In this issue:
Areas:
Pinjar Maintenance Morning - March 6
Advocacy:
City of Swan Guidelines
Yangebup Community
Minimal Impact
Events
Ride With Me App
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Helping to save your riding areas
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Dear Member,
This month: Residents are up in arms in Yangebup, we submit a response to the City of Swan's Motorcycle noise guidelines and we interpret what Total Fire Ban days mean for trail bike riding.
Read on to catch up with the latest RTRA news...
Yangebup Community Protest
Yangebup residents protested against the “terrorising actions” of off-road motorbike riders with a rally at Visko Park this weekend. Local police, councillors and state politicians attended the rally where a resident action group called for greater enforcement.
The RTRA does not condone anti-social or destructive activity and we do not defend the actions of people who ride unlicensed bikes or quads on suburban streets and footpaths or who damage nature reserves. But we will take the opportunity to once again highlight the appalling lack of safe, legal facilities for riders in the southern suburbs and call for the local councils and state government to get serious about a longer term solution.
City of Swan Noise Guidelines
 The RTRA has submitted a response to the City of Swan’s proposed guidelines for motorcycle noise on private property.
Reflecting the feedback received from members we have opposed three of the four guidelines and conditionally supported the concept of allowing more frequent riding on larger properties.
We support the principle of riders being ‘reasonable’ and respecting their neighbours' rights to enjoy their properties without constant noise. Our recommendation to the City of Swan is to focus on assisting riders and their neighbours to reach individual agreement on what is ‘reasonable’.
Read more about the issue, and the RTRA response.
Ride with Me
Looking for a ride near you? Want to invite someone to ride with you for company and safety? Want to coordinate your regular crew without the hassle of multiple phone calls and emails?
Well there’s now an App for that! Ride With Me has been developed by long time RTRA Member and Crusty Quinns ‘elder’, Colin Bayman and it’s now available on the App Store. You can use the Ride With Me App to search for upcoming rides of different types (road, dirt, adventure or bicycle), technical levels, distance and starting point. Or you can call your own ride and have other riders join you.
It’s a great idea, solves a real problem and has been well implemented. Check it out!
Riding on Total Fire Ban Days
 We've fielded a lot of questions about this over the past few weeks. This is from the Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES):
"During a Total Fire Ban you cannot use a vehicle in bush or a paddock, unless it is for agricultural purposes.
You can only use a vehicle on a road, track or in an area that has been sufficiently cleared of flammable material."
Our interpretation of this is that single-track or twin-track (eg 4WD tracks) would not constitute a track that has been sufficiently cleared of flammable material, and this would rule out most of the trail riding areas. Adventure riding on gravel roads is OK.
As a precaution, RTRA will advise the closure of all Off-Road Vehicle Areas except Lancelin on Total Fire Ban Days.
Pinjar Maintenance Morning - Saturday March 6
 Our next Pinjar Maintenance Morning is scheduled for Saturday March 6. Last month we had to cancel because of fire risk so we're hoping for milder weather this weekend.
Remember, the more riders who turn out to help, the quicker we can get finished and don the riding gear.
Minimal Impact: Dieback Doesn't Die
 In Summer when the weather dries out it's easy to assume that we don't have to be as careful with dieback.
Unfortunately this isn't the case. Dieback spores which can easily be picked up in mud or puddles remain 'live' even when the mud dries and can then be shaken loose further down the trail and start a new infestation. Heavy rain after summer can be the worst cause of the disease spreading.
So make sure your bike is properly clean before each ride, stay out of known Disease Risk Areas and try to avoid wet areas. Dieback is a huge problem and we all need to play our part in preventing its spread.
Spread the Word
If you think the RTRA is having a positive impact for riders, just think how much more effective we'd be if we had double the members. It's actually not that hard - all it takes is for each member to find one other rider to sign up. If you have riding buddies who are not yet members of the RTRA, please forward them this email and give them a prod to join up.
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