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VULNERABLE ROAD USERS & HOW DO THE PUBLIC PERCEIVE MTB'ers?

2010-07-31 09:18:56

I recently listened to an interview with Sebastian Junger, the director of a documentary, ‘Restrepo’, chronicling the year-long posting of a platoon of soldiers in an isolated but strategic valley in Afghanistan. He talked in depth about his varied and often unsettling experiences in situ with the platoon. A comment he made resonated with me;

“Every trip I did out there with those guys…something bad almost happened to me”.

The comment and his thoughts on the isolation echoed when I learned of the Vulnerable Road Users Inquiry, because in many ways, it’s a similar feeling to those I have when contemplating my daily 25-minute bicycle commute to and-from work in the heart of Sydney.

I've submitted a statement to the Inquiry (submissions close 6th August) because I strongly believe in the need to grow Sydney's commuting cycling but also because the comments on an article about cycle commuting in the SMH recently, reflect a huge amount if ill-feeling towards cycle commuters generally, something that riders from other parts of Australia say is strongly expressed here.

I don't commune much with fellow cycle commuters; we're all heading into or away from work at a fairly fast rate, so there isn't much opportunity, but they seem a generally nice bunch, like most mountain bikers really.

Do we MTB'ers get tarred with the same brush by the general public or is there a tacit understanding that off-road riding is a legitimate sport that doesn't interfere with their lives, so they have no feelings either way? I sense that's true except for the extreme conservationists who believe we're the devils incarnate destroying the last of Australia's precious flora and fauna!

What do you think? Comments can be left on the Trailflix forum or Facebook pages.

Inside: Glenrock, Awaba & Watagans in TrailTalk; Trespassers in Sydney Water Catchment are now being video'ed... See MTBNews; New Jittercam technology at Camden South in the Blog; and a Trail Builder Workshop in Club Chat.

With all this wet I think it's cycleway riding for a few days...

Cheers, Grant Shatford

Latest trail videos, maps and stuff TOONGABBIE Click on the image to go to the trail page 2010-07-31 07:19:18 An email from a local (Jason) alerted me to this set of off-road tracks that meander in and out the back of houses, bush and reserves in old Toongabbie. What a find. Like Lane Cove, the reaction from some locals after I put it up was, “Wow, where have you BEEN all my life?” The trail has you riding over grass, dirt, footpath, clay, gravel, singletrack, firetrail… there's even a short Cycleway section. Apart from a couple of uphill's, there’s nothing too challenging but – given it’s in the city and hardly anyone uses it - it’s not bad. The sort of trail you could do in an hour before or after work in summer, from either end... Because it crosses through so many suburbs, Toongabbie, Windsor Hills, Northmead, you can access it from any... Click here for more
		Sydney Mountain biking doesn’t come any more interesting than this. A swathe of great trails, some just moments from the main highway, create an MTB haven. Flat ridgelines or steep downhills; wide firetrails or tight singletrack; a mix of rocky slopes and clay-based tracks; it’s all here, with dramatic vistas to keep the eyes as engaged as rest of you. A range of trails, from easy to challenging. Just be sure to go prepared for the weather... Click here for Blue Mountains Trails		You’re on a ridge trail, overlooking a bush-clad valley. You could be deep in the NSW forests but you’re actually in the in the heart of one of the most densely populated parts of Australia, riding some of the most accessible MTB in the world. Catch the sea breezes on the rocky ridgelines or smooth outcrops at Oxford Falls. Tackle the rugged up and downhill terrain of Red Hill. Watch the sun rise over Barrenjoey Head at Ku-ring-gai or ride all the way to Hunter Valley and camp along the colourful Old Great North Road’s convict trail… Click here for Northern Suburbs Trails

Awaba Trail

Awaba Trail

Brett at Mt Annan

Brett at Mt Annan

South Sydney trails vary from the wide-open Dharawal, to the overgrown and rocky Lucas Heights tracks. In the least densely populated part of Sydney, tracks often reveal more wildlife than people. In and around Royal National, the great work being done on trail maintenance is obvious in the carefully created berms and moulded fire trails. But venture beyond city limits and national parks to uncover wild, shrubby pathways and steep downhills, less pristine and more challenging for the initiated.

Lose yourself but don’t get lost in South Sydney!

Click here for South Sydney Trails

TrailFlix - South Sydney Trails

TrailFlix - Western Sydney Trails

With almost as many cycleways as MTB tracks, the Western Sydney region caters for a range of biking expertise. Yellowmundee, just this side of the Blue Mountains, is a great destination for the fast & furious thrill-seeker while Mt Annan has both on and-off-road sections, of interest to both newcomers and enthusiasts alike.

Try the M7 Cycleway, one of Sydney’s finest, or maybe explore the wasteland back blocks between the suburban backyards and the Georges River around Kentlyn, or head to North Rocks for some great downhills and hidden valley riding.

Click here for Western Sydney Trails

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