September 12, 2012

Gorge project partners want to hear from mountain bikers

The Manawatu Mountain Bike Club, along with Horizons Regional Council, the Department of Conservation and other Manawatu Gorge Biodiversity Partners want to hear your views on how the proposed Manawatu Gorge mountain bike trail should look.

To date over 440 responses have been collated in an online survey created by the Manawatu Mountain Bike Club, representing over 10,000 user visits. The purpose of the survey is to gain an understanding of who may use the trail, how often, and their preferences on how the trail should look. Plus survey respondents can indicate whether they would consider helping with sponsorship or funding of the project as any donations would be welcomed by the project group partners.

“We are thrilled with the response to date as it is a good indication of how many people would make the most of this type of recreational facility”, says Bill Russell of the Manawatu Mountain Bike Club.

“Mountain biking is a growing sport and it would be great to capture some constructive feedback from our community to make sure we build a trail that suits their needs”.

The survey is the next stage in a project driven by the Manawatu Gorge Biodiversity Partners that has been on-going for the past three years. Closing on September 30th, the survey can be completed via the Manawatu Mountain Bike website www.mmbc.co.nz giving mountain bikers and other recreational users plenty of time to have their say.

The proposed mountain bike trail route would be south of the existing walking track, climbing from Fitzherbert East Road, Ashhurst to Gorge Road, Woodville, and will also be available to walkers and runners who wish to take on an average gradient of around 5% over the 19km length.

“This proposed trail has been years in the making and by gaining the community’s input, we are one step closer to seeing it come to fruition”, says Horizons environmental management officer Neil Mickleson.

It is estimated there are 8,000 – 10,000 mountain bikers in the Manawatu Region, with approximately 450 mountain bike club members. This means there is great potential for the trail to be well utilised once it has been built.

Maps and diagrams of the proposed trail can also be viewed at www.mmbc.co.nz and the Manawatu Mountain Bike club welcomes your feedback.

ENDS

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