You are hereSCA to Review MTB Access in Catchments
SCA to Review MTB Access in Catchments
Some good news... remember SCA Management Regulation review (discussed here)?
I was at first very disappointed to see that last Friday the legislation on SCA access was gazetted and appears to have no change on MTB access (the gazette is here - see page 374 onwards).
Then today, a rather promising press release from the Minister for water (see attached PDF).
Basically it looks like the SCA will be performing a full community consultation on MTB access. Stay tuned for that. 
Snippets of the release here...
The Iemma Government is considering a proposal to open up parts of Sydney’s restricted catchment area to recreational mountain bikers...
...
"During the public exhibition of the Sydney Water Catchment Management Regulation 2008, a number of requests were made for access to restricted Sydney Catchment land for recreational purposes," Mr Rees said.
...
"I have requested SCA review the mountain bike riders’ proposed routes and explore options that allow appropriate access for recreational riders, without impacting on our water quality."
Hurrah!
| Attachment | Size |
|---|---|
| 080903 Special Areas SCA Reg 2008.pdf | 25.77 KB |
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Impact NPWS and their ability to close off tracks? Are trail closures purely about the impact of water quality in catchment areas (a seemingly absurd argument which was mentioned in the 2008 draft itself)?
Between the SCA and NPWS, who's the tail and who's the dog?
Looks promising, but have the tracks been closed recently due to water quality issues? How could mountain bike riding have any influence on that I wonder?
Also any idea what the "mountain bike riders’ proposed routes" are? I wasn't aware of a list.
Anyone able to shed light on the the above questions?
I'd imagine there would be some politics getting in the way of this. Or it's the usual, promise-something-to-keep-people-quiet approach and then let it gently fade off into the sands of time.
You could try calling the number on this press release and asking what will happen now? Ie. what the plan to progress this is. I believe Huw (Highland Fling Huw) knows more about this, will ask him.
Keep in mind that the pollie that is supporting all this has suddenly become the Premier. Perhaps this may help, or perhaps he has more pressing matters at hand, such as sorting out the mess that is NSW...