(Submission 34) Relating to Effects on Mountain Biking
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
In relation to: Board of Inquiry Transmission Gully Plan Change Statements of evidence of Kevin Gywnn for Mana Cycle Group (submission 34) Relating to effects on mountain biking 1. My full name is Kevin Walter Gywnn. 2. My qualifications and related experience are: 2.1. I hold a Bachelor of Engineering from Auckland University 2.2. I have been an active mountain biker for 10 Years. In this time I have biked widely in the Wellington Region and have excellent knowledge of the regional track network, specifically the Mana region 2.3. I have biked regularly in the areas detailed in this report 2.4. I have knowledge of the range of mountain biking infrastructure that is currently available, as well as the ongoing work to develop standards for current and future development of the sport. 2.5. I am an active member of the Port Nicholson Poneke Cycling Club (PNP). I have been involved in the drafting of submissions and proposals around biking infrastructure, and cycling promotion, both onroad and offroad. 2.6. I am connected to a recently formed mountain bike umbrella group which is coordinating future mountain biking track development in the Wellington Region. 2.7. I am cognisant of the best practice guidelines in relation to track design and am able to access specialist knowledge in regard to this. 3. I have read the Code of Conduct for Expert Witnesses (March 2011) as contained in the Environment Court Consolidated Practice Note (2006), and I agree to comply with it. 1 SCOPE OF EVIDENCE 4. I have been asked to cover the effect that the Transmission Gully Motorway (TGM) and its construction would be likely to have on current and future Mountain Biking recreational opportunities and experiences in the affected area. I have also been asked to propose possible mitigation works that would minimise those effects. 5. I was asked to look specifically at the following sections of the route as presented on the plans provided by the applicants: Cannons Creek, section 8 - access into Belmont Regional Park Battle Hill, section 4 – access into Battle Hill Park REFERENCE DOCUMENTS 6. Background documents that were referred to me by the Mana Cycle Group and that I considered in preparing this evidence are: TGM technical report – 23- part 1 and 2 Amended drawings (Appendix 1) Belmont Regional Park Sustainable Land Use Plan (2011) Battle Hill Farm Forest Park Management Plan (2009) BACKGROUND ON MOUNTAIN BIKING 7. Mountain Biking is a rapidly growing sport in New Zealand and the numbers of people actively engaged has increased substantially over the last decade. The New Zealand Cycleway Market Research Report (2009) estimated that there were 202,000 adult mountain bikers in 2008 (pg 15), rising to 220,000 with children included. 8. The development of mountain biking opportunities has increased exponentially over this period. Opportunities include increasing access to conservation areas and regional parks, as well as the construction of purpose built tracks. 9. Wellington has been a centre for track development. This has been driven in large part by grassroots mountain biking groups such as, Makara Peak Mountain Bike 2 Park (supporters group), Wainuiomata Mountain Bike Park (supporters group) and Belmont Area Mountain Bike Association (BAMBA). 10. In the last decade it is estimated that 70 km of track have been developed in the Wellington Region by volunteer groups (Simon Kennett, Active Transport and Road Safety Coordinator, GRWC, pers comm, 2011) 11. Development of mountain biking infrastructure is showing no sign of slowing with new groups opening up sites across the region in conjunction with Regional and Local Councils. New areas include Polhill and Miramar Peninsula. 12. Future opportunities are largely restricted to council and crown land, as these areas are both large enough to accommodate track development as well as having management plans that support recreational development. 13. As a general rule, mountain biking facilities should be separated from those used by other users (walkers, horses), unless the tracks are wide or bike numbers low. POTENTIAL FORMS OF IMPACT ON MOUNTAIN BIKING 14. TGM will affect mountain biking through: 14.1. restricting access to the affected regional parks 14.2. restricting future mountain bike track development opportunities within the catchments occupied by the new road 14.3. diminishing the mountain biking „experience‟ in the areas the road affects, during construction works and/or as a result of road operation CANNONS CREEK, SECTION 8 - BELMONT REGIONAL PARK (BRP) SEVERANCE IMPACTS: Current 15. here are currently four access tracks into BRP impacted by the Cannons Creek section of TGM. The motorway will sever all four routes. Two of the four tracks share a single entry point through the Cannons Creek ponds (Warspite Ave). These tracks are shown on pg 