Mountain biking

WHEN we first moved to Toowoomba, I was delighted to discover the escarpment parks – places for walking, bird watching and just enjoying the peace and quiet of the forest.

But these activities do not eject cash into the economy.

Now there are plans to develop two of the largest parks into a major mountain biking tourist destination.

I am not opposed to recreational mountain biking on properly constructed tracks (although I think there should be completely separate tracks for mountain bikers and hikers).

The small amount of evidence available indicates that recreational mountain biking is no more damaging to the environment than hiking.

It seems to me that mountain bikers are well provided with the trails in Jubilee Park and also in Mount Peel Park, but I would not object to one or possibly two mountain bike tracks being constructed in Redwood Park.

But competitive/racing mountain biking (which is what the Toowoomba Regional Council has in mind) is a completely different matter, because of the large number of riders, the steepness and speed (leading to braking and skidding) and the construction of many new tracks.

The plan is for seven steep trails to be constructed in Redwood Park. How many trees will be cut down?

The road to nowhere that was bulldozed through Redwood Park some years ago is not an encouraging example of the TRC’s management of our parks.

Because of global warming, it is important to preserve as many mature trees as possible.

They play a vital role in sequestering carbon and retaining water. And because so much forest has been destroyed by fires, we should be thinking about preserving remaining forest for our suffering wildlife.

Is the council going to consult with the residents of Harvey and Wooldridge Sts before deciding to use their streets as secondary hubs?

The purpose of this plan is to inject money into the economy.

There have been many initiatives in the past undertaken in order provide economic benefits.

But as far as I’m concerned most of these economic benefits have not resulted in making Toowoomba a more pleasant place to live.

Time and time again, the Toowoomba Regional Council has shown that it considers the environment to be of very low importance. MARY PETR, Toowoomba