Westleigh Park and Hornsby Parklands Master plans

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As with any major outdoor metropolitan development, there are winners, losers and environmental concerns. And mountain bicycling is centre stage...

Field and Wheelchair Sports

The biggest winners are the ball sports and athletics ËĔČČŁčõļõÕĴ ŖñĔ Ë²č ²ÑÑ ²čĔļñÕİ êĔŁİ ĴĭĔİļĴ ţÕĆÑĴ ļĔ the 46 sportsgrounds in Hornsby LGA. Of great value to mobility-impaired athletes will be the two proposed

ĴļİĔ ‹Łİê ţÕĆÑĴ ²Ĵ ËŁİİÕčļĆŘ ļñÕİÕ ²İÕ čĔčÕ õč AĔİčĴÊŘ ƒñõİÕ ²čÑ synthetic surfaces deliver the safest experience for wheelchair ţÕĆÑ ÕŕÕčļ ĭ²İļõËõĭ²čļĴʣ ‹ñ²ļ ²ĴļİĔ ļŁİê ëÕļĴ ñĔļļÕİ ļñ²č ²Ĵĭñ²Ćļ õč ĴŁČČÕİʞ Ĕİ ļñ²ļ ʾÊĆ²Ëă ËİŁČÊʿ ËĔŁĆÑ õčţĆļݲļÕ ļñÕ "Ĕë |ĔŁčÑ Creek Biobank and Berowra National Park next door, has yet to be ĔêêĴÕļ ²ë²õčĴļ ļñÕ ÊÕčÕţļĴʣ ]Ĕ ČĔŁčļ²õč ÊõËŘËĆÕ ļݲõĆĴ ²ĭĭÕ²İ ļĔ have been considered for Adaptive Mountain Bicycling in either plan, or the proposed parks link.

Residents

There is a new extension of Sefton Road planned which may help Čõļõë²ļÕ ²ÑÑõļõĔč²Ć ļݲêţË ²ĆĔčë "ŁêêŘʿĴ ²čÑ ~Ł²İļÕİ ƒÕĴĴõĔčĴ Ĕ²ÑĴʣ

Ĕļñ |²İăĆ²čÑĴ ĭĆ²čĴ õčËĆŁÑÕ ËõİËŁĆ²İ ļݲêţË ²ËËÕĴĴ İĔŁļÕĴ êĔİ ëĔĔÑ ŤĔŖĴʣ Łļ ¥ÕĴļĆÕõëñ İÕĴõÑÕčļĴ ²İÕ ŁčÑÕİĴļ²čѲÊĆŘ ŕÕİŘ ËĔčËÕİčÕÑ about literally hundreds of additional cars passing their quiet suburban front yards. In Westleigh, the privacy of backyards along Kooringal Avenue may be compromised too because ten year old, low impact mountain bicycle trails have been barred within the ‘Critically &čѲčëÕİÕÑ &ËĔĆĔëõË²Ć ĔČČŁčõļŘʿ ʰ && ʱ ÊŁĴñĆ²čÑ õÑÕčļõţÕÑ on the plan. This marginalisation is motivated by nefarious ‘offset credits’ and the intellectually questionable ‘serious and irreversible impacts’ (SAII) conservation narratives- in which bicycling and natural environments are always mutually exclusive. Tedious straight lines of park perimeter fences are neither a satisfactory mountain bicycling or walking experience. Less bias and better trail design is actually what’s critical here as are more people cycling instead of driving for ‘offset credits’ and quiet suburbs.

Bushland Shire or Bushlocked Shire?

Historically, Hornsby Shire is the only council in Greater Sydney ļĔ ñ²ŕÕ ËİÕ²ļÕÑ ² ê²õİĆŘ Ĵõëčõţ˲čļ ê²ËõĆõļŘ êĔİ ČĔŁčļ²õč ÊõËŘËĆõčëʞ namely the tiny 6km sanctioned XC mtb trail network of OMV which contains one of only three pump & jump tracks for all our Hornsby kids and youths.

