Quarry Road Track (Berowra Valley) update for 03 Mar

"Apparently Sydney is the place where it makes more sense to spend money on four gates closing a popular trail than building a simple bypass that would solve the so-called problem. I and many other MTBers, trail runners and bush walkers have written many times to many politicians and bureaucrats. Politicians have walked the trail with their constituents and have expressed their concern. Given the local topography no rational person thinks the rifle range actually poses a threat to users of the trail. Faced with a carnival of administrative buck-passing and a lack of transparency as to why after decades of safe passage by many hundreds of walkers, runners and cyclists the Quarry Track and Great North Walk are suddenly so risky that they must be closed, our messages have remained polite and constructive. All the logic in the world on our side and yet here we end up; four big fat gates across the track. For some reason harmless users of the trail are being punished. The runner I spoke to today asked the right question: “what are we doing wrong?” Sydney could be the best city in the world for the activities we enjoy. We could have a 300+km bikepacking route around the Sydney basin from the Hunter, through the Blue Mountains to the Southern Highlands, the two ends accessible by train. We could commute on singletrack. Downhillers could actually have maybe a few legal trails to ride. Every park could have a pump track, every suburb its OMV. All of this could provide fitness, fun, camaraderie, economic benefit and an appreciation of nature for generations to come. Instead we get the sensibility that instinctively chooses signs, gates and fences over trails and bridges; restriction over freedom. I don’t understand this way of looking at the world, and the sneaking realization that these people are persuadable makes me very sad."

- One MTB sums up the opinions of many of having 4 gates put up effectively closing the track to all users for the sake of one interest group (riflers)