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Chapman River Regional Park Mountain Bike Trails Project

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Are the construction works being undertaken by local contractors?

Common Ground Trails, who specialises in the development and construction of mountain bike facilities, were awarded the contract to build the tracks and trails.  Their team of specialist builders have the knowledge and skills required to shape berms and other trail features to meet design requirements. However, local suppliers will be providing the asphalt and much of the other materials needed to construct the trails.

2. How will pedestrian safety be assured on the shared path located in the vicinity of the pump and jump track?

A safety design report with be produced by the project consultants specifically addressing infrastructure requirements to allow the safe movement of the public within the park. This will be reviewed and inform the City’s project risk register for the project. Risk mitigation measures are likely to include barriers such as bollards, rocks or fencing.

3. Why were the areas along the river and in the trees selected for the pump & jump track and skills track?

The areas for the pump & jump and skills tracks were chosen as they are already clear of vegetation or are significantly degraded.  Therefore, construction of tracks and facilities in these areas will enhance and improve both the park and the user experience.

4. Why isn’t the grassed area between the playground and the Miniature Railway being used for tracks?

Tracks are not being built along this grassy incline as it is a popular place for children to play and for parents to view both the railway and the playground.

5. Does the design include ways to mitigate motorbike access to the tracks in Spalding Park?

The methods used to deter or prevent motorbike access to public facilities would also prevent cyclist access as well.  However, well-frequented areas tend to experience less illegal activity due to the increased utilisation.  The additional mountain bike facilities at the already popular Spalding Park will increase the amount of people who visit the area on a daily basis, which in turn, will help deter illegal and/or antisocial behaviour in the area.

6. Is lighting for the tracks in Spalding Park included in the plan?

The facilities are currently being built for daytime use only so flood lighting of the tracks in Spalding Park are not included in the plan. However, should a demand for night time use of the facilities develop the City may investigate the option of lighting which would need to take into consideration adjacent residential housing that may be impacted.

7. How will people be able to cycle to the new facilities from the north, south, east and west?

Spalding Park is accessible from the southern suburbs of Geraldton through a series of coastal paths and footpaths along Crowtherton Street and Chapman Road.  Community members who live north of the river can access Spalding Park via the Chapman Road footpath. Those who live north of the River and on the east side of the NWCH can access the Park by crossing the Highway at the Chapman Valley Road roundabout and following the shared path that runs along the west side of the highway to the Chapman River footbridge. Those living south of the river can use the NWCH underbridge or Hosken Street crossing.

8. Does this project interconnect with the ‘draft cycling strategy’?

The draft Regional Cycle Plan sets out a blueprint for connecting, enhancing and extending the region’s cycling network through the development of an interconnected network of shared paths and trails, protected on-road bike lanes and low stress residential streets.  The plan includes opportunities for long distance unsealed trails that cater for a variety of users including bushwalkers, horse riders and cyclists and are often attractive to cycle tourists.  Long distant trails are often constructed along rivers and firebreaks through vegetated areas. As such, the 11km long CRRP loop trail aligns with the draft Regional Cycle Plan.

9. Will the project incorporate any recycled plastic materials in the construction of the pump & jump track or post and rail fencing similar to the product used at Separation Point carparks?

The City always looks at opportunities to use recycled products in projects. Examples could include the use of recycled plastic products such bollards, fences, boarding and panels in the various mountain bike pump, jump, skills and trail headers and signage elements.

10. Will the Chapman River Regional Park (CRRP) loop trail be natural/hand built or machine built?

Formalisation of the existing 11km long CRRP loop trail along the river will be built by hand with the assistance of small machinery to lift heavy natural materials such as logs and rocks into place.

11. Will there be jumps, tabletops, etc… around the loop trail?

The CRRP loop trail is currently in the early design stage and elements it will incorporate are yet to be determined. If possible, technical elements will be incorporated into the trail design. However, to achieve these technical elements the loop trial may need to be made one-way.

12. Is there a stipulation in the Environmental Impact Statement that would allow trail maintenance and allow the spur trails to stay open?

The Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) was undertaken for the adopted 11km CRRP loop trail alignment.  This was to ensure that the alignment was environmentally sustainable and adhered to the International Mountain Bike Association and Western Australia Mountain Bike Management guidelines. According to the EIS, the spur trails are not sustainable and are negatively impacting environmentally sensitive areas in the park and therefore will be closed and rehabilitated.

13. Is there a possibility to extend the CRRP loop trail to make it at least 15kms long to make up for the loss of technically challenging spur trails and the potential one way only traffic?

Not at this stage. However, when residential land development occurs to the east of the current endorsed loop trail, recreation reserves will be established and vested to the City. When this occurs, the City could investigate extending the CRRP loop trail.

14. Will users of the CRRP loop trail be consulted on the final route?

The community has already been consulted on the final route of the CRRP loop trail. Over the past four years, the City has engaged with park users, user groups and key stakeholders in the development of the Chapman River Regional Park Master Plan, which included the route of the 11km long CRRP loop trail.  In September 2016, the then Draft Master Plan underwent a three-week public comment period which was widely promoted in the media (traditional and social) and on the City website. The comment period provided all community members the opportunity to review and submit their feedback on the proposed tracks in Spalding Park, the final route of the CRRP loop trail and the closure of spur trails stemming from the loop trail. In November 2016, Council endorsed the plan.

