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Manly Daily Story on Moon Rock
Mountain bikers damage Aboriginal carvings and bushland at Oxford Falls
My first reaction is to blow up at the stupidity of the people who have built these jumps and ramps on Moon Rock, however I wanted to ask if anyone knows if these structures are actually at Moon Rock or have they taken photos from around the area?
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Have you actually been to moon rock? No,its a Pulitzer prize winning price of journalism from the Manly daily.
I figured, I didn't start riding until well after it was banned so I've never stopped to check it out.
Some discussion for letter writing:
Messaging for any comments/responses needs to point to what we have been trying to do for the past 15 years to resolve it. I.e:
1. this is exactly what we've been trying to work with government and land managers since 2008 and before to resolve. The NobMob submission on the Oxford falls crown lands PoM highlights this very issue.
2. Local member Jonathon O'Dea got involved to help resolve the issue. Mike Baird raised the issue in parlia!ent and we met with the environment minister to propose a better way of managing mountain biking in natural areas which led to what is probably the most extensive consultation program ever undertaken by national parks. The NSW government 'shape your state' site recorded more comments for this mountain biking issue than health reform, barangaroo and infrastructure strategy. These were overwhelmingly positive.
3. We worked extensively with National Parks and Councils to develop the NPWS mtb policy and strategy which provides the framework for a solution. However action to improve the situation over this time but progress is frustratingly slow due to resource/budget constraints, staff changes and a desire by mountain bikers to distance ourselves from the political issue of hunting access national parks.
4. Currently there are as many people riding mountain bikes in northern Sydney as are playing soccer. But there are next to no official facilities. Just like banning soccer on playing fields wouldn't work, banning mountain biking in bushland won't work. That is the scale of the problem. If all riders took up soccer instead we would need to bulldoze bush and houses for 150 new soccer fields in northern Sydney.
5. Warringah council's solution for Oxford Falls was Belrose Tip. Mountain Bikers have been trying to organize a bike park but council and NSW government haven't been supportive.
6. Its time for all land managers to realize that simply prohibiting access is not a viable solution. National Parks, councils and other land managers, such as the MALC to sit down with riders and solve this issue that has remained unresolved for decades.
Without any certainty, informal trails like this will continue to be built. We are happy to help resolve the issue but land managers need to recognize that prohibiting an immensely popular unstructured recreation activity just doesn't work (if it did there wouldn't be a problem in the first place).
Good to see lots of valid arguments being put up against the article too, not just vitriol! They'll be receiving a few complaints from the Press Council no doubt, it's blatant fabrication even by their famously poor standards.
The Manly Daily has been rapidly declining in quality & content since they became part of the Daily Telegraph.
Similar misleading hatchet job in Monday's Daily Telegraph about the city cycleways.
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nsw/delays...
Why not give "journalist" John Morcombe a ring to discuss his ill informed one side article.
John Morcombe
Manly Daily
(02) 9976 1931
Here is tomorrow's follow up article from Manly Daily.
http://dailytelegraph.com.au/newslocal/northern-...
They are still full of shit, the photo with the caption "The bike track across Moon Rock" is again no where near moon rock
I just don't get why people hate us having fun in the bush, would they rather us become drug addicts and mug them for their money ....
They had some photos and put them in the article.
Most of their readers have no idea what photo is where and the words are good at least so I'm happy with that.
From the general reader point of view riders are condoning what looks bad in the picture so therefore the majority of riders must be ok. If they take the trouble to go to Moon Rock they won't find it so how great must the good guys be for getting rid of it.
As always thanks for your efforts Simon.
Now you know the standard of News Corp journalism ... their motto is never let the facts get in the way of a good story, especially when it involves one of the targets of their "monstering" (as they call it internally).
We as cyclists are in their crosshairs. I'm not sure if it's because we're a fulcrum to use to get at Clover Moore, who they hate merely for being left of centre, or whether they hate us for being left of centre (apparently).
The idiotic thing is that the bike lanes they are so contemptuous of are actually better for business, and they move at least as many people per hour at peak times as the other two or more vehicle lanes.
So frustrating.
See below....the Manly Daily obviously has an interesting definition of "well substantiated" and "significant public interest".
To Whom It May Concern,
RE: Manly Daily, “Mountain bikers damage Aboriginal carvings and bushland at Oxford Falls”, 12 April 2015
I write to acknowledge the receipt and review of your complaint submitted to the Press Council about the aforementioned article.
As with yours, we received a number of complaints from persons not personally identified or directly affected by the material, so this was treated as a secondary matter: www.presscouncil.org.au/reception-of-complaints/.
In these complaints, concern was expressed that the article, including its use of photographs, is unfair to the biking community and misleading to suggest riders are damaging the subject sites which may be kilometres away.
In notifying the publication of these concerns, it responded that the article was well substantiated and the subject of public interest, including supportive and continuing community concern and police investigation.
In enquiring about the perspectives of mountain bikers, the publication responded that it was to follow up on this feedback in a subsequent report, which it then did so on Thursday in the article “Riders slam damage”. This article clarifies that riders more broadly do not support the frequenting of the subject sites, for instance, in the following passage:
“Community spokesman for mountain bike riders Matt Ward said the vast majority of mountain bike riders were disgusted that some bike riders had even gone near Moon Rock”.
This article can be found in print digital and online versions at the following addresses:
http://newslocal.newspaperdirect.com/epaper/view... http://m.dailytelegraph.com.au/newslocal/norther...
Having reviewed the matter, the Executive Director has decided not to refer the matter for further consideration: http://www.presscouncil.org.au/informal-consider....
The article is considered highly unlikely to constitute a breach of the Council’s Standards of Practice, for instance, General Principles 1 and 2 in relation to accuracy and clarity: http://www.presscouncil.org.au/statements-of-pri....
While the matter will not be considered further, we thank you for raising it for our attention and that of the publication.
Yours Sincerely,
The press council is a rubber stamp.