One of the three pillars of the Land Bank’s mission is to create outdoor recreational opportunities for residents and visitors. Despite there being a thriving culture of biking on the island, there is no existing bike park where people can build and practice skills to be used both on and off the island. The Land Bank is exploring creating a bike park for all ages and abilities to fill this need – read on to learn more!
What is a Bike Park?
A bike park is an area or park dedicated to biking. Bike parks can come in many different sizes and configurations and may include a variety of features such as skills courses, pump tracks, trails, jumps, and more.
Project Goals
- Create an area where people of all ages and abilities can have fun and progress in bike skills.
- Create features that aren’t available anywhere else on the island.
- Provide a place for kids and teenagers to practice skills.
- Incorporate unique bike park elements to support bike skill development and confidence.
Public input is vital to the success of this project, and these goals may evolve to align with our community’s needs. The feedback we receive could also influence the scale and types of features we will incorporate into this park.
Project Site
The site being considered for this project is a Land Bank property located on Milestone Road just past Tetawkimmo Drive.
This location was previously disturbed and is a popular area for mountain bikers.
Here you can see the current property conditions. We hope to integrate the park and its features into the surrounding landscape as much as possible and as such, will be reviewing the existing natural attributes of the property carefully.
This location provides connectivity from the bike path to the middle moors. Visitors will be able to access the park from these trail networks and/or use the park as a warmup before a longer ride into the middle moors and beyond.
Design Approach
The design approach is to create a fun environment with a variety of experiences for all ages and abilities. Our target audience for this park spans from young children who are just starting to ride a bike and need to develop skills and confidence to older and experienced riders who want features that challenge them and add a level of excitement. We will incorporate a broad range of bike park elements, so users can revisit the park for years to come and still feel challenged.
Adaptive Trail Considerations
Adaptive cycling is quite popular, and adaptive bicycles can go on virtually any trail within certain parameters, such as the width of a bridge or the width between two trees. We will be assimilating accessibility features into this design.
Other Considerations
This park will serve as a community space, and there is potential to add structures for small and/or large gatherings (e.g., places for parents to watch their children, for events, etc.). We are also exploring the idea of including other elements, such as lighting, parking, a walking loop, and more.
What’s Next?
We are in the first phase of this project and are seeking community feedback on what the public wants to see at this park.
Please share this survey with your friends, family, and fellow cyclists! Your input is valued and will help ensure that this new community resource is a place that everyone loves.
Once we have compiled this first round of feedback, our design team will draw up plans and concepts, which we will present to the community for further feedback.
Learn More
Watch the Community Meeting we held via Zoom on June 18th to learn more!