Mike 
I am concerned re the mess the bikes make of the trails within the Manly Dam park also I feel they come in large groups and disturb wildlife, which as a wildlife carer I worry about. There have been numerous dead native animals found on the Parkway just outside the entrance to the trails, which many bikers use to enter the Park. The trails are rutted and very hard to walk along, so I am not happy for the bikers to use the Manly Dam.

Well done Mike. Gutless councils hiding behind legalistic perceived liability is a lawyer-induced scourge on modern society. PRW.

Dear Mike, 
I am a local resident of Allambie Heights and I support the continued recreational use of Manly Dam for both walkers and mountain bikers. I myself enjoy the reserve as both walker and bike rider, from time to time, including walks with my young children who are 4 and 5. When we come across mountain bikers, I have only experienced polite and considerate behaviour. Bikers always make way for us and slow down. And as a bike rider I am very aware of walkers using the track, and keep my speed down, particularly on corners. There are so few places to go mountain biking locally - Manly Dam is a fantastic reserve where recreation and protection of biodiversity can be successfully combined and both walkers and bikers should be able to continue to enjoy the reserve together.  
 
Kind regards, 
Natasha Hammond-Deakin 
Environment Lawyer 
23 Churchill Crescent, Allambie Heights, 2100

@ Eira... your kidding right? Mountain bikes killing wildlife near the "entrance of the track" on Wakeurst Parkway, where they often only unload / walk their bikes?? hahah that's some green logic for you there...!!! "Everyones killing koalas!!" hahah.... If there is dead wildlife on the side of Wakurst Pky, unbackable odds its from high speed cars....

I am writing to you to voice my disgust in Warringah Council's decision to close parts of Manly Dam to Mountain Bike riders. 
 
 
If this is for safety reasons it doesn't make sense as they are forcing all the bicycle riders including kids onto the busy Wakehurst Parkway. 
This would seem much more dangerous with cars doing in excess of 80 and 90kms per hour than riding those parts of Manly Dam that the council has closed. 
 
The NSW government is constantly trying to get people to be healthier and active, yet we constantly see our local mountain bike tracks getting closed down more and more every year. 
I used to be a pack a day smoker for seventeen years until I started riding my mountain bike around Manly Dam. Now the council is stopping me and thousands of others from doing this and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. I thought the councils and government were fighting against obesity.  
Bike riding is a great way to combat obesity. So why is Warringah Council making it so difficult to stay healthy and active. 
Please explain.

@Eira, your concern is commendable but your aim is a little off. The unfortunate dead animals that you speak of are not a result of bike riders but of cars on Wakehurst Parkway and most likely at night. I like to think that my bike is a beast but I am going to come off pretty badly if I hit a possum! Mountain bikers ride in the bush because they appreciate the surroundings not because they wish to destroy them. With regards to the potential for damage done to the trails, this has been recognised by the mtb community. As a result we are actively involved in protecting the trails through message boards outlining trail status and reprimanding mtb’ers who ride when the track is not suitable for riding. Realistic and constructive plans have been presented to maintaining the trails through volunteer days. This is a mature and constructive community who appreciate what they have as a finite resource and many, as local residents as well. We have the opportunity to utilise this and create a manageable and agreeable solution and it would be crazy to allow a knee-jerk and uninformed reaction from a council to a perceived but non-existent problem to rule.

As a local resident, mountain biker, bushwalker and environmentalist, I must applaud your statement. Pure commonsense. 
CB

shared paths/ more bikes/ better for everyone - good on you Mike - Councils need to think who they serve - while you're at it get them to take down the ridiculous fence from Jump Rock - much safer than what's there at present - Australia should be a place that embraces nature so all can benefit not fences it off. cheers SB

Thank you for your logical support on the MTB tracks in Manly Dam. There are hundreds of tracks in Manly for walking and 1 main track for mountain biking. I ride these tracks twice a week normally and very rarely see a walker. When i do its a freindly hi and no risk of injury. Thanks again

Bravo Mike! Manly Dam is one of the few spots left for mountain biking on the north side. 
 
