Track networks, Dunedin
Mountainbiking Otago is a Dunedin-based club, with about 200 members, 20 of whom are active at committee level. The club doesn’t receive any official funding from Dunedin City Council (DCC), but they have a strong working relationship with Council parks staff, which leads to ‘on the ground’ support. Since late 2007, the club has also had an ongoing arrangement with the Corrections Department, which sees Periodic Detention (PD) gangs doing track work for one day each week.
“We get on really well [with Council parks staff]. They see what we do and value it. They help us out with supplying materials like timber and shingle, or with use of a digger,” says club president Hamish Seaton.
In 2008, around 8-10km of tracks were built by the club, all on publicly accessible council-owned land. Gaining access for track building depends on land use and the manager. Getting access to City Forests and Water Department Land has proved relatively easy, whereas on Council Reserve land, things can be stricter as there’s greater public use. The club oversees all track building and maintenance, with different members taking ownership of each project.
Hamish says the club tends to “fly under the radar” of the wider public. They haven’t faced significant opposition from residents’ groups. “We just do what we do, and do a good job,” he says. Each year, the club puts on events that generate over $20,000, which puts them in the position to take ownership of work. In turn, this helps in negotiating land access with Council. “We’ve showed that we can build, fund and maintain tracks ourselves,” he notes.
With the growing track network, the club would like Council to set aside budget for ongoing maintenance – in 2008 they unsuccessfully put in a submission for this – “we’re just going to keep at them!” The club puts in three or four submissions each year, in response to Council planning documents and to propose new riding opportunities (such as a stunts area). “We want to ensure mountain biking and cycling are included in strategies,” emphasizes Hamish, “it’s very important to make sure your voice is heard.”
The arrangement with the Corrections Department has proved invaluable. The gang of 10 PD workers (initially 20 but access to the working area is now more limited) is creating an 8km track through native bush, up to a 500m ridge. “They’re doing a fantastic job,” says Hamish.
Another track into the hills around the city is in the planning stage. The track will cross some Department of Conservation (DoC) and some private land. The club has a verbal agreement with the landowner, but DoC is requesting they gain a formal easement from the landowner. As Hamish says, it’s a balancing act: “You don’t want to say to the landowner you don’t trust them. But unless you have it knuckled down legally you might as well not do it [because access can later be rescinded].” Fortunately, the club can call on a couple of lawyers as members, to help minimise legal costs.
Key lessons
- Gain respect from parks staff. It is important to be seen to be proactive, says Hamish. “Parks staff deal with a lot of different user groups [in Dunedin]. We’d be the only really proactive group. They see that you’re putting something back into the network. They’re quite appreciative - they like the work we put in. Everyone is constrained in terms of money. But they can help with all the little things, like signage, or dropping in a load of shingle.”
“The ideal situation is to have political support for what you do,” he elaborates. “That means having the support of councilors and ensuring your plans are included in council strategy documents. Once you achieve that, your projects become ‘official’ and you can push the case for council funding. But if there’s a lack of political will, you can compensate by building relationships with key staff.”
- Make the most of PD. “We contacted the Corrections Department and told them what we were doing. The only requirement to having a PD gang was that we had to have a toilet on site - we bought a second hand Portaloo.” He reckons work gangs can achieve a huge amount in track work, so long as they are well managed.
Hamish is leading this track project. For each stretch, he cuts the way with a chainsaw, and marks the high side of the track every 3m, with plastic fencing standards. “All they need to do is cut and bench it. It works really well. When we had a gang of 20 we were doing 60-120m of track a day.” He also brings water and lunches up to the work area, using the club’s quad bike. The club keeps tools and a gas cooker at the work area (it’s now a 45 minute walk from the track end). “You need to get the small logistical things right,” he notes.
The gang is managed, but with PD it is also important to have someone who understands mountain biking, on site during all work, says Hamish. “If you don’t have a volunteer it’s worth paying someone - the quality of work is dependent on how good an eye you keep on it.” After a few months, when the track has settled down, club members come in and do some specific tidying up, such as fine-tuning the berms.
- Prove usage figures. Mountainbiking Otago has recently negotiated with Council for a couple of automatic track counters to be installed. This will confirm that tracks are being well used – supporting the argument that they are a valuable asset and worthy of future Council investment.
- Seek funding support. One of the ways Mountainbiking Otago achieves so much for a small club is by accessing funding opportunities. They put in applications to community trusts, and seek sponsorships from the local community. “We usually have some funding granted each year,” Hamish says.
- Avoid potential conflict. Most tracks in the Dunedin area are dual usage. On two, however, riding is banned. The club has negotiated occasional access to these tracks (for half a day or an evening). Hamish notes this is a good way to help stop people from riding where they shouldn’t. “It’s a proactive way of dealing with the issue,” he concludes.
Updated | 29 Jul 2009.
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