15. How often will the pump & jump track and skills track be maintained?

An inspection and maintenance plan will be developed for the pump, jump and skills track as part of the project.

16. How often are bitumen cycle paths through Spalding Park checked?

The City conducts visual inspections of all paths in Spalding Park whilst undertaking regularly scheduled garden maintenance works. However, the City also relies on members of the community to report issues that could affect the safety and wellbeing of users when they arise so they can be attended to as quickly as possible. Reports can be submitted using the Snap Send Solve mobile phone app or be emailing the City on council@cgg.wa.gov.au

17. Should the Miniature Railway extend their tracks into Spalding Park, how will the crossing of the tracks with the shared pathway be made safe?

Should the Batavia Coast Miniature Railway Society decide to extend their railway circuit into the Park their designs will have to include a controlled train crossing at the shared path to ensure the safety of pedestrians, cyclists and train users. The City will work closely with the group during the planning stages of the railway circuit extension to ensure designs meet safety standards.

18. Are cross-country runners/walkers invited to use the loop trail?

The Chapman River Regional Park is a shared recreational area and the 11km long CRRP loop trail in its entirety will be dual use. There will be sections that walkers can access (such as the Chapman Steps) that may not be suitable for bikes. These sections will be waymarked to allow cross country runners and walkers to make an informed decision on the route they wish to take.  The trail header will include information for walkers/runners/cyclists and horse riders on trail etiquette and behaviour guidelines for the shared use spaces.

19. When will the tracks in Spalding Park and the loop trail be completed so tourism can be encouraged?

Construction of the pump & jump trails, skills trail and formalisation of the 11km long CRRP loop trail will be completed by 30 June 2018. Once completed, an official opening of the facilities will take place, in which State Government dignitaries and funding bodies will be invited to attend.  Although the media generally attends these events, the City will also issue a media release/social media posts on completion of the project to inform a broader audience. The new mountain bike facilities will then be added to the City’s ongoing promotion of the Geraldton city region as a tourist destination of choice.

20 How has future flooding risks for the proposed location of pump and jump tracks in Spalding Park been considered in the plan?

The pump a track is not considered permanent infrastructure and therefore can be built in an area that could be subject to flooding or inundation. A cost benefit analysis was conducted on the site and the benefit of providing the community with the track, which has important social and health outcomes, outweighs potentials cost to repair the facility should it be damaged by flooding.

21. At the info session there was disbelief and opposition from many attendees at the desire to turn the track into a one way track compared to it being a dual direction track at the moment.  As these high interest stakeholders could undertake significant resistance and opposition to the plan, which would derail the remainder of the project, how does the City plan to address their concerns? Will there be a meeting to discuss the one way versus dual use of the loop trail?

Since the Community Information Session, the City has consulted with the Geraldton Mountain Bike Club on the issue of a one-way versus two-way loop trail.  Based on advice received from the Club in support of maintaining two-way traffic on the loop trail and strong community sentiment expressed during the Community Information Session, the decision has been made to for the loop trail to be constructed for two-way traffic.

22. Will the Council promise that after the river loop has been completed there will be a minimum 11 km track around the river for use by mountain bikers as the track has been shortened several times during this planning process?

The loop trail is currently 11kms in length and the formalisation of the trail will not shorten its length. 

23. What is the plan for the section of the trail that is in the City’s endorsed plan that is west of the bridge, known as the ‘green segment’?  Is the City aware that sections of this green segment trail run entirely through private property? Why has the City not consulted the property owners of these segments on the proposed trail during or after the consultation process?

This matter was raised by property owners during the public comment period prior to the presentation of the Mountain Bike Master Plan to Council for endorsement in November 2016.  Attachment 'C' accompanying the Council Agenda item identifies that the beach trail will be aligned along existing trails on the northern bank of the Chapman River, which lies wholly within Crown Land vested in the City for the purposes of public recreation.

24. Flora on significant sections of the current path on the southwest side of Chapman Road are being destroyed by youths climbing trees and breaking live branches off the trees to jump into the river. Repeated trampling activity at the base of the trees has destroyed all foreshore flora. What government authority has the responsibility to police illegal behaviours like trail bikes and other illegal activities that occur on the proposed trail and in the park and how can residents have confidence that illegal and antisocial behaviour such as motorbikes on the trail will be policed?

The trail lies on a mixture of Crown Land and Crown Land vested in the City as a City reserve. The City’s Local Laws and signage restrict access to the City reserves to authorised vehicles only.  The City’s Ranger Services Team, WA Police officers and officers from the both the Department of Planning, Lands and Heritage and the Department of Transport have the power to issue infringement notices under the City’s Local Laws and/or the Off-Road Vehicles Act.

The City allocates an annual budget to the maintenance and upkeep of the Chapman River Regional Park. The City will channel some of this annual budget in the 2018/19 financial year towards stabilisation, revegetation, and preservation of the river bank in this section of the Park. The City’s Ranger Services Team have the ability to install covert cameras to monitor and identify perpetrators of damage and vandalism.

25. Given the reality that there is already illegal motorbike activity in the area does the City plan to install CCTV cameras at the Spalding Park facilities to monitor, deter and police illegal motorbike activities and anti-social behaviour?

The project scope does not include the installation of CCTV cameras to monitor Spalding Park.  However, should there be an increase in anti-social and illegal motorbike activities in the area resulting from the installation of mountain bike facilities, the City may investigate the feasibility of installing CCTV cameras within the area.