Meerendal Membership

[Tribar]

Al wat ek kan se: Ek het reeds heelwat van my geldtjies spandeer by Meerendal se Restaurante, nou kan hulle loop ..k Jammer maar so kan mens nie aangaan nie. Gierigheid is n vieslike ding. Ek sit my voete nie weer daar na my lidmaatskap klaar is nie.

 

Kom ons kyk wat is die reaksie van 2000 lede van TBMC en hul uitgebreide famielies, dan kan ons sien of hierdie kortsigtige besluit ekonomiese sin maak. Jinne dit maak mens kwaad. 

[Guest Smimby]

Al wat ek kan se: Ek het reeds heelwat van my geldtjies spandeer by Meerendal se Restaurante, nou kan hulle loop ..k Jammer maar so kan mens nie aangaan nie. Gierigheid is n vieslike ding. Ek sit my voete nie weer daar na my lidmaatskap klaar is nie.

 

Kom ons kyk wat is die reaksie van 2000 lede van TBMC en hul uitgebreide famielies, dan kan ons sien of hierdie kortsigtige besluit ekonomiese sin maak. Jinne dit maak mens kwaad. 

This "news" about the multisport club is more than a year old....

 

Wonder why it only comes to light now! 

 

Wonder how much money was spend on the MDAL trails by TBMTBC for the Epic...........well check who is now the contact person for MDAL multisport and see what involvement they had with MDAL / TBMTBC last year.........

 

MDAL will not see a sent from me.......

[MTBeer]

with all the bitching on this thread about TBMC trails hopefully I can look forward to even quieter trails to enjoy with my mates on our regular weekend rides.

 

Never really rode Meerendal anyway so don't give a continental what they do.

[BLACKvoodoo]

Trail running and Mountainbiking ...Um.. I think they're missing a discipline.

Does not a Multi-sport club make.

[KarlvN]

I just find it very amusing that Meerendal management are not speaking out to clear the confusion, or does all this speculation actually mean something...waar daar rook is....

[tygerbergmtb]

sorry to wake up a bit late on this thread but here's some insight where possible:

Ag nee swak man!!!!!!

 

first we get pushed out of Majik (there goes my quick morning ride - 19km) so I had to revert to going further down the road to Meerendal for my morning trip - 40km. Now that seems to be in the balance.

 

Dang, those were the two trails I could easily get to without getting on some serious tarred roads.

 

I suppose Hillcrest and Bloemendal will be visited more frequently, and also my spending on restaurants. I like to eat on the farms where I am allowed to cycle.

Majik is a sore point and we've been fighting really hard (and making ourselves increasingly unpopular with local residents and the ward councillor) in order to try to get a solution to this. We're meeting again tomorrow morning and are also working on alternatives.

 

I am reviewing my membership as a whole in any event. It seems like fees just keeps going up, Every year the new committee go into a new direction (no continuity from one year to the next) and there are just too many issues with negotiating land access to give us any assurances in future. Trails that was invested in and since withdrew are: 

- Kliprug

- Majick Forest

- Green Corridor from Contermans to Hoogekraal

- Meerendal 

- Meerendal corridor (was closed for a period) 

 

I wonder how much was spent on trails that is no longer part of the trail network. Simply opening up a new trail every time is not going to be sustainable in the long run as the main cost is to establish a new trail. With a good maintenance program trail maintenance should not exceed more than 10% of the build cost. 

 

I've been a member since 2008, but think that 2014 was my last year as a member.

 

I will miss the quick hop onto the trails during my morning commute from Table View to work, but think that a move to Botlary Hills and renewal of my Jonkershoek annual permit would be the way forward. 

 

I guess I will do a lekker long loop at the end of Jan when my 2014 membership expires from Hillcrest, over to contermans, over to Hoogekraal and back home one last time. 

