The trial of a bike jump area in a Christchurch City Council reserve has been extended for another year.
The Waimāero Fendalton-Waimairi-Harewood Community Board decided to continue monitoring the bike jump area in Jeffreys Reserve, Fendalton and also instructed city council staff to explore options for more durable clay construction materials.
The bike jumps were built in May last year by Wairarapa Cobham Intermediate School students, with $300 in funding from the city council.
At its meeting last week, the board was tasked with deciding whether to make the jumps permanent, to continue the trial period, or to remove them.
Deputy principal Peter Fowler said the board’s decision to extend the trial was “a good result” for the school.
He also understood why the city council would not want to spend money on permanent jumps made of asphalt.
The bike jump area has had positive feedback from children who use it, but residents have raised concerns.
At the board meeting, resident Christine Coster told members the “dirt bike jumps and the rest of the park users did not mix”.
Another resident, Jane Marett, told the board the bike jumps close proximity to the children’s play area made it a health and safety concern.
When interviewed Fowler defended the students’ bike jump area, saying “there was little need for concern from some residents”.
The one-year trial in Jeffreys Reserve came about after the city council decided an informal bike jump area built in the nearby Waiwetu Reserve was in an inappropriate location.
City council staff decided the bike jump area trial also needed to be away from trees after previous concerns about the potential impact on vegetation.
In her summary of the project at the board meeting, city council community partnership ranger Millie Stead described the intergenerational and multipurpose uses of the bike jumps.
She said a range of users from “toddlers on balance bikes” to “older more experienced riders” use the area.
Stead said the area is also used by the city council’s cycle safety team, which “shows its broader value beyond casual recreation”.
Fowler agreed with Stead’s view, saying the bike jumps encourage people of different generations to use the park.
When asked about the possibility of using asphalt on the jumps in the future, Fowler said it would depend on whether their is continued interest from the community.
“If the community’s boys or girls aren't using it then the council might just say ‘it was a good trial, let's move on’.”
