SECTION 8 - AN IMPLEMENTATION PROGRAM

8.1 Who Should Drive the Project?

The Torbay Catchment Group has been the primary driver of this phase of work; it is however important to consider whether it is appropriate for the Committee to continue to be the driving force into the next stages of the project. The Committee has taken a pro-active role in facilitating this Trail Development Plan and should be commended for being prepared to carry primary responsibility through this process.

There are a number of tasks that need completion at this early stage to ensure the project's success. These include:

• Preparation of a Corridor Management Plan (detailed in Section 8.2.1) which addresses an array of issues; and
• Sourcing funds for future development of the rail-trail (Section 9 has a comprehensive list of funding sources). Any funding should ideally include money to fund a project officer to support the Committee in implementing the development of the rail-trail.

These primary tasks are critical to the project's eventual success and will require human and financial resources.

Following consideration of this Trail Development Plan, the Torbay Catchment Group and the community will have developed a more detailed understanding of many of the issues and opportunities, and the challenge ahead.

Throughout this Development Plan, the formation of a Committee of Management, as occurs in Victoria, has been suggested.

It is therefore recommended that, should the community decide to proceed with development of the proposed rail trail, the Torbay Catchment Group seek to set up a Committee of Management to take the lead role in the next phase of the project to implement the development of the rail-trail. The CoM would include representatives of the Torbay Catchment Group as well as representatives of the City of Albany, adjoining landowners and relevant State Government agencies.

8.2 Additional Planning

8.2.1 Preparation of a Corridor Management Plan

The best approach to deal with these issues is through a Corridor Management Plan which forms the basis for ongoing trail management, operation and maintenance. A well-prepared and comprehensive corridor management plan (undertaken in close consultation with the community and neighbouring landowners) serves to ensure the trails function and operate as high quality experiences.

There are four major components to a Corridor Management Plan:

• A set of decisions made about how the trail will operate (a 'Trail Policy" ie. a set of Guiding Principles);
• A Trail Management Plan;
• A Fire Management Plan; and
• A Trail Maintenance Plan.

Bringing all four elements together in one framework (a Corridor Management Plan) makes ongoing trail development and management an efficient process and ensures ongoing seamless transitions as personnel involved with a trail change.

Some basic initial questions need to be answered, and some crucial decisions made. These include:

• Will the trail be closed at night?
• What enforcement procedures will be in place?
• Will dogs be allowed? If they are allowed, in what sections should they be allowed? Will they be permitted to be off-leash or will they be required to be on-leash?
• Will horses be allowed? If they are allowed, on what sections should they be allowed?
• What will be the weed eradication and/or long term control program? Grazing, slashing, poisons?
• How will vegetation replanting be managed?
• Will fencing be relocated and/or built to achieve a narrower trail corridor?
• Will sections of the corridor be leased to farmers? The trail corridor is very wide in some places - not all of this will be required for the actual trail.
• What will be the fire hazard reduction approach (this informs and is informed by the Bush Fire Risk Management Plan)?
• Strategies for the protection of native vegetation.
• Strategies for vermin and feral animal control (night closures to allow graziers to patrol and shoot for example).
• Strategies for plant disease control.
• Vehicle access issues - along and across the trail (including emergency vehicles, landholder vehicles and maintenance vehicles). Who will have access and how will this be managed?
• Complaints/communications - procedures and responsibilities.
• On-trail events - approach and management.
• Trail construction and infrastructure standards - this Trail Development Plan recommends a range of infrastructure. Included in this is the level of development of parking at trailheads, user information, on-trail signposting, facilities etc. Decisions need to be made as to whether a high or low standard of infrastructure will feature on the trail (or differing standards depending on location). This may also include timetables for ongoing enhancements of
• infrastructure. A decision on standards to be adopted on a permanent basis has implications for ongoing trail maintenance.
• Target user groups need to be identified.
• A promotion and marketing plan will need to be included in the set of initial decisions.
• Will on-trail advertising be allowed?
• How will the trail manager treat any requests by utilities (such as gas pipelines and phone cable providers) to utilise the trail corridor?
• Consideration and amelioration of impacts on adjoining landholders. This covers issues such as fencing, privacy issues, trespassing etc. The Corridor Management Plan needs to set a basis for how these are dealt with on an ongoing basis.