We know you take a bit of a cynical viewpoint when something goes awry. Sadly, almost every loss you have listed can be "blamed" on both the growth of mountain biking and the obnoxious attitude by many of recent additions to the sport. We met with 2 landowners in the last 2 weeks and within the first minute of talking they refer to altercations with mountain bikers which left a bad taste in their mouths. This has eroded the sense of good will and this ends up costing us all money (and trails such as kliprug). If you can suggest some solutions to this dilemma, we're all ears (policing is on the increase to try to weed out the rogue riders).

I wonder if Meerendal will also have a newsletter with a long winded speech in the beginning about how there's too much water in winter and not enough water in summer to do maintenance.

Then some random blabber about the guys who **** the trails up...

Trail maintenance is tricky. Dry ground turns to poef dust and it is difficult to get water to many parts of our trail network. Wet ground (particularly if it's still taking lots of traffic) quickly turns to a quagmire which doesn't drain. As for the people who **** the trails up, locking of back wheels on our trails rip them to pieces and it leaves Patrick with tears in his eyes. We'll organise a trail build day where everybody can get to put in some brains and brawn to help keep our trails in good nick.

[Guest Smimby]

 We'll organise a trail build day where everybody can get to put in some brains and brawn to help keep our trails in good nick.

 

 

Please do, as that is something that has been promised for a year now, and has never happened.

[Skubarra]

 

Context is also imporatant:

I don't have the exact numbers, but fees went from something like R100 or R120 in 2008 to R590 in 2015. That is an increase of almost 30% year on year (not exact, but hopefully someone can remember what the annual increases were). Furthermore the club went from about 500 odd members to over 2000 members.Yes, in 2008 it was Majick Forest and Hillcrest, but the break-even point was 5 or 6 x day fees. At R30 a trail it now is almost 20 x that you have to visit a combination of trails and they have a large pot of cash to do these new trails. 

 

5x days fees for Hillcrest&Majik vs 20x days fees for Hillcrest, Majik(sort off), Bloemendal, Conters, Hoogekraal, (Meerendal or Welvanpas) sounds fair to me...

 

I'm not so sure how sustainable the early finance model of the club was anyway, I remember the financial situation of the club in 2011 being pretty dire but I guess that it a different debate, point is - if you ride the trails more than once a month then you are still better off buying membership than buying R30 day permits.

 

 

 

At least at Botlary and Jonkershoek my friends from elsewhere can join me for a 40+ km ride without having to either ride a corridor illegally and / or rob a bank for the days' trail fees. 

 

With this I agree, such a schlep. I really hope this is something that can be improved on in future.

 

[MTBeer]

sorry to wake up a bit late on this thread but here's some insight where possible:

Majik is a sore point and we've been fighting really hard (and making ourselves increasingly unpopular with local residents and the ward councillor) in order to try to get a solution to this. We're meeting again tomorrow morning and are also working on alternatives.

 

We know you take a bit of a cynical viewpoint when something goes awry. Sadly, almost every loss you have listed can be "blamed" on both the growth of mountain biking and the obnoxious attitude by many of recent additions to the sport. We met with 2 landowners in the last 2 weeks and within the first minute of talking they refer to altercations with mountain bikers which left a bad taste in their mouths. This has eroded the sense of good will and this ends up costing us all money (and trails such as kliprug). If you can suggest some solutions to this dilemma, we're all ears (policing is on the increase to try to weed out the rogue riders).

Trail maintenance is tricky. Dry ground turns to poef dust and it is difficult to get water to many parts of our trail network. Wet ground (particularly if it's still taking lots of traffic) quickly turns to a quagmire which doesn't drain. As for the people who **** the trails up, locking of back wheels on our trails rip them to pieces and it leaves Patrick with tears in his eyes. We'll organise a trail build day where everybody can get to put in some brains and brawn to help keep our trails in good nick.

Thanks for doing a great job guys. I can guarantee you the vast majority of people love the trails and the bitchers and moaners are few and far between. Unfortunately, as with everything in life the negatives always drown out the positives. Keep up the good work.

(you can pm me to arrange delivery of my complimentary membership for next year )

[Hairy]

Trail running and Mountainbiking ...Um.. I think they're missing a discipline.

Does not a Multi-sport club make.

