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Bike Parks On The Stizzy |
Over the last six years municipal bike parks have been emerging all over the planet. However the last two years have probably seen the biggest increase in the number of parks, especially in British Columbia.
And aerial view of the Burns Lake skills park.
The concept of a bike park, or 'skills park' is to provide a free opportunity for riders in a community to explore and experience bike riding skills in a managed, progressive, and safe environment before going to the trails. They also offer an alternative to jumping on illegal jumps out in the forest.
Skills parks like this one in Burnaby are a safe place to learn new skills.
Bike parks are a great place for youth to ride, offering a place to jump, attempt ladder bridges and grow their riding abilities, hopefully almost as fast as their learning curves. Skills parks also offer a non-threatening, comfortable learning environment for anyone that may be intimidated by going to 'the local spot'.
Tsheshaht kids pump track.
Skills parks benefit more than just the local riders, local government and taxpayers also win. A community can benefit financially when Recreation Centers generate revenue from programming. And, most importantly, skills parks offer a municipality an opportunity to show 'Due Diligence' in their bicycle recreation risk management plan. Municipal governments seem to finally be accepting the fact that mountain biking and dirt jumps are regular staples in most communities (usually illegally). However, by creating a skills park, a town or city can offer a place for everyday riders to develop the necessary skills that will prepare them for hitting the unknown in the forest.
The Port Coquitlam skills park was only build a few months ago.
There are now over 30 skills parks in British Columbia! They exist in every kind of setting you can think of and offer a wide variety of skill progressions. This growing network of parks offers riders the opportunity to tour between venues hitting anywhere from 4-6 in a day.
Opening ceremonies at the Merrit park.
The cost of building bike parks varies greatly and different levels of organization and commitment are required from community to community. Some parks are run solely by the local MTB club in partnership with the city while other parks are managed by a Parks and Recreation department, either way works.
A slightly different sort of ribbon cutting in Rossland.
In almost all cases, the maintenance comes down to an agreement between a volunteer club and the municipality. Most municipalities have 'build standards' that qualify structures such as playground features, so they understand and can maintain technical features. However there are no 'dirt jump' experts, so the city is often inclined to leave this type of maintenance to the riders. Most clubs have seasoned builders and riders who know how and when to shape jumps and they do their best to keep up on it, but for the most part, public jump parks really rely on the local riders to take ownership of their park and sculpt it!
Lots of the local riders in South Surrey came out to help with shape the jumps.
Mountain bikers have an opportunity no other sport enjoys, the chance to manage our own play space provided by the municipality at no cost. The concept of the public maintaining a municipal amenity is a Risk Manager's nightmare, but through dedicated lobbying from several organizations it is a very cool reality! Bike park cleanup, basic maintenance, and dirt shaping (not changing) is every rider's responsibility and, as history has shown, when parks are successful more will follow.
The riders in Canmore show their support for the park.
If you ride it, you must shape it...
Jay Hoots!
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