As other people have commented, bikers are extremely careful & respectful of others. They typically slow to a standstill in the presence of walkers. 
 
Mountain biking is a fantastic, healthy & social pastime. Preventing access to Manly Dam would be an egregious act.

When I heard that council had closed the dam track I assumed it was a temporary thing because of the heavy rain. This has happened many times before and is an understandable way to minimise degradation. 
To actually ban mountain biking altogether however,just beggars belief. I just cannot fathom how out of touch someone must be to even contemplate such a thing. 
Mountain biking is already hugely and is increasingly popular. In these times of sedentary occupations and computer games it is a sport that should be encouraged as it provides fantastic cardoivascular exercise and gets people outdoors into the fresh air and keeps cyclist off our busy and inhospitable roads. 
We have thousands of hectares of parks in and around Sydney and millions of hectares across Australia. A mountainbike single track is about 1 metre wide and while use can cause some degradation and erosian of the track itself this damage does not spread to the virgin bush to either side .  
Mountain biking does not endanger the integrity of our parks it just affects tiny ribbons amongst the thousands of hectares. If you add up the total area of tracks in Sydney it would be a truly minute percentage of the total area of the parks. 
Our parks are precious but we have millions of acres outside major population areas that can remain truly pristine. Those parks inside the major cities should be a resource used to encourage people to exercise and enjoy the outdoors. 
City parks should be for everyone not just for the employees of the National Parks and Wildlife Service and environmetalists.Rather than trying to keep people out we should be encouraging people to visit, and if mountain biking is their prefered mode then it should be catered for. And not in a miserly way ;but wholeheadly with lots of facilities to stop overcrowding. 
Obviously walkers are important too and the two groups must be catered for separately. I can completely understand walkers not wanting to share tracks with bikers, in fact I can understand why walkers would love to ban cyclists from the parks. But thats only because the needs of the two groups are clashing and thats just bad management that can be addressed if there is a will. 
Banning because of fear of litigation is a nonsense. All sports are dangerous to some extent or other; you can't ban everything. Aussies are not prepared to live in a nanny state wrapped in cotton wool and being directed by some misinformed beaurocracy. 
Lets hope this can be sorted out by people with some common sense, thats all it needs. 
 
Roger Shackleton

Thanks for the support Mike. I can't believe the Mayor put his name to this one. Who was the genius in Council that recommended closure?? Perhaps we are all supposed to join a gym to stay fit?

Hi Mike, 
Well done, apply the pressure. After seeing the front page of the paper last weekend describing how Warringah is going to build bke/ pedestrian paths all over the area, it seems a great oxymoron to announce the closure of the only decent mtb track in this entire area at the same time. Manly Dam is VERY popular, and the bikers will continue to use the track.... unless coucil wants to place a policeman around every bend.  
Let Warringah residents keep fit and healthy. Let the boys on their mtbs get their energy out in a positive way. And asking riders to ride along Wakehurst Parkway around closed sections - that is inviting accident for certain. 
Thanks, 
Amanda

Hello Mike 
 
Thanks for the even handed approach. 
 
Here's what I wrote to Warringah Council. 
 
I’ve been riding this track for 15 years. Why is it only now coming to your attention? 
 
The track has been dumbed down so much it is close to becoming just another footpath. Had the council engaged mountain bike trail designers then we could looking at a trail as good as those at Mt Stromlo in Canberra and attracting riders with a variety of skills, interest and money? 
 
Are there any mountain bike riders at Warringah Council that understand trails can be interesting, challenging and have a measured degree of difficulty. Scotland’s and the UK’s 7Stanes (http://www.7stanes.gov.uk/) approach is a perfect example of the riders, community and council working together to provide world class facilities and access to all. 
 
Neutralising and then denying access is possible the most Neanderthal approach available. 
 
Paul Metcalfe

Adance Australia Fair for we are young and free (unless you are a mountain biker!) 
 
Thanks for standing up to this beauracratic madness Mike. Its so sad that some people have got a bee in their bonnet about what is essentially a healthy, positive paastime, which provides a great deal of stress relief from the modern lifestyle. 
 