133 of technical report 23. A third track was omitted in the technical report drawings but has been acknowledged and partly 3 accounted for on subsequent drawings1 (Appendix 1). This farm track starts on Warspite Ave and effectively links the Bothamley Park shared cycle path, through to Porirua City, with BRP. The track winds up, and east, through the Park to join the Duck Creek Track where it junctions with the Cannons Head Track. This track is the route used in the Porirua Grand Traverse multi-sport event each year and is a common exit point for local riders. The fourth track is the Duck Creek Track starting from Takapu Rd. 16. All four tracks will be severed by TGM and ongoing access will require re-routing under Bridge 19 and 20. This will involve substantial detours for three of the four tracks from their current route. 17. I agree with the Belmont Regional Park Sustainable Land Management Plan statement as follows, “……Transmission Gully Motorway crosses Cannons Creek and then runs the length of Duck Creek. If built this would have profound impacts on the Duck Creek catchment and create significant severance between eastern Porirua and the park” (pg 26, italics added). SEVERANCE IMPACTS: Future 18. As noted earlier, mountain biking track development is expanding rapidly with the support of Regional and Local Council. In Belmont Regional Park there has been extensive development in the east by the Belmont Area Mountain Bike Association (BAMBA). It is likely that future development in the western area would link with this network. 19. Little track development has occurred on the western side, partly due to extensive track development elsewhere and partly due to a lack of coordination. The Mana Cycle Group formed in late 2009. The group is developing proposals for track development in the Mana area. It is my opinion, because of the people involved and the direction of the group, that there is a strong likelihood their plans will be successful. 20. Track development and recreational access is in line with the BRP Sustainable Land Management Plan (2011) which classifies the western area of the Park as „Peri-Urban Integration‟ zone. It recommends some retiring of grazing land, and 1 While the drawing says „request for a new track‟ this reference is to a request to re-establish an old track that has overgrown in gorse, and not to the track that is currently used local mountain bikers and by the Porirua Grand Traverse. They do share the same starting point however 4 sets out, for management purposes, a number of 'best uses' for this zone. These include the following: “Integrated easy access recreation, biodiversity and stock rearing / trading operation” (pg 29) 21. Experience shows that retiring grazing land is a key development in making an area more attractive and accessible for mountain bike track development. This area is in close proximity to a large community and has a feeder track (Bothamley Park) through to a major metropolitan area, Porirua City. My opinion, therefore, is that the area would be a prime location for future mountain bike track development. 22. My examination of the maps indicates that TGM would greatly restrict further integrated track development in this area of the park by limiting access through to the wider Park to three pinch points, namely bridges 18, 19 and 20. Any future development would have to detour back and under these bridges thereby compromising the integrity of the „line‟. Track development tends to work with the underlying landform feature (ridge, spur, gully) and this would be compromised in this area, as TGM effectively severs the continuity of these features. Hence development opportunities would be reduced AMENITY IMPACTS 23. Central to the mountain biking experience is the sense of wilderness, being out in open spaces and away from noise, pollution and visually modified environments. Mountain biking fundamentally takes place in environments that are essentially natural, whose visual appeal is the lack of buildings and tarmac. 24. My view is that TGM will negatively impact on the mountain biking experience through its associated effects on amenity and landscape values. The impact will be substantial, and the various mitigation actions proposed, will have little effect on these negative outcomes. 25. The BRP Sustainable Land Management Plan recognises the landscape values inherent in this area of the park noting the area is an; “Important open space backdrop to Cannons Ck, Waitangirua” (pg 29). 26. In my view, these open space values will be compromised and the level of effect will increase the higher you climb into the Park. 5 27. The visual impact on Park users will be substantial. The motorway will be visually dominant in this area of the Park and irreparably alter user's experience. For example, Bridge 20, under which some of the current tracks will have to pass is a significantly large structure relative to the surrounding landscape.