Supporting mountain biking in SA

I try to be as positive as possible in my job, but sometimes I have to call out crap when I see it. Since coming to power Labor have waged a campaign of broken promises and cutbacks on South Australia’s rapidly growing mountain biking community. So far their hit list includes:

• axed the $5 million Fox Creek Bike Park expansion
• axed the new Hindmarsh Valley National Park mountain bike trails near Victor Harbor
• moving ahead with plans to trash the O’Halloran Hill trails by building the Majors Road on/off ramps through Glenthorne National Park
• broken a promise to add an additional carriage to Belair line trains to act as a shuttle for the Mitcham hills trails.

At least the amazing new trails around Melrose were too far advanced for Labor to cancel with the international standard epic loop trail opening there next year! This is a project I’m really proud of and can’t wait to check out! Mountain biking is a rapidly growing sport which gets South Australians (especially our kids) into the great outdoors. It’s also a significant economic driver, punching well above its weight in terms of benefits delivered for dollars invested. We should be building up this sport instead of tearing away opportunities for its development.

Photo of Vincent Tarzia and I this morning at Mitcham Station with mountain bikers waiting for the train.