Mountain bikers warn ACT risks being left behind

Members of the mountain biking community have flagged the ACT risks losing its reputation as one of Australia's best downhill destinations if pace doesn't pick up.

Rowan Cumming, owner of Handlebar Cafe, said Tasmania and Bright are leading the charge, and Canberra had significant catching up to do.

Mr Cumming said investment in trail maintenance is minimal and the feedback from customers is that more needed to be done.

He said a lot of noise was once made about the ACT becoming a world-class destination, however, limited progress on connecting parks to accommodation and food services meant it was losing its tourism appeal.

City Services Minister Chris Steel said ACT Labor had committed $1.2 million to build the Stromlo to Cotter trail in this term and were working to deliver it as promised.

"Stromlo Forest Park is used by a variety of different groups and the government has been getting on with implementing the master plan for the park including by building the Stromlo Leisure Centre, and delivering the Stromlo playing fields and car parking facility projects," he said.

"Despite the significant investment in these master planned projects we understand that the mountain biking community would like to see further investments in trails at Stromlo Forest Park."

The government agreed on Thursday to develop a new trails master plan, "to guide the development of new and upgraded mountain biking trails at Stromlo over the next five years".

"The trails master plan for Stromlo Forest Park will be developed with the mountain biking community by the middle of next year and will set the vision for growing the number and diversity of trails at Stromlo to ensure that it continues to challenge and attract mountain bikers from around Australia," Mr Steel said.

Greens MLA Jo Clay has pushed hard for greater commitment to the sport, reported to bring in $30 million from visitors each year.

She said ACT government's promise this week to prioritise and plan trails at Stromlo was a win, as was the streamlining of feedback procedures.

"We also got commitment for better consultation with mountain bikers, a broader consultation group and a single point of contact for the community, which will really help," Ms Clay said.

A plan to develop the gravel carpark at Stromlo has also received blow back from some trail users, who claim the money would be better directed elsewhere.

Another point of contention has been switching to paid parking, particularly when accessibility to the park without a car remained limited.

READ ALSO:

While Minister Steel told the Legislative Assembly this week the government had not made a decision on parking, he indicated fees would likely be reinvested in Stromlo.

Alan Vogt, Kowalski Brothers volunteer trail coordinator, has called the car park upgrade an ill-conceived revenue raiser.

"The single most important issue to address is the chronic underfunding of trail maintenance and lack of new trail infrastructure," he said.

We've made it a whole lot easier for you to have your say. Our new comment platform requires only one log-in to access articles and to join the discussion on The Canberra Times website. Find out how to register so you can enjoy civil, friendly and engaging discussions. See our moderation policy here.