Compared with much of what modern man does to the environment the impact of mountain biking is minimal - in my experience the main "damage" I've seen is a slight discolouration to the colour of the rock we ride on.

Dear Mike, I do not support mountain bike riding in Manly Memorial Park. The area is of special significance both historically, socially, and environmentally as well as being a dedicated Memorial to Australian servicemen and women. The Park is used by many for passive recreation including picnicking, bush walking , swimming and the study of flora and fauna. Mountian bike riding is not suitable for such an area adn the walking tracks are too narrow and dangerous for mountain bikes. They can cause acute soil erosion and damage to native vegetation. People do not like to be confronted by such biking practises whilst having a peaceful walk around the Park. They ar dangerous. Please work to keep them out of Manly Memorial Park. Margaret

Comparing the tracks in Sydney to those of Wales in the United Kingdom, Australia and more specifically Sydney is a long way behind. Given Australia's affinity with outdoor activities and the focus on active sports such as cycling, I can't believe the government doesn't spend more money providing properly developed mountain bike trails - similar to those in the UK. Instead, the council is keen to shut down one of the most popular trails on the northern beaches. How ridiculous! Let's hope sanity prevails and

Dear Sir, 
 
This is a short email to express my extreme disappointment with Warringah Council in closing parts of the Manly Dam track to mountain bikes AND to say THANK YOU for your support with this issue and mountain bike riding generally (particularly as this is not a State issue). 
 
I have been riding the track for in excess of ten years (often 7 - 8 times per week in summer and at all times of the day). I know from experience that WALKERS RARELY USE THE SINGLE TRACK to the west of the golf course; they use the internal tracks which are off-limits to bikes. As far as I am aware, this is the only trail with single track in the area that is available to mountain bikes (and it is single trails with technical sections that most mountain bikers enjoy the most). Mountain bike riders have spent many thousands of dollars on their bikes and to deny them the opportunity to enjoy a harmless sport is a travesty. I for one have no other alternative for an enjoyable ride; fire trails alone are, in my opinion, boring and riding on the roads on the northern beaches is unsafe. 
 
Once again, thank you. 
 
Chris

Hi Mike, 
good work. whilst i do not ride moutain bikes i have no trouble sharing the bush and tracks with them. There are a few blind corners where the bikes need to be careful for bush walkers. Everyone needs the ability to exercise and barriers should not be put in the way.

For goodness sake stop ruining eveybody's fun, all these safety reasons are beyond a joke. Of course you should keep it going.

Welcome to Australia, the ‘Nanny State’. 
Australia used to be a fantastic country in everyway, ‘the land of the free’, ‘the lucky country’. But that was yesteryear. In my opinion we are fast becoming one of the most pathetic countries on the planet, the land of the repressed. A place where if there is the risk of someone hurting their little finger the government immediately takes measures to ban the activity regardless of the impact it will have on a citizen’s right to pursue the things that make them happy. 
I am currently half way through a 2 year stint in Switzerland, a country not generally regarded for their social flexibility and liberalism, but I enjoy more freedoms here than I do in Australia, a lot more. Here there is hardly anywhere I can’t take my dog. In Australia there is hardly anywhere I can take my dog. Here, my 5 year old daughter walks the 1km to and from school with her friends, and parents are near enough banned form accompanying them. In Sydney it is against the law to let a child make their own way to school before 3rd grade. Are the Swiss less responsible people than Australians. I don’t think so. Are there problems with dogs here or child abductions, certainly not. It’s a general mentality thing and maybe part of the difference is the government here still believes there is a role for commonsense to play in society and that a citizen has the right to determine the level of risk they take instead of having limits forced upon them by bureaucrats afraid of getting sued or deciding what they consider is an acceptable level of risk by their standards. If that sort of thinking had have prevailed in the past then man would never have conquered Everest, or set foot on the moon, and Australia’s only inhabitants would still be the aborigines. 
Recently my 9 year old son recently fell out of the tree he was climbing and broke his arm. Seven weeks later just after he it had healed he had a fall snowboarding and broke the same arm again in a different place. Should I stop him climbing trees and snowboarding? No, these are acceptable risks I am prepared to let him take in order for him to gain life experiences. Life is not without risks. 
There is a solution to every problem which doesn’t involve banning the activity, fencing off one side of the street from the other etc. 
It’s high time we all had a good reality check.

