BQ’s response to BCC’s Draft Strategy on Off-Road Cycling

Bicycle Queensland supports Brisbane City Council’s draft strategy on Off-Road Cycling. You can read our response to the draft strategy here.

Brisbane-based BQ members, we welcome your support for the draft strategy too. We encourage you to contact your local BCC councillor to express your support for more sustainable mountain bike trails in Brisbane. 

Here are some key points you might like to make into your local Brisbane City councillor:

• Bicycle Queensland endorses the draft strategy’s guiding principles of sustainability, diversity, diligent planning, collaboration, accessibility, optimal use of facilities, safety and mitigating risk, and education and engagement (p7). 
• We affirm the need for environmental preservation (p8), community stewardship (p10), and supporting businesses (p12). 
• We strongly support Brisbane City Council opening up more forest reserves to sustainable mountain bike trails and closing unauthorised unsustainable trails. 
• We support the development of local trails for local people. Bicycle Queensland is especially concerned with the lack of off-road opportunities for younger riders within Brisbane City Council’s boundaries. 
• We support well-designed, sustainable mountain biking trail networks being built in Toohey Forest, Glider Forest, Karawatha Forest, Brisbane Koala Bushlands, Bacton Rd Reserve, Whites Hill, Keperra Bushland, Gold Creek Reserve, Kholo Bushlands, Changing Mountain and Dandys Reserve and Shelley Road Park (as identified in the draft as opportunities for consideration in the short and long term, pp15-23). 
• The main focus of the strategy should be providing sustainable well-designed trails for mountain biking in Brisbane forest reserves. A secondary focus is allowing bike access to existing fire maintenance trails within reserves. Other off-road cycling uses such as skills parks, pump tracks and cyclocross venues are a lower priority in our view. 
• Brisbane needs more green space, and we encourage BCC to invest in land for rehabilitation and recreation.

This draft strategy gives a way forward for developing MTB trails in Brisbane. Mountain bikers have been waiting for many years for this step forward. Let’s encourage our elected representatives to make this vision a reality!