+ wine club = multi-sport when you go riding and running after visiting the cellars first.

[GLuvsMtb]

...

We know you take a bit of a cynical viewpoint when something goes awry. Sadly, almost every loss you have listed can be "blamed" on both the growth of mountain biking and the obnoxious attitude by many of recent additions to the sport. We met with 2 landowners in the last 2 weeks and within the first minute of talking they refer to altercations with mountain bikers which left a bad taste in their mouths. This has eroded the sense of good will and this ends up costing us all money (and trails such as kliprug). If you can suggest some solutions to this dilemma, we're all ears (policing is on the increase to try to weed out the rogue riders).

 

The problem is multi dimensional and multi layered. The broad challenge that puts TBMTBC at a disadvantage is:

1. Year on year re-negotiations for land access and no real guarantee that land will remain available in the long run

2. Land owners not seeing eye-to-eye with each other or the recreational users of the land

3. Many access and departure points to the trails 

4. No cohesive riding system for day-visitors (unless they break the law / pay a fortune)

 

The solutions are complex, but may include:

A) A more sustainable land-use model that makes land available for longer periods and to have some form of profit share system that rewards loyal land owners

B) Introducing daily memberships. This effectively neutralizes the notion that a day-visitor / day-member is viewed as a non-member and does not get access to the trails. You should have the same info on a day-visitor compared to a year-visitor / member, ie. ID number, contact details and ICE details. It will remove the excuse for rogue riding as I believe that most of this occurs on the corridors and member-only trails. It will take a bit more admin, but should pay for itself in multiples. It also removes confusion where visitors are never quite sure whether they are now suddenly on a members-only section. 

C) Sharing the trails with others. Would Meerendal have gone on their own if the club members had a better attitude towards trail runners? I recall a debate on the clubs fb page that just showed me how self-absorbed and arrogant some members have become. I suspect that was the beginning of the end with Meerendal. 

D) Getting involved with the environment / community. We often are cycling through people's back-yards on farms like Contermanskloof and Meerendal. Perhaps think to do a night ride with donation for Christmas presents for the farm worker kids or assist with the preservation of the little renosterveld that is left on the trails. 

 

These are all comments I have made before to committee members and it is often easier to think of reasons why not to do things. The philosophy is simple: Put yourself in the various role players' shoes. Look at it from the perspective of the club member, land owner, visitor, farm worker etc. and work out how to get them all onboard. 

[tygerbergmtb]

Please do, as that is something that has been promised for a year now, and has never happened.

Lets get the funride done and dusted first. Got to choose a day when Patrick is available as well so will look around 15 December or please suggest other days / times that would be suitable

[Hairy]

Lets get the funride done and dusted first. Got to choose a day when Patrick is available as well so will look around 15 December or please suggest other days / times that would be suitable

Yes, don't build on my birthday!

[Hairy]

Tygerberg

 

RE single trail or multi trail access for non members, would something like snapscan not be the answer.

 

Put an plate up at the various trail heads and a non-member can simply snap and ride. It would also allow them to prove if they have or have not paid for access to the trails.

 

There will be a cost to the Club, but given that there is less cash that would have to be banked and I am sure it should come out about the same price.

 

Just putting it out there.

[tygerbergmtb]

Tygerberg

 

RE single trail or multi trail access for non members, would something like snapscan not be the answer.

 

Put an plate up at the various trail heads and a non-member can simply snap and ride. It would also allow them to prove if they have or have not paid for access to the trails.

 

There will be a cost to the Club, but given that there is less cash that would have to be banked and I am sure it should come out about the same price.

 

Just putting it out there.

we did investigate this but the dilemma is that once each of the landowners have taken their cut and the facility is paid for, you'd end up with a day permit cost in the region of R100 which I'm sure you'll agree is too high. Our invoice books and temp boards should be ready within the next week and we'll supply all the day permit information on the website, thehub and social media.

[Slowbee]

As an outsider - how much money would mtbiking bring to Meerendal ? And then what % of the overall income of Meerendal would mountain bikers contribute ?