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Workshop 1: Mountain biking
Paul Hawkins
•Sustrans Area Manager (Devon, England)•Former Forestry Commission, 1 South West
• Constructed 100km of Adventurous Cycle (MTB) Trails since 2010. Mainly blue grade, some red. Skills and pump tracks.
• 3.5M miles ridden on these trails.
• Public (FC, BCC) and Charitable Trust Ownership (NT, SWLT)
Structure of Event:
20 mins Presentation on Managing Risk in MTB Trail Centres
5 mins Identify key question / discussion themes to maximise usefulness
20 mins Discussion and answering questions
Who is here?:
1.Existing MTB site operators / managers / rangers / owners
2.Potential developers of a new MTB site
3.Health and Safety Officers
4.MTB trail related businesses / promoters
Perceptions of Risk:
Example 2: Car travel. Most people have had a car accident. First assumption is driver error i.e. knock for knock.
Reality: •No claims against us in 3.5M miles, 12 sites. This is not complacency.
•FC England has successfully contested any MTB claims in Paddy’s 13 years.
Example 1: Outdoor centre. Rock climbing vs Horse riding. Can you guarantee children's safety?
Perceptions of Users (of themselves?):
The image: The reality:
In a Nutshell:
1) Have a clear aim. ‘Paint a picture’. Stick to it.
4) Trail Design. Competency. Query.
5) Trail Construction. Competency. CDM regs. Query.
2) Management Plan from outset.
3) Use existing best practice, consistently.
6) Inspect, Record and Review.
Proven industry good practice is already available and in use in N.I.
Aim - What are you trying to achieve?
•Why are you considering MTB trails? Income. Health. Image change.
•Who is the target audience?Families. Novices. Enthusiasts. Thrill-seekers.
•Where are you based?Close to urban: lots of ‘general’ users
lots of people to stumble upon your trails
Remote: need to draw people inbetter informed visitors
Management Plan:
1) Map based discussions and plans. From concept onwards. Involve foresters, rec. staff etc. This is the start of your audit trail.
2) Look at emergency access plan and staff resource NOW. Will affect trail design brief. Involve emergency services.
3) Future staff resource. What is reasonable to ask of them? Staff inspecting need to be trained (1 day). Volunteers rarely replace staff role.
4) Realistic future maintenance budget?
Share ownership of this from the start.
Trail Design and Construction:
No industry qualification in trail design. Therefore check competency i.e. C.V. and references.
Needs to comply with CDM regulations.
Trail Section Design Sheets.
NOT a black-art. Involve staff. Query everything.
Specs in IMBA and Coillte Trail Design and Construction are not sufficient for a Bill of Quantities.
Your greatest liability is to ‘other’ responsible users of the site.
Audit trail:1) Realistic inspection frequency from the outset. REVIEW.
Do not fail to meet your own frequency.
2) Signage. Trail surface. Structure conditions. Desire lines.
3) Record the urgency of works required, and when these are rectified.
4) Ensure those inspecting are trained (CTC). Swap staff around.
5) Use technology i.e. camera & video. Ensure well filed.
6) Managers sit down periodically with staff to look at files, and identify any trends (black-spots?). REVIEW.
7) Process for post-accident, post-storms and post-ops.
Claims:
Have you been REASONABLE? Do not settle.
Provide evidence that a process is in place, reviewed, and has been followed.
Paddy Harrop can discuss cases in a minute.
Competent people employed at every stage.
The big WHY?:
Best thing they have done professionally
Apathy. If countryside recreation doesn’t keep pace with social trends… future relevance?
Obesity. Sofa culture. MTB brings genuine NEW people out into the countryside.
