Campground considering its options on bike ban

A Kaiteriteri campground that came under fire after cyclists were banned from riding around the campsite is considering its options, and has approached WorkSafe for help.

Mason Fitzgerald, chief executive of Kaiteriteri Recreation Reserve, told Stuff that the campground had experienced a “huge backlash” on social media to its policy of not permitting cycling on its roads.

“The front desk is wearing it big time,” Fitzgerald said.

However, the policy was in place because of multiple reports of children almost getting run over by cars, boat trailers, and jet skis, he said.

That meant it had got to the point where they “had to make a ban on children riding bikes in and around the campground”, Fitzgerald said.

“It’s so dangerous.

‘‘At the moment, there’s unfortunately no safe place to ride unsupervised for children at the campground. It’s effectively a very busy car park.”

Fitzgerald said he would love for everyone to ride freely around the site, but staff were worried that someone was going to be killed.

On a walk around the campground on Monday, Fitzgerald said he witnessed an SUV having to slam on its brakes, narrowly avoiding hitting a girl on a scooter who was “racing” around a corner.

While other campsites had banned boats, jetskis and trailers so that children could ride their bikes around the facilities, the reserve didn’t have the luxury of space, he said.

The campground was trying to do its best from a health and safety perspective, but unfortunately that had been “received very poorly” by customers.

Fitzgerald said he had to act on the reports of near misses: “I can’t just go ‘yeah, but it’s fun for kids’.”

However, changes that could make the campground safer for children on cycles, such as not permitting boats on the premises, would likely be equally as unpopular, he said. “We’re looking at options and at other ways to manage this, that work for everyone,” Fitzgerald said.

“At this point in time, under peak busy periods, this is what we’re doing to keep everyone safe whilst we review.”

Asked what WorkSafe would be looking at, Fitzgerald said the end goal was to “keep everybody happy and safe”, which with the current controls in place, was not possible at the moment.

“That’s why we have to come up with something different or new,” he said. “I don’t know what that looks like yet.” The policy received mixed reactions from campers, some of whom were disappointed their young children would miss out on their time on two wheels around the campsite, while others reported having seen cyclists going “flat out” around the popular holiday hotspot.

Fitzgerald reiterated that they encouraged families to come, to bring their bikes, and to use the mountainbike park and the newly rebuilt skills park.