HomeMy WebLinkAbout10/6/2021 Item 4b, Chapman (3)
Delgado, Adriana
From:Lesley Chapman <lesley@birdmaninc.com>
Sent:Wednesday, October
To:Advisory Bodies
Subject:Bike Pump Track
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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,
Rick & Lesley Chapman
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