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The Sustainable Transport Group has discovered a new "rail trail" from Blackheath to Mt Victoria, and is hopeful with funding, this and two others will form part of a long-term vision for a bike trail from Manly to Mudgee. Rail trails are shared user paths along unused railway corridors. The train tracks are removed and replaced with road base, gravel or a sealed surface. They can be used for walking, cycling and horse riding. The group last week applied to Rail Trails for NSW, an organisation that provides advice to the government and promotes rail trails, for $65,000 to conduct a feasibility study of three rail trails in the Mountains. From Blackheath to Mt Victoria, Wentworth Falls to Bullaburra, and Glenbrook to Emu Plains, which includes a tunnel, the trails span 12km. STG chair Hereward Dundas-Taylor said he'd had positive feedback on the group's application and was hopeful funding would be forthcoming early in the new year. "The overall trail will cross the Mountains as part of the Manly to Mudgee vision. We're doing our bit in our patch," Mr Dundas-Taylor said. The trail from Blackheath to Mt Victoria was discovered by accident by members of the group, and was believed to have been part of an old railway line before it was upgraded at the turn of the century, and this section removed. Mr Dundas-Taylor said there were beautiful views of the Kanimbla Valley, and the trail, which was virtually in its original condition, had indigenous as well as historical significance. He'd like to see signs erected which explained the indigenous culture of the area anything from plant eaten, to the meaning behind names and places visited. A connected trail through the Mountains would encourage tourists to stay for longer, and could even draw competitors for triathlons, using the gorges for the swimming element of the race, Mr Dundas-Taylor said. Meanwhile, Roads and Maritime Services (RMS) have approved the sealing of part of a trail between Medlow Bath and Blackheath, currently being developed by the council from Katoomba to Blackheath. Upper Mountains Bicycle Users spokesperson Suzanne Kowalski-Roth said, "We're delighted to have heard from the RMS that they are going to seal a section between Blackheath and Medlow Bath. This is a real win for the safety of cyclists and for active transport in the Upper Mountains. "We hope the sealing of the section from Blackheath to Medlow Bath will make it much easier to attract funding to seal the section from Medlow Bath to Katoomba in the future." The RMS report has also recommended a two-metre shoulder along the highway, where possible, between Katoomba and Mt Victoria. This was another win for cyclists, Ms Kowalski-Roth said. The STG is running a community survey to collect data on the safety issues experienced in cycling on the highway as well as the numbers of cyclists that would use safe community alternatives if they existed between the Mountains villages. Fill out the survey at: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/BMCCA-STG

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