PR, perhaps a news channel involved.
We certainly need to lobby hard to get an injunction to halt this unconsultative one-sided process.
Whisperer
I just feel like being in the Judeans Peoples Front waiting for our Brian. Are there any other mtb groups dicussing this or any idea why the junter are behaving in this manner. It is not as if something major has happened that requires them to behave in this knee jerk reaction of restricting all but a few tracks around Sydney. Or has there? It could be the indeginous protecting their land so the developers can't get their greedy mits on it, and at the end of the day all we want is to use this land for enjoyment and get something out of life. Or does the goverment rather than watching us develop like the majority into the Jabba the Hut type creatures that hang around Westfiled shopping centres smoking their extra long cigarettes with their mullets swearing like navie with piles, eating donuts and other unhealthy snacks on a weekend.
Help us Obi-Won, you are our only hope!
The Horse riding fraternity are fighting the same battle
http://www.australianhorsealliance.asn.au/index....
Worth a look and maybe a chat
Christine are you aware of this group.
Solidarity Brothers!
Greg
we are the Peoples Front of Judea
hahahahahah
like it or not
this site has and is becoming the leader for MTB ing in sydney
That Horsey site's actually good to see that they're facing the same issues. Even more people to get involved! We always tend to think of the horse riders as against us (or at least I do) but maybe that's quite wrong. If we could get together on this that'd be great.
Any lurking horse riders please let us know whether you think that would be a goer?
Ta,
Matt.
of course i know about the horse alliance - my sister is on the committee - when something comes up on this site about closures etc we straight away send the information off to them to see what is going on, but the bottom line is that the NPWS marches to their own tune...
If you all joined the Horse Alliance they have a stronger voice - as we know, numbers count.
What I am interested to know, is what are the bike shops doing about this? BA and Supreme for example? It seems we need to get together (and i loathe to use the word!) a committee to get together to liase with other groups of bush users and also take our cause to the media - what perfect timing with that Jason guy trying to crash all the roadies last week...