KIDS BIKE TR ACK BUILD NOT FUN FOR COUNCIL
A GROUP of Ocean Grove teenagers who spent countless hours building a homemade BMX bike track have been left devastated after council removed their construction.
Ocean Grove father Ryan Dodson said the teens took their efforts to the “next level” during COVID-19, adding to the iconic “humps” bike track, which has been is use for more than 50 years.
“There was so many kids working on it and they made some pretty cool jumps, but it’s all pretty much gone now after council came in and flattened it,” Mr Dodson said.
City of Greater Geelong council said it removed two makeshift jumps from the bike track at Woodlands Reserve this month for safety reasons.
It said works were carried out in response to community concerns about the jumps, which were built by park users.
The city’s director of community life, Robyn Stevens, asked residents to “look out for one another” and not cause “any unnecessary risks”.
“While access to this bike track in Ocean Grove remains, we ask riders to take care, ride to their ability and not create safety hazards,” she said.
Ms Stevens said council would seek local feedback on the current and future use of the site.
Mr Dodson said there was a “big need” to build a sustainable mountain bike and BMX park in Ocean Grove.
“A lot of kids are eager for one, the fact the kids built their own track speaks volumes,” he said.
“It will encourage kids to get outside, exercise and keep healthy.”
More than 750 people have signed an online petition calling on council to transform 24,000m of largely vacant land at Lake Ave Reserve into a bike park.
Mr Dodson said a variety of different tracks for all ages and abilities would help improve the site. “Combined with added trees and vegetation it could become a beautiful vegetated site similar to the one recently built on West Fyans Street in Geelong,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Borough of Queenscliffe has this week closed its popular woodland area Bunny Woods to riders so as to undertake revegetation works.
It said it was looking into options to build a more substantial and challenging bike track in the area.