While, at this point in the process, decisions will have been made about the Committee structure (both short and medium term), it will be useful to ensure these decisions, timetables for change and the reasons for decisions are included in this section of the Corridor Management Plan.

8.2.2 Preparation of a Fire Management Plan

For example, the Lilydale to Warburton Trail developed a Wildfire Risk Management Plan. The Plan includes a number of objectives and relevant actions. The objectives are:

• Providing a safe recreation trail for walkers, cyclists and horse riding;
• Providing a safe access onto and along the trail for all emergency vehicles;
• Minimising the risks of fires spreading from or onto the rail trail; and
• Developing annual maintenance works and maintenance programs (with an accent on fire hazard reduction).

8.2.3 Preparation of a Trail Management Plan

The Trail Management Plan for the Railway Reserves Heritage Trail (RRHT) in Mundaring covers the following issues:

• Philosophical background to RRHT development;
• A statement of guiding principles;
• Review of how RRHT is, and can be further linked to other trails, especially the Munda Biddi Trail, the Bibbulmun Track, the Kep Track, the Farming Heritage Trail and those in the eastern portion of the City of Swan.
• Clarification of management roles and responsibilities for the various trail sections;
• Risk management policy;
• Group and commercial usage policy and guidelines;
• Provision of essential services for trail users, such as water points, toilets, rubbish bin, lighting and other desirable trail furniture;
• Identification of any outstanding access /egress works for the RRHT, including disability works;
• Fire management and emergency evacuation procedures;
• Preparation of a promotional and interpretation management sub-plans, including specifications for signage and suggestions for interpretation along the trail between the townsites;
• Mapping and brochures - guiding principles;
• Formation of a Friends of the RRH Trail Group; and
• Timetable for reviewing and updating the Management Plan

8.2.4 Preparation of a Trail Maintenance Plan

In each trail proposal, the opportunity exists to minimise future maintenance demands through careful planning and construction. Too often initial costs are cut in the belief that all trails require maintenance anyway, and something not done properly today can be fixed in the future. Building good trails in the first place is the very best way of minimising future problems and costs. As a second line of defence, a clear and concise Management Plan (as discussed above) with a regular maintenance program written into it will aid significantly in managing ongoing resource demands.

The goals of a Trail Maintenance Plan are to:

• Ensure that trail users continue to experience safe and enjoyable conditions;
• Guard against the deterioration of trail infrastructure, thereby maintaining the investment made on behalf of the community;
• Minimise the trail manager's exposure to potential public liability claims arising from incidents which may occur along the trails; and
• Set in place a management process to cover most foreseeable risks.

Erosion (caused by weather and unauthorised users), regrowth of vegetation, fallen trees and branches and damage to signage and fences are likely to be the greatest maintenance activities on the trails. Providing these effects are attended to early, they are largely labour intensive rather than capital expensive. Calamitous events such as fire or flood will naturally generate significant rebuilding activity and consequent costs. These events are generally unmanageable, and should simply be accepted as part of the longer-term reality of a trails program.

Resourcing a maintenance program is crucial, and funds will be required on an ongoing basis to enable this essential maintenance. This matter should be addressed in the preparation of the maintenance plan. It would be short sighted to go ahead and build the trail and then baulk at the demands of managing and maintaining it.

It should be ensured that whoever is charged with ongoing responsibility for managing the trails has genuine and specific trail knowledge. It is not sufficient to be a skilled gardener, conservationist or environmental scientist. If training is required to bring staff knowledge levels up to a high standard, this should be seen as a priority to be undertaken early in the construction process. Trail skills are better learned over a longer time, with hands-on practice, than in short briefing sessions.