Bike tracks: Sutherland Council to pull down homemade BMX tracks
Outraged parents say Sutherland Council is stopping kids from playing outside with its decision to destroy bike areas due to “environmental concerns” and possible damage to “Aboriginal heritage”.
NSW
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Sutherland Shire Council has declared it will destroy bike jumps made by local kids wanting to spend more time outdoors because of “environmental concerns” and possible damage to “Aboriginal heritage”.
Outraged parents have received pamphlets in their letterboxes informing them that the jumps made at a number of reserves would either be flattened or filled in.
They say their kids should be encouraged to spend more time outdoors rather than sit at home on their devices.
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“Unauthorised bike track construction has increased significantly during 2020, resulting in more complaints from the community about the impact of this activity on our shared environment and potential risks to public safety,” a council announcement said.
“Construction of tracks may also result in damage to bushland including areas with endangered ecological communities, threatened species or Aboriginal heritage value.”
In response local mother Karen Ward has started an online petition to stop the demolition of the jumps so kids can continue to have their outdoor fun which she said fostered teamwork and physical activity.
She said the jumps were a fun physical activity for older children who would be otherwise watching YouTube or playing video games.
“Sutherland Shire Council, rather than spending thousands of rate payer dollars on assessing these jumps around the shire, then creating flyers to warn neighbours followed by contractors undoing all the kids work — why don’t you engage with the youth and support their activities on the mainly unused council land,” she said.
Sutherland Shire mayor Steve Simpson said council staff had retained some bike jumps which had been deemed safe while others posed a risk to children’s safety.
“Without a doubt there are boys and girls who love to go out and do those things. There are some who stay within a limit where council can see they have not done any harm to the environment and not put anyone at risk,” Mr Simpson said.
Mum Liz Latta said some children had stacked their bikes on occasion, but no one had been seriously hurt at the bike jumps near her Caringbah North home.
“It is a spot where you feel your kids are safe to leave home, ride down, go on the jumps with their mates and come home before dark,” Ms Latta said.
“It is a bit old school … (but) what would you rather them do, sit at home on a screen?”
Father Ross Kenna said he believed council was listening to a vocal minority rather than the majority of families who lived in the area.
“There will be kids coming into our garage grabbing shovels and they all spent hours down there every week building it or making it bigger, they have worked really hard,” Mr Kenna said. His son Gabe, 10, said: “It is fun because everyone does it and no one gets excluded because of how good they are.”
Boys Education expert Dr Peter West said taking risks and creatively building things was essential to children’s development.
“Boys and girls have got to get out and explore and move and yell and make a noise … There has to be some room for kids to get all that wildness out of them otherwise we’re just keeping them quiet all the time and it doesn’t work,” he said.