(No wonder so few of them have responded to the Have Your Says!) Although having the powers to demolish unsanctioned trails, Hornsby Council has been gracious in allowing thousands of mountain bicycle riders and hundreds of dog and bushwalkers to enjoy the small, unsanctioned Westleigh network known as H20. In 2016, Hornsby Council kept the OMV mtb trails network õčļ²Ëļ ²čÑ ĔĭÕč ÑŁİõčë ļñÕ ]ĔİļñËĔččÕŗ įŁ²İİŘ ţĆĆõčë ĭİĔāÕËļ ²čÑ council even added three new short detour sections of trail.

So it is indeed distressing that the development of these two wastelands is İÕŕÕ²Ćõčë ² ËĔčŤõËļ Ĕê õčļÕİÕĴļĴ İÕë²İÑõčë ²čŘ future sanctioned bicycling trails or cycling in the bush here. Sydney mountain bikers have also had to confront an ugly fact; that full time anti-mtb Crusaders have succeeded throughout the last decade, in getting mountain bicycling, the biggest unstructured social outdoor recreation in the world ļĔѲŘʞ ŕõĆõţÕÑ ²čÑ Ê²čõĴñÕÑ êİĔČ č²ļŁİ²Ć environments. Restricted, as is the case in The Bushland Shire, to two tiny ‘bushlocked’ bits of wasteland. And if consultants, newsletters, submissions, petitions and social media posts are to be believed, even bicycling on wastelands containing minute pockets of nature is unacceptable. Mountain bicycling trails in OMV and H20, no matter who or what you believe, are critically endangered.

a) Westleigh Park: (aka H20 network) Over 50% of the unsanctioned, community built and maintained shared singletracks will end up underneath concrete paths for road ËŘËĆõčë ²čÑ ĭÕÑÕĴļİõ²čĴʞ ļñİÕÕ ĴĭĔİļĴ ţÕĆÑĴ ²čÑ ŕ²Ĵļ ĭ²İăõčë ĆĔļĴ for almost 400 cars. Not even a pump track was included in the draft plan! (but it does include a playground to add to the other 119 in Hornsby) Tragically, all the lost trails are the most socially valued, inter-generational ones which little children, beginners, families and our Seniors- simply love to ride! Although surrounded by hectares of council-managed bushlands and another 3884 hectares of it in BVNP, the plan has vague ‘like for like’ replacements for all these lost trails.

b) Hornsby Parklands (aka OMV): The plan doesn’t specify if the ‘green’ routes indicated on the Bicycling Circulation Map are dirt, concrete or adaptive rider friendly. It looks like much of the network is to be left intact- BUT- terms couched within the extensive plan like ‘fragmentation’ ‘passive recreation’ and ‘slowing’ bicycle speeds may be contingency for sanitizing or ‘taming’ existing mtb trails, possible speed monitoring, or poor ŤĔŖ İõÑõčë ÕŗĭÕİõÕčËÕĴ ÊÕ˲ŁĴÕ ŘĔŁ ²İÕ ËĔčĴļ²čļĆŘ ñ²ŕõčë to stop or give way where mtb trails intersect with concrete paths, roads and walking tracks. There are no bicycle access points from the scenic Manor Road ridgeline as once again, it ĴÕÕČĴ ļñ²ļ āŁĴļ ļñÕ ČÕİÕ ĭİÕĴÕčËÕ Ĕê ² ÊõËŘËĆÕ Ë²č ʾĴõëčõţ˲čļĆŘ impact’ and pollute the entire Blue Gum Diatreme Forest Ecological Community. Anti-cycling groups are demanding all mtb trails below Hornsby TAFE be deleted along with proposed trail links to Westleigh and BVNP.

c) INTER-AREA TRAIL LINKS: In regards to Dog Pound Creek, the council-managed ‘Biobank’ area surrounding the Westleigh development, the ante is truly being upped over the much-needed mountain bicycle trails extension link through bushlands between Westleigh Park and Hornsby Parklands. (The alternate route is a

