 Group size limits |
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From: Brett Davis To: info@shoalhavenbushwalkers.com Subject: Group size limits Date sent: April 6, 2025 |
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Hi SBW committee, Recently I have had a number of club members express their concerns to me about the numbers of walkers that some leaders are allowing on their walks, and the effect that those numbers have not only on their enjoyment of the walk, but also the effect on safety. Having large numbers of people on a walk increases the time the walk takes. This increases the amount of time that people have to wait - for people to sign the attendance sheet, for people to catch up, for toilet breaks, for negotiating obstacles etc. Nobody likes having their time wasted. If a walk kept to its planned route despite a large group size, it would finish much later than it would with a smaller group, which could cause potential problems and the possibility of some people overnighting should an accident happen late in the day. If there are many delays due to having large numbers, a walk could also be cut short without getting to places where people wanted to go. Large numbers also cause communications difficulties, with messages having to be relayed from one end of the walking group to the other. And large numbers on a walk can also have a significantly greater environmental impact on sensitive areas, especially for off-track walks. The National Parks Association of NSW (NPA) is a non-government conservation group and bushwalking club who run over 1000 bushwalks a year for its thousands of members. It sets general advice for it leaders on maximum group sizes for NPA bushwalks, depending on the type of land involved. Wilderness – 8 people (Declared Wilderness areas) Sensitive Conservation land – 12 people (walking off track in natural places) Conservation land – 20 people (national parks, nature reserves etc.) Recreation land – 30 people (Such as metro parks, Botanic Gardens etc.) Other clubs set group size limits depending on the type of activity. For example, the Springwood Bushwalking Club sets the following size limits - Bush camping - 15 Lilo and other water related activities - 12 Canyoning - 8 Activities in wilderness areas - 8 Exploratory walks - 8 Given that large group sizes make walks unnecessarily long and cause a reduction in enjoyment, a decrease in safety, and potentially damaging effects on the environment, should the decision on a group's size be left entirely up to the leader as currently occurs with our club, or should group limits be set by the club? If an excessive group size was even partially responsible for a tragic accident on a Shoalhaven Bushwalkers walk in the future, what comeback would the club have when asked why they did not set group sizes for their walks and left that responsibility in the hands of a leader with potentially little or no leading experience? Regards, Brett |
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