Mike, I cannot believe that the council have considered the closure of the Manly dam track, surely we should be promoting healthy outdoor sports. My experience is that I have been riding the track for over three years, ususally on the weekend with any number of other riders. On every occasion other riders are both friendly and courteous to each other and the general public. Stop this nonsence!

Hi Mike - your interest and support is appreciated. Thank You. 
Please keep the pressure on the Council to reverse this irresponsible decision. 
As an occassional user of the mountain bike track and a member of the Manly Warringah Mountain Bike club, I am obviously biased and keen to maintain mtb options in the north shore.  
My understanding is that the single track sections that have been closed were developed and maintained inconjunction with the Council and are ideal to separate the riders and walkers. The system works, I am unaware of clashes between riders and walkers, there are plenty of options for both and closing approved trails will only increase the potential for unauthorised use of other pathways in the area. The last thing the community needs is for limited council assets to be used to supervise teh area and make criminals out of community members who are partaking in a healthy outdoor activity in an appropriate setting. 
Keep Up the good work. 
Thank You 
Ian Grainger

I can't believe that this decision has been taken. Manly Damn is the one iconic Mtb track is this area and is used daily by many more Mountain Bikers than all others combined. I have recently taking up Mountain biking as I approach my 4oth birthday as an activity that allows me to stay in good health and have just bought a new bike to allow me to do so. There are many million of dollars a year spent on Mountain bikes in NSW alone - it is not a minority sport. Many bikers give freely of their spare time to maintain and repair trails, and many studies have shown bikes are not responsible for trail erosion. This can only be seen as a backward step for the environment, the health of NSW public and the ocal economy.

wont stop the rideres even if u do BAN them -- better to work with them .. all i have to say is "dont b***h" riders unless u r willing to put in the hard yards creating a trail that is sustainable and doesnt affect wildlife or walkers . As long as the council approves, lets improve the trail, and move away from the walking track as much as we can... i have done the enviro impact studies for my mountain bike park at kurrajong and single track built right has such a minimal affect, its stupid that it gets used as an argument for disallowing building.. Safety on the other hand - what screws us all, is this retarded public liability insurance.. this insurance states we are not responsible for our own actions - for example a student at a hight school (un named) has sued the school for a large amount cos the idiot tried to jump between balconies..fell and ate it - NOw its my opinion 'hes an idiot' and should live with his stupid actions - but no he has the right to sue the school for millions of dollars. cos the balconies are unsafe .. W>T>F . what 2 story school fences off their balconies?? none .. get rid of public liability insurance and australia will be a better place . bye

Please be assured this is not a decision I have made! It is one of the Mayor, Michael Regan and Council Staff. 
 
Several Councillors have expressed concern as to how this decision can be made and a Media Release issued stating it's a Council decision when the Council has not voted on it! Council will vote on this important issue at the Council meeting on Tuesday week. 
 
As always, my vote will be in accordance with what the community wants. 
 
Regards 
 
Vincent De Luca OAM 
Warringah Councillor for 'A' Ward

Thank you for taking the time to write to council on this important issue. 
 
I would just like to clarify that the decision to close the track was NOT made by the elected council but by council staff. We as councillors have not been allowed to have any say and, quite the opposite, myself and Virginia wanted to prevent the closure and leave the track accessible based on the 12 year precedent, whilst a new solution was found. 
 
Virginia and myself have put forward a motion to reinstate the volunteers involved in track work under close supervision. Staff then suddenly realized that they had ignored the Plan of Management for 12 years and decided to close the track. I am opposed to the closure, but the decision did not come to a vote by the elected council.  
 
Virginia and myself are trying to revert this asap, but we are handicapped because Cr Falinski put forward a motion to reduce our council meetings from fortnightly to monthly, which was unfortunately supported by the majority of councillors (see meeting minutes online at Warringah council's webpage for details on votes). This means that we have fewer opportunities where we as elected council can have some input into the strategic direction and can attempt to change decisions made by council staff. 
 
