Groenkloof getting busy

[River Rat]

It was great to see how busy Groenkloof was yesterday, full of the joys of spring!

 

What is concerning me with the increase in volume is the fact that cycling and trail running are starting to compete for the same space. Last weekend I asked a group of cyclists on a hiking trail to please stick to the bike trails, they said they weren't aware that they were in the wrong. I don't buy it, after all there are signs indicating no entry for MT Bikeses. All you have to do is read and obey, not difficult, if you have an ounce of intelligence.

 

This week there were two guys running up a fairly fast section of single track. We were busy repairing a puncture off track at the time and watched as they were nearly wiped out by 4 bikes coming at speed. It was mayhem the runners to their credit tried to jump off the track and the bikes went off the track on the opposite direction nearly taking use out.

 

I tried to reason with the runners that they should not be on the bike trails and their response was that there are no rules preventing them and that bikes were also using the hiking trails which is true. But this looks like a disaster in the making and I am appealing to all users of Groenkloof to exercise a little discipline and common sense - stay on the correct trail and in the right direction ( Groenkloof is generally clockwise). To the last point I know that there is a sort of unwritten rule that it is acceptable to go down the trail in the opposite direction if it is a jeep track, this would normally be okay but when we have a full day like yesterday this is not too smart.

 

Groenkloof works because there is general sense of order but that is not only the council's duty to keep it like that but ours as well.