18 July 97

Andrew White
Reserves Policy Adviser
Social and Cultural Commissioning
W.C.C.

Hi Andrew

Here are a few comments on the Draft 1997 Off Road Mountain Bike Policy. Firstly, overall, we like the draft policy. We liked the work Jo Fox did back in 1993 and this new draft policy still recognises mountain biking as a legitamate, positive activity. It is good to see each track or group of tracks assessed systematically. There are just a few parts of the policy that we would like to comment on.

Firstly, with regard to section 6.1, the list of closed tracks, we believe cycling should be permitted in the following areas:

• Tinakori, the wider, less steep tracks, from Dec to Mar
• The Karori Reservoir Valley Track, if the sanctuary falls through
• Maori Gully track, if the landfill owners permit it
• Sealed tracks in the Botanic Gardens, for uphill riding only
• Oriental Bay to Palliser Rd, uphill riding only
• Bolton St Memorial Park, sealed track, uphill traffic only
• Otari Native Botanic Garden, valley track to the picnic area only

Also, we think the option of creating a mountain biking route from Mt Kaukau along Ridgeline Rd, via Johnstons Hill to Makara Rd and on round to Wrights Hill and then Hawkins Hill should be left open. This could be one of the world’s great peri-urban day-rides.

On a slightly pedantic note, shouldn’t Johnsonville Park be listed alongside Khandallah Park in the closed list?

In the track assessment section Rifle Range Rd is listed as dangerous. It is actually safer than many public roads and most steep 4WD tracks. We feel the capability for multi-use on the Rollercoaster should be listed as poor-fair - there needs to be a separate walking/uphill riding track or some serious speed control devices. Also we feel Central Park should be included in section 14.0.

Moving on to events; we think allowing races in areas such as the Eastern Walkway or Johnstons Hill, that are normally closed, is asking for trouble. When you allow them you should ask that the course be kept secret and that they be one-off events. Be aware that events are a great way of promoting an area for casual recreational use. Because small events often only charge a $15 entry fee, the $500 event fee is totally prohibitive. For events in areas like Hawkins Hill where social and physical impacts are minimal this fee is unreasonable. We feel that a $2/rider fee such as the W.R.C. and DoC charge is much fairer.

In section 7.5.4 we beleive the use of spraypaint should be prohibited. Even water soluble spray can marr the landscape for weeks in dry areas. Also clipping signs to trees (e.g: with clothes pegs) should be permissible.

In the Code of Conduct we recommend changing ‘Ride to the Conditions’ to ‘Ride Within the Conditions’. This is clearer at a glance. Also ‘Stick to the Track’ should be added.

It’s good to see an Implementation Plan. Many of the good intentions of the 1993 policy were never implemented. More vigorous and sophisticated promotion of the Off Road Code is very important. We think some mention of events (their cost and revenue) should be made in the implementation plan. Also, volunteer track parties have played a significant role in track maintenence since 1993, but is not mentioned in the implementation plan.

In section 13.0 - presumably the end of goal 3 should read "...(objective 3)". Finally, if the indicators for goals 3 and 5 are not ‘Relative levels of use...’, the implemented policy may be considered a failure even if use of closed areas increases at a slower rate that overall use.

Hope these comments are of some use. Good luck with the whole public consultation process.

Regards

Simon Kennett
The Kennett Bros