The track will come back on the 23rd February to an extraordinary meeting. But staff do not allow us to have a public forum, which we normally have at council meetings, and which allows the public to address council. I am considering wearing a gag in protest.  
You may still want to attend the meeting which will start at 6 pm.  
 
Regards, 
 
Christina

The meeting times are 'ready to ride'. If you need time to prepare equipment then please arrive a few minutes earlier. 
 
Duration: 2 hours  
Come Rain or Shine: I'll be there, no matter what the weather.  
Ride Database Entry: Manly Dam  
Meeting Point:  
King Street (near corner with Arana Street), Manly Vale. You know - outside Manly Hydraulics Lab. 
 
Show on Google maps: Meeting point. Login or register to get directions.  
Details: 
I think you can guess what this might be about  
 
It is chance to show council how many riders care about the Manly Dam circuit. The plan is to ride the circuit legally. What this means is that we will set of and ride where we can, walk carrying bikes where we are not allowed to. 
 
To be honest, the most important thing is to turn up at 9am so the press can get a shot of King St packed with riders. It's a show of support and incredibly important to get out, even if it's just for the first 10 minutes. 
 
We have to get council to change their plans... otherwise it will be "at least six months" before the circuit re-opens, but on past form that could mean much, much longer!

Mike - thanks for your comments on this quite pathetic piece of beaurocracy. It is shameful that a local authority is unable to see the wider impact of its actions.  
 
As a rider and walker of the track for around 5 years I've yet to see any incident between walkers and cyclists, and where they do meet I've known only courtesy to each other. as other have already said, there are many kms of walking track in the area, and only a short amount of track for mtb, and the mtb community have by and large kept to this. We recognise that by taking care of what we have (or did have) and by not using tracks only for walkers, we could all coexist peacefully in activity. 
 
I look forward to this ridiculous action being overturned.

Mike, 
 
I applaud your response and stance for the mountain bikers! 
 
Obviously I understand peoples concerns about nature and wildlife, but studies have been undertaken and properly managed tracks can lead to a win for the environment and still allow people to enjoy walking and riding Manly Dam. 
 
Current UCI DH Championship holder(Sam Hill), is an Australian. Current 4X Championship holder(Jared Graves) is an Australian. There was a UCI World Cup event held in the ACT last year. Where will our next champions of tomorrow come from if there isn't any managed riding in Sydney. The quality tracks are few and far between. I find myself travelling to Ourimbah and Yellowmundee these days.... 
 
It seems most other states seem to be able to work these issues out, but Manly Council Staff, The Mayor and the NPWS need to work with the riders to find an acceptable solution to all, and soon! 
 
I know mountain biking has risks, I wear a helmet and some body armour to mitigate the risks, but if I fall off and hurt myself, it's my fault! This litigious society where I could somehow think it's appropriate to take legal action against Manly Council for my own stupidity is rediculous! 
 
I'll sign a waiver of liability if required to use the track, but surely common sense should apply and managing all the paperwork is a massive waste of time. 
 
Ask any walker or rider around Manly if they we'rn't willing to be responsible for their own actions, I think every person you spoke to is fully aware of any risks involved with the activity they are doing. 
 
Mike, please do all you can to support the riders from the greater Sydney area. 
 
I'll see you all at the protest ride, remember guys and gals if we don't make our presence known, council staff will simply use it as nobody cares, and the silent majority win. Which is NOT what we want.

Mike I applaud your approach to reversing the decision by the Warringah council. The ruling by Warringah Council to alter Manly Dam tracks shows the worst side of public service where some people are more interested in protecting themselves, and their jobs, than delivering for the public good. Keep up the good work Mike!

