The new club, Rocks Cycling, formed out of frustration caused by the lack of bicycle paths and the state of roads and footpaths in South West Rocks.

Club secretary Jeannine Douglas said the club would like to see more bicycle paths or shared pathways to get bike riders off the roads.

“We are basically trying to get bikes off the road because it is dangerous,” Ms Douglas said.

“I think it is really important to have bike paths because for one it would be good for the tourists and the locals.

“I know people who won’t use the roads because they are dangerous and there are a lot of people who would like to cycle but there are no options.

“The cycle paths we have now are good but because a lot of people use them you find cyclists don’t access them because it’s too hard to get past the many people that use them.”

SWRocks Developments project manager Steve MacDonald, who is developing the Saltwater housing site in South West Rocks, agreed with Ms Douglas and said there was a need for a better cycling plan.

“The Saltwater site needs to be integrated into the cycling network for South West Rocks as well, catering for people accessing traditional recreation activities," he said.

“We are working with the South West Rocks Country Club to integrate our development with the facilities of the club but we also need to cater for the growth of cycling.”

Mr MacDonald said recent correspondence with the Kempsey Shire Council showed there was an opportunity for council to seek state government funding for upgrading the local cycle network.

“An outdated Pedestrian Access and Mobility Plan (PAMP) is a major hurdle to seeking government grants to upgrade cycling infrastructure and I believe the council needs to upgrade the plan," he said.

The council has applied for a grant for a cycle plan in South West Rocks, which was denied.  

Councillor Bruce Morris raised the issue at the June council meeting and asked what additional costs would be involved in developing a cycle plan in conjunction with the PAMP.

In response the council said there were common elements that go into producing a PAMP and a bicycle plan. 

“Based upon the proportion of the overall funding available to do the review of the PAMP, it is estimated that a further $30,000 would be required to complete the bicycle plan concurrently with the PAMP,” the council said.

“However, as the bicycle plan is a completely new project, there may be additional costs in ensuring effective consultation with the community and key stakeholders.

“At present, council has been unable to attract grant funding to complete the bicycle plan and if this project was to proceed, a determination would have to be made on other activities or projects that could be removed from the operating plan to provide sufficient funding for the bicycle plan to be completed.”