HomeMy WebLinkAbout10/6/2021 Item 4b, Chapman (2)
Delgado, Adriana
From:Rowen Chapman <rowenchapman10@gmail.com>
Sent:Tuesday, October
To:Advisory Bodies
Subject:Bike park in SLO
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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 pumped gas at Costco. 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 also received steady & continuous 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.
Sincerely,
Rowen Chapman
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