Update: Bike the mountains safely
Ever since the attempted murder and mugging of three cyclists on Saturday, August 9 en route to Kom-se-Pad (Refer to the article, One Day, One Gang, Four Victims), concerns have been raised about the safety of this and other well-known and popular cycling routes around Knysna.
SANParks immediately went on high alert to beef up security, using visible environmental monitors and rangers to patrol along the R339.
In Knysna town, the Knysna Cycle Initiative was born on the day the article on the attack was published, reports Greg Vogt, Knysna Tourism CEO.
According to Vogt, key roleplayers and stakeholders in cycling circles met with a common agenda, addressing the safety and security of cyclists, both local and tourists.
“This solution includes a strategy, in the short term, for cyclists – from beginners to experienced – to be able to cycle our beautiful routes within a safety network that has as many elements of safety in place as we have been able to arrange in this short period of time.”
He said that the new initiative was not a knee-jerk reaction to the reported attack, but had been in the pipeline since the Draft Cycling Tourism Framework was launched by Alan Winde, Western Cape minister of Economic Development and Tourism. This document aims to finalise among various roleplayers a strategy to increase the cycling economy in the Western Cape, specifically in prime destinations for the sport, like Knysna.
The Knysna Cycle Initiative’s short-term strategy is to complete and have ready a presentation to the Cycle Knysna Guild, said Vogt.
“These solutions were presented to Richard Meyer [of Knysna Municipality] for his input and guidance in a meeting at Knysna Tourism.”
SANparks wants cyclists safe
Communications manager for SANParks’ Garden Route National Park, Nandi Mgwadlamba, said they are on high alert to prioritise the safety of cyclists in the Park.
“This is one of several mountain-biking routes in the Knysna section of the Garden Route National Park (GRNP), which is a haven for mountain-biking enthusiasts and their safety is of paramount importance to us while they enjoy the natural beauty of our biking routes.”
According to Mgwadlamba there are five superb, laid-out circular tracks in the Harkerville Forest, ranging from a mellow route to an advanced red route, and nearby are two long, quite strenuous linear trails, Homtini and Petrus-se-Brand.
“Locals and international visitors alike agree that the last 6km of Petrus-se-Brand is the most fun single track ever,” she says. There are four colour-coded routes suited to varying levels of riders, ranging from the easy-breezy to fast-flowing single-track that take in the scenic ocean views. All these routes traverse through a combination of indigenous forests, mountain fynbos and plantations.”
Senior section ranger for the Knysna Forest, Nico Oosthuizen says that another route in close proximity to Knysna is the Homtini Forest Trail, a circular route which consists of Jeep and single-track with a character-building climb (about 5km), and winds through 19km of tranquil forest.
A study conducted on the future of national parks identified activity development as a priority for GRNP, says Mgwadlamba. Management in the GRNP identified adventure sports to stimulate tourism in the region.
“Thus far applications to host activities in the park go through an ecological evaluation process and techniques such as ‘zoning’ are used for each application. This scientific process helps simplify the complexity associated with managing a park in the 21st century. Through ‘zoning’, adventure sports can go ahead with low occupancy whilst high biodiversity is maintained,” explains Mgwadlamba.
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Source: Knysna-Plett Herald