Let's hope common sense prevails. Please help us preserve manly dam for mountain biking. Fair-minded walkers will not mind sharing a single track when they still also have numerous tracks for their enjoyment alone. I have NEVER seen a mountain biker treat a walker on this track with anything other than consideration and respect in all my years cycling it. Thanks

I have enjoyed walking the tracks for many years, I have never had any problems with bikes, in fact I have found them to be very considerate, a more serious problem is the dogs that are most often not on leashes and are often aloud to swimming in the dam, I have been bailed up on a number of times, some of their owners do not take any notice of the recently updated signage 
Dann

Thanks for standing up for common sense Mike.  
 
As as been mentioned already, I have never had an issue with any walkers while using the any of the Manly Dam track. In fact I have never seen anyone walking the now closed single track section near Wakehurst Parkway. 
 
Eira,  
 
the closed sections of trail have been maintained by volunteers from the mountain biking community for years. Boardwalks etc have been used to minimise the impact of erosion. As for the dead animals, I find it hard to believe that a car at travelling at a speed approriate for parking during the day could be responsible for the death of animals. If this is the case you should also advocate a ban of cars in the Park altogether. You will find that the dead animals are due to cars travelling at 80km/h along Wakehurst Parkway (mostly in the evening) rather than cyclists.

Dear Mike 
 
I was shocked to hear of the recent closure of one of the best capital city mountain bike rides in Australia. 
 
I understand that parts of the shared track around Manly Dam are not “technically approved” for bike riding and as such, Council has “no choice” but to close those stretches of track to riders until the Plan of Management has reviewed bike riding in the park. 
 
However, from what I can gather, the decision to close the track was NOT made by the elected council but by council staff. Councilors have not been allowed to have any say even though some councilors wanted to prevent the closure and leave the track accessible based on the 12 year precedent, whilst a new solution was found. They have had no chance for input because the decision did not come to a vote. 
 
Instead, Cr Falinski put forward a motion to reduce council meetings from fortnightly to monthly and this was supported by the majority of councilors. Staff do not allow council to have a public forum at council meetings so us riders have not being able to even be present to voice our opinions. 
 
If this is correct, then elected officials are no longer meeting to discuss these things, when they do, they have no vote, and instead, “unknown, unseen, and unelected officials\" have made radical changes adversely affecting the lives and livelihood of many people. 
 
We, the voting public, have no input into such decisions, and neither do our elected officials. 
 
…surely this defines a dictatorship rather than a democracy by most definitions. 
 
In this scenario, canoeists, windsurfers, water skiers and swimmers are perhaps not “technically approved” to use the dam? What if someone wants to go scuba diving there…is that allowed??? What about model boats??? Wakeboards??? Hydroplanes?? Are they approved?? What happens if they are not approved? 
 
But, for simplicity, let’s assume we still live in a democracy and common sense and the will of the majority can prevail. 
 
1. This ride has been used by far more mountain bikers that walkers for many, many years…and no one has been concerned, disturbed or disadvantaged by the riders not been “technically approved”. It might not be in the plan of management, but it has certainly be, on the most part, very well managed anyway. 
 
2. Times have changed fast. I’m sure when the rules were written mountain bikes were not even around because it was not a mainstream sport until the 90’s when the cross country bike evolved to incorporate lightweight aluminum frames and front suspension forks. It is now an Olympic sport and will be part of the 2012 games. Consequently what’s written down years ago does not incorporate these rapid changes…is that truly such a critical, stop everything, kind of problem? 
 
3. I expect that reopening the track represents a far less liability that keeping it closed. To leave things as they are is of far greater danger to all concerned as cyclists will either have to cross the very busy and narrow Warringah Freeway, or double back and ride the trail in both directions. This is likely to result in a serious or fatal accident instead of the few scrapes, cuts and bruises that are part of mountain biking. The council risks being sued by a family who loses a loved one who was forced to ride across the freeway because you kept the off road track closed. 
 
4. Surely there is a work around fix that can be found during the time that the necessary processes are followed to review the “Plan of Management”. I’m hoping you can re-open the track under some sort of special dispensation, (e.g. Put up signs saying “Council accepts no responsibility for people choosing to ride or walk this track and anyone doing this does so at their own risk”) 
 
I am hoping, on behalf of all mountain bikers, that you give this the serious attention it deserves; and I trust that you will. 
 
Yours sincerely 
 
Lee Brogden.