HomeMy WebLinkAbout10/6/2021 Item 4/4b, Miles
Delgado, Adriana
From:Miles Gary <milesgary@gmail.com>
Sent:Monday,
To:Advisory Bodies
Subject:Dog Parks and Bike Pump Tracks
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Dear Parks & Rec Commission,
Please accelerate the development of city provided dirt jump parks and a pump track to replace the recent
destruction of the Costco Jumps. This new, or addition to a city park must be in an area that is centrally
located, easily accessible by kids via bike, and along designated safe cycling routes already in use to travel
between schools and across town. The acceptable locations include Laguna Lake Park & near Sinsheimer Park
along the Railroad Safety trail.
The dirt jumps at Costco, while unauthorized, became a valued community resource over their decade-plus
existence. I used them, my kids used them, and they were always in use while I rode my bike up Froom Creek.
Jumps like these promote a healthy lifestyle for riders of all ages and abilities, build skills, teach responsibility
with their use & maintenance, and promote community bonds via easy equitable access.
There are many cities with jump parks that SLO can use as a guide. Just to name a few: Truckee Bike Park,
Sedona Bike Skills Park, Bijou at South Lake Tahoe, Snakes Hollow in St. George Ut, Valmont in Boulder CO. All
are incredible and offer a range of beginner, intermediate, and expert features accessible and challenging to
all abilities.
As previously stated, location and ease of access is key. Laguna and near Sinsheimer would promote healthy
lifestyle choices as well as be the most environmentally acceptable locations. A bike park should be located
where kids are already riding and not require a drive by car. Sedona & St George’s bike parks are located
directly adjacent to their middle schools and thus receive massive use. Costco jumps were there for all to see
and thus received massive use. For this reason, the suggestion to put a facility out by the sewer treatment
plant should be a non-starter. There is no safe way for a kid to ride their bike to that part of town and the fact
that a car ride is required to use a bike skills facility should give us all pause as we work towards our 2030
climate action goals. Additionally, putting a bike facility whose primary users will be children near the sewer
treatment plant as a homeless encampment deterrent is in poor taste and poorly thought out. Kids should
never be used in this way.
--
Miles Gary
milesgary@gmail.com
805-459-9993
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