Enough is enough...

Since I moved to Adelaide and got in to riding on a regular basis, I've done my best to stick to the legal trails we have around the State.

Early on, I wasn't always sure what the deal was with some and whether I was "allowed" to be there or not, but I made efforts to find out and stayed away if I wasn't.

I've written letters to Ministers, shadow Ministers and Depts, signed petitions, joined mass rides, helped with trail work to improve the trails we do have access to, as well as close down ones that have been unauthorised.

I've shown others around the trails I know about in the Adelaide Hills, riding only what is legitimate and avoided the ones that are not.

However, enough is enough.

DENR have been forced to delay all trail plans for all parks and go to the greatest lengths possible to "prove" the legitamacy of allowing bikes into OUR parks, because of a vociferous few walkers, with selfish personal interests, who seem to think that a bit of weed pulling in a few parks on occassion gives them ownership of the entire park system. Wishful bloody thinking, folks. I've pulled weeds too, but I'm stopping you going for a walk, am I?

Forestry, it has just been announced, are about to have sections of their land sold off by the State Govt. What exactly does this mean for Fox, Prospect Hill, Gate 19, etc? So long to the ideas of trails within Wirrabara and Bundaleer. And it's been a while since Mt Gambier saw DH raced there, but even if those blocks stay, you can bet access is gonna be reduced as all the harvesting focuses upon smaller areas.

SA Water... don't even get me started! These guys have areas of land that sits and does nothing, yet we can't get in there whether by foot, bike or hoof. In fact, some of these areas could probably do with being looked after with regards to weeds and pests, but no-one knows, because no-one is there to see it!

It's just getting ridiculous as to who can go where, how they can do so, and who says whether or not it is ok. Pioneer Womens Trail for example, has no bike signs along it, when there is no bye-law to prevent them and in fact the trail is built within a road reserve that could theoretically be bulldozed and then covered in bitumen in order to drive up!!!

No, Enough is enough; From now on, I'm riding on whatever trail I want to. I'm going to continue to call for trails to be opened for shared use where it makes sense; I'm not going to go cutting in trail wherever I feel like it; If a trail plan released by the land owner is suggesting it could be suitable for shared use, I'm gonna start sharing it - these guys actually do research before suggestign such things; I'm not gonna go around expecting all walkers to get out of my way and ploughing them down if they don't. I am going stay on the trail and not impact on our environment; I'm not gonna expect the same few, selfish walkers to suddenly give in.

Enough is enough. I want to ride. I like to ride. I enjoy it. I will do it.