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New enviroment laws regarding trials competition

Posted: Sat Apr 19, 2008 9:21 am
by bigdamo
Last Sunday at the Wollongong club :NSW: trials it was mentioned that Motorcycling Australia our governing body(I think) wanted to introduce some new laws that would severely curtail if not kill our sport. #-o
Can anyone here clarify these new laws and what we should do to stop them?
Something about riding with an enviro mat and not riding creeks and hills.

Re: New enviroment laws regarding trials competition

Posted: Sat Apr 19, 2008 10:21 am
by outfit65
Hi Damo,

I can help with enviromats. All they are is a specially made mat, about 60cm square that is used whenever you refuel, or lube the chain at an event. Most other facets already use them and basically they are placed under the bike to stop any spillage falling onto the ground. They only cost a couple of dollars each and as long as you don't spill too much they will last for years.
All a lot of riders do here is stick them to the bottom of the lid of a plastic tub that we use for carrying all of our lubes and place it under the bike, stops them from blowing away.

As for the other bit, sorry, can't help there but it doesn't sound good

Hope this helps

Outfit

Re: New enviroment laws regarding trials competition

Posted: Sat Apr 19, 2008 5:23 pm
by DIESEL DAN
The draft plans have been avaliable for scruitiny for some time. check out MA's website.
If you feel they are not workable or are going to kill off moto trials i suggest you make am informed submission to MA.
Cheers
Dan

Re: New enviroment laws regarding trials competition

Posted: Sun Apr 20, 2008 1:22 pm
by Scorps
Howdy Y'all,

Unfortunately, in this day and age of corporate responsibility, these type of guidelines are going to be the rule, not the exception. It doesn't look like what MA propose will be too bad - we have an extra bit of paperwork to fill out that will absolve MA headquarters of most of the blame if the greenies come running over environmental issues.

MA should make the enviromats available at a subsidised price, as I think this will be one area trials riders will be stung if a trial ever gets an environmental audit.

At the end of the day though, I believe trials makes an effort to clean up its rubbish, pull down its markers/tapes, and generally leave only our section lines behind.

I would suggest though that you look for sections that don't involve creek beds and erosion banks "where practicably possible", which more often than not is not very practicable.

Oh, and turn your BeeGee's music down on the way to a trial!

Cheers,
Your friendly neighbourhood ScorpaMan,
Scorps

Re: New enviroment laws regarding trials competition

Posted: Mon Apr 21, 2008 6:49 pm
by Neo
From what was discussed at Cattai on Sunday, I think it's a bit more serious than that.

With things like Local Councils having to grant permission for a comp. With all plant life and soil erosion (on all of the land), needing to be assessed (and documented), before the comp can take place.

Sounds like enough work to kill any idea of a comp to me :cry:


Best of balance.

Neo

Re: New enviroment laws regarding trials competition

Posted: Tue Apr 29, 2008 6:32 pm
by BJ
Yep I saw the MA drafts and read them carefully. :cry:

Not only is it tough enough to get office bearers, section setters, section packeruppers and observers but now we need to find people that can do the paperwork, prepare and understand environmental management plans and still find time to enjoy themselves.


The fact is all organisations have to comply with the same type of rules. It can be done and it should be done, BUT who do we get to do it?

It is much easier for the environmental requirements to be met at a permanent site than a transient one because you only need one EMP (Environment Management Plan). We would need numerous EMP's or one EMP good enough to cover multiple sites. In our case we rarely revisit the same sections enough times (or on the same lines) to cause more than minimal and temporary disturbance so it can be argued that one overarching EMP could be used with provision for individual site provisions. We come back again to the WHO and now the HOW MUCH. It costs mega bucks to get an environmental consultant to develop an EMP. Do we ask MA to fund a consultant?

The big trouble is, consultants like to make things big and wordy to make it look like they have earned their money. If you use a clever person (who is not trying to justify their fees) to write your EMP they can do it simply and without too much BS. The problem then lies in the eye of the beholder! Local government, government departments and various tribunals are so accustomed to BS when they get a legible document they don’t trust it.

I'm happy to discuss my draft EMP (needs a few updates to fit in with MA current draft) with the powers to be at MA, it is simple, to the point and developed specifically to meet the needs of mototrials. The operations manual was written to take into account the sort of requirements local government want to see included but it was a 2004 document (with Tomo on the cover)

If the Trials Subcommittee wants a look give me a yell, I'm here to help!


(how's the spellin Maree? and yes there should have been a a WHOM in there somewhere) :D