ÑõêţËŁĆļʞ ŁčÑŁĆ²ļõčë ʅăČ İõÑÕ ²ĆĔčë ĴļİÕĴĴêŁĆʞ ÊŁĴŘ İĔ²ÑĴ ĭ²İ²ĆĆÕĆ to the railway line). The Link Map is unclear and just seems to ŁĴÕ ÕŗõĴļõčë ţİÕļݲõĆĴ ŖñõËñ ñ²ŕÕ ÕŗļİÕČÕ ëݲÑõÕčļĴ ²čÑ ²İÕ Ŗ²Ř ļĔĔ ÑõêţËŁĆļ êĔİ ļñÕ ²ŕÕݲëÕ ČĔŁčļ²õč ÊõËŘËĆõĴļ ļĔ İõÑÕʣ ]Ĕ čÕŖ ‘up trails’ or ‘descending trails’ from OMV or H20 are evident. It is unclear where this ‘Biobank’ and other designated ‘Critically &čѲčëÕİÕÑ &ËĔĆĔëõË²Ć ĔČČŁčõļõÕĴʿ ²ËļŁ²ĆĆŘ Ĵļ²İļ ²čÑ ţčõĴñʞ ĴĔ you could be walking or cycling somewhere here and snap off a ĴñİŁÊ õč ŘĔŁİ ê²ËÕ Ĕİ ĴļÕĭ Ĕč ĴĔČÕ ÕčѲčëÕİÕÑ êİĔë ²čÑ ÊÕ ţčÕÑ $330,000 and/or be imprisoned for two years for each item you ‘damage.’ How ironic- humans have evolved on this planet but the Biodiversity Conservation Act critically endangers all communities who love engaging with the earth’s natural environments.

Pay Attention

Because these developments will have a ripple effect on all neighbouring areas- there is no logical reason as to why, considering booming numbers and suburban proximity, there are still no purpose-built mtb trails links to Cherrybrook, Dural, Galston or Pennant Hills through our National Parks, to spread the load on existing trails and areas like the new parklands. Are ÕëõĔč²Ć ]²ļõĔč²Ć |²İăĴ ĭİõŕ²ļÕ ĭİĔĭÕİļŘ ʤ ¥²Ĵ ļñÕ õčļÕčļõĔč ļĔ

ËİÕ²ļÕ ²č õč²ËËÕĴĴõÊĆÕ ČõčÕţÕĆÑ Ĕê Łčê²ļñĔČ²ÊĆÕ õĔʲčăĴ ²čÑ &ËĔĆĔëõË²Ć ĔČČŁčõļõÕĴʞ İÕĴÕİŕÕÑ ĔčĆŘ êĔİ ÕĆõļÕ ëİĔŁĭĴ ʤ cŁļѲļÕÑ Plans of Management extolling virtuous passive activities mandate recreational visitors should be window shopping house cats. Predictably, Mountain bicyclists are either barred from entry or Ć²şõĆŘ Ë²Ĵļ ²ĴõÑÕ ĔčļĔ ÑÕ²Ñ ÕčÑ ţİÕ ļݲõĆĴʣ

Closer to home, you should be concerned about the profusion of elegantly crafted art exhibitions of strategically placed anticycling signs. Verging on hysteria at the mere presence of mountain bicyclists, you can now marvel at these menacing works of art at every trail head throughout the Dog Pound Creek ‘Biobank’ area, Galston Recreation Reserve and at many other frequented suburban access points at a park or reserve near you.

It is astonishing that no mention is made in plans, assesments and meetings regarding the impacts of existing bushwalking activities taking place within these ‘bushlocked’ natural environments. ¥ñŘʤ Õ˲ŁĴÕ ļñõĴ İÕËİÕ²ļõĔč²Ć ²ËļõŕõļŘ õĴ Ĵ²ËİĔĴ²čËļʴ ë²ļÕăÕÕĭõčë activists and ideologues have the time, money and leisure to bushwalk rather a lot it seems. But they don’t care much for grooming and maintaining their hundreds of kilometers of exclusively reserved walking trails, as mountain bikers do in places where they actually have legal, purpose-built trails to permanently care for. It’s abundantly clear for all to see that our shambolic walking track networks are outdated, degraded, inadequate and a disgrace to the city of Sydney. Sydney’s Illegal trails are kept in a better condition than Sydney’s legal trails.

Surely addressing human inequalities- like how we choose to move through the bush here- is a precondition and core value for ÕčŕõİĔčČÕčļ²Ć ĭİĔļÕËļõĔčʤ

We are now experiencing the consequences of indulgence in years of petty misanthropy. Division, discrimination and legally endorsed lockdowns threaten every metropolitan bushland where you and I go to seek solace on a horse, a bicycle, with our dogs or shod with a humble pair of boots. If we don’t pay attention to what is happening outside, there will continue to be people on the inside, who really don’t care about us or the environments we live and recreate in.