Moonee Valley Council wants to pull kids’ bike jumps down

To keep active during lockdown kids in Moonee Valley built themselves bike jumps, but now the local council wants to ruin the fun.

Local kids created a BMX track in Ascot Vale while in lockdown and council are threatening to tear it down. Picture: Josie Hayden

In Moonee Valley this Christmas it’s the local kids versus the council.

To keep active during the coronavirus lockdown earlier this year local kids in Moonee Valley built themselves mountain bike jumps near the Moonee Ponds creek.

The jumps have become popular with local kids with roughly 20 riders using them every day.

Now they’re in a stand-off with Moonee Valley Council which wants to pull them down.

On Monday when the Council arrived to begin the demolition they were forced to beat a hasty retreat when the kids refused to back down.

“Council sent a bobcat down yesterday but they went away because they can’t do anything when we’re here as it breaks their safety guidelines,” said Ignatius Smith, one of the ringleaders of the rebels.

The 14-year old said the standoff continued on Tuesday with Council threatening to send its “Youth Team” talk to them.

Local kids created a BMX track in Ascot Vale while in lockdown and council are threatening to tear it down. Picture: Josie Hayden

The bikers reject Moonee Valley’s claim the jumps have destroyed vegetation and say they’ve engaged local landcare group Friends of Moonee Ponds Creek.

“They claim there’s been damage to plants but that’s just not true – we’ve been really trying to stay away from where the plants are, we’re in the open part,” he said.

He says council concerns the jumps are unsafe are overblown.

“Ideally we’d want them to work with us: if they think they’re a safety risk we want them to show us how to make them safer,” he said.

“I think they’re worried about us suing them because it’s their land but we all know our level of skill.

Local kids say they understand the safety concerns, but think their reaction is over blown. Picture: Josie Hayden

“It is risky if we do crash but we know how hard we can push ourselves”.

Moonee Valley Mayor Cam Nation said as a result of recent community feedback, the council was undertaking an assessment of the bike jumps.

“We appreciate the time and effort that our local youth have put into this project, however we also need to ensure that the health and safety of our community is not compromised,” he said.

“Council also needs to ensure our local native environment is preserved.

“Moonee Valley City Council is already working with our local youth on a long-term solution and permanent bike jumps facility.”

But Ignatius Smith said the locals don’t want something built for them by council.

“Half the fun is building our own stuff and feeling we’ve achieved something in doing that,” he said.“We’re riding something that we’ve built.”