With Sydney increasing the bicycle infrastructure, and cycling participation still quite low, it is important to provide education and opportunities for young people to learn bike skills.
A good way of learning bike skills is to provide facilities where people can ride and explore using their bike in a fun and safe way.
Some examples are outlined below:
BMX track
BMX Track, Sydney Olympic Park. (Photo courtesy of BikeTrail.blog)
BMX (Bicycle Motorcross) is a sport run by clubs affiliated with BMX Australia / BMX NSW. Each club maintains a BMX track for their activities, events and races.
The 4 main clubs located around outer Sydney are:
Dirt jumps / jump parks
Sometimes a piece of land is given to a small group of Mountain Bike (MTB) and BMX enthusiasts and volunteers who create and maintain their own tracks (usually dirt).
These facilities may be designed for more experienced riders, often with technical jumps and large gaps between take off and landings. Facilities may not be maintained regularly due to the amount of effort required.
Examples include Northbridge Bike Skills Track, Red Hill Reserve (Oxford Falls).
Pump tracks
A pump track is a circuit of rollers, banked turns and features designed to be ridden completely by “pumping”(generating momentum by up and down body movements) instead of pedaling or pushing.
These are a relatively new concept for Sydney. They are low maintenance, more like a public playground.
They tend provide recreational use for young families and be used by cyclists at all experience levels.
There are currently 2 in Sydney:
Cycle track / Pedal park
Some councils have an enclosed, miniature road network for kids to ride bicycles and scooters.
Heffron Pedal Park, Maroubra
These facilities feature various road signs, traffic lights, road markings and road rule information signs to help children develop vital road safety riding skills.
There is some criticism that these facilities teach road safety from a car-centric perspective rather than developing bike skills.
Locations include:
Skate parks
Skate parks are concrete bowls and ramps designed for skateboarding. They come in different designs and are quite common around Sydney. They are usually maintained by the local councils.
BMX bikes can be used at skate parks, but some parks ban bikes. One factor is that there is a speed difference between users which can cause conflict.
There are facilities at Bondi Beach, Maroubra Beach, Chifley, Fernside (Waterloo).
