Do you pay at bike parks?

[Griffin]

I don't get that it's a hassle.

 

Cause apparently its a hassle to put a board on and take it off, change it depending on what trails a person is riding and/or remember to take it with

[stefmeister]

Cause apparently its a hassle to put a board on and take it off, change it depending on what trails a person is riding and/or remember to take it with

It's in the way of their W2W board from 3 years ago.

[MTBeer]

Cause apparently its a hassle to put a board on and take it off, change it depending on what trails a person is riding and/or remember to take it with

no some people are just difficult

[ShanRam]

Howick sounds fun - -need to go ride there sometime

[Albatross]

I maintain the trails for Howick MTB Club so lets do the sums .. keeping costs to the bare minimum, on average and being VERY optimistic : 

 

Trail worker  : R120 per day x 2

Petrol (brushcutter etc) : R50 per day

Tools  : R50 per day (since they are purchased upfront and resused rakes/spade/brushcutter/spray equipment etc etc)

Vehicle use : R50 per day (Often more. Way more)

Misc : R50 per day

 

Depending on the terrain sometimes we can clear more than a km.. sometimes less than a km. If its a new trail then we can do around 400m per day. If its an existing trail then around 1km per day. 

 

Total : R440 per day ...PER kilometer ! So a 40km route costs at least R17000 to build. To maintain that route costs around R4000 per month.

 

Day trail fee is R50 per rider per day. Thats 340 paying riders per month to pay for 1 new route and 80 riders to pay for maintaining that route.

 

On average our SnapScan pay stations, honesty boxes and day licence outlets generate about R500 per month. That all. 

 

We rely on riders being honest, respectful and mindful of the hard work and cost that goes into presenting, maintaining and continuing to offer trails that they will enjoy. Unfortunately these riders are in the minority. I would conservative say that 20% of the riders using the trails actually pay. Thats 80% not paying a single cent. 

Wow, that must really motivate you while digging new trails

[NelAndre]

I have some rules I abide by (hopefully as an example to others):

• Pay to ride (always)
• Display your board/armband (always)
• Be visible (front and back lights) even in the middle of the day
• Enjoy the trails and smile

[FirstV8]

I only started MTB 8 months ago after 20 years off the bike . I ride with a bunch of riders from Benoni who go out twice a week into the farmlands and rural paths of Bredel and Petit which i enjoy more than a trail park . I have no problem paying at these well maintained tracks but find them boring as not much variation can be added from one ride to the next . If you want the safety and convenience then i agree  pay for it .