In PlanningxChange Episode 84, Jess Noonan and Peter Jewell interview Gerard McHugh; this interview is all about mountain bike trail development and what it can achieve for participants, towns and regions.
Gerard is the General Manager of World Trails. The company provides trail designs for all types of recreational trails, from the earliest conceptual stage to the final design stage including detailed trail designs, trail master plans, concept plans, CAD designs, engineering plans, detailed construction budgets and schedules, trail mapping and competitive overlays for mountain bike racing. Details of the company are at https://world-trail.com.
Gerard joined World Trail in 2007, starting on the trail construction crew before moving in to a full-time role delivering the company’s consulting reports and designs. In his time with World Trail, Gerard has been responsible for, or had some involvement with every project World Trail has undertaken, including the design and construction of the trail networks at Falls Creek, Atherton, Hidden Vale, Smithfield, Derby, St Helens and Wangetti, all of which are amongst the most successful mountain bike trail projects in Australia. The interview covers a wide range of topics including what makes a good mountain bike trail, design and environmental considerations, whether you need mountains, misconceptions, how towns and land managers can develop mountain bike trails, the fun and inclusive nature of urban ‘pump parks’ and how the sport is enticing more people to experience nature. Audio production by Jack Bavage. The episode was released on 18 October 2021.