Why a Bayside councillor wants to ditch ‘illegal’ bike jumps in Hurlingham Park
A council motion to stop riders building “illegal” bike jumps in a Brighton park has divided locals but residents say rising crime is the issue in the suburbs, not “kids being kids”.
South East
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A council motion to stop riders building “illegal” bike jumps in a Brighton park has divided locals, with residents arguing the ban would send kids away from the park.
Bayside councillor Robert Irlicht will put forward a motion to stop the creation and use of illegal bike jumps at Hurlingham Park, Brighton at the council meeting on Tuesday night.
In the notice of motion, Mr Irlicht wrote there was “significant community concern” about the illegal bike jumps, which have been repeatedly been levelled by council and rebuilt by keen riders for several years.
He requested the council create a “proactive strategy” to deter the “unauthorised excavations” by installing signage, CCTV cameras, reinstalling grass or by converting the area into a landscaped garden.
“Reactive measures have proven insufficient, as the bike jumps are quickly reinstated,” Mr Irlicht wrote.
“A proactive approach will address the root causes of the issue, enhance the park’s amenity, and align with council’s commitment to maintaining safe and accessible public spaces for all residents.”
Sally Heffernan — who walks her two dogs several times a week at Hurlingham Park — said the ban would only send kids away from the park.
“Even though the kids who are speeding around the park on their bikes can be noisy and even sometimes a bit dangerous I would rather see them on their bikes in a park than see them wandering around Brighton looking for something to fix their boredom,” she said.
“We already have enough problems in this area with young criminals, kids being kids and riding their bikes should be the least of our concerns.”
But Brighton mum Grace said the jumps were dangerous and agreed they should be removed.
“You never want to see any kid get hurt, on the jump or by other kids whizzing around on their bikes,” she said.
“But I think they should have somewhere to go, somewhere safer and designated for BMX riding in their local area.”
While there are several bike trails in Bayside, thrillseeking riders have to travel to Cheltenham to access authorised BMX tracks next to the Sandringham Family Leisure precinct.
There are also four skate parks in the council area including the Royal Ave Parkland Skate Bowl in Sandringham, Peterson Reserve Skate Park in Highett, Donald MacDonald Reserve Skate Park in Beaumaris and the Elsternwick Park South Skate Park in Brighton.
However the skate park in Brighton has two concrete bowls for tricks rather than dirt bike jumps like the illegal jumps that were constructed at Hurlingham Park.
