The City of Greater Geelong will remove a collection of makeshift bike jumps across the city over safety fears.
The number of makeshift bike jumps built by young riders has soared across Victoria over the past 18 months, as COVID-19 restrictions limited recreation activities and travel.
The City has identified a number of sites across Greater Geelong’s parks, bushland, and open space areas, where amateur jumps and trails have been created.
The City has been assessing rider-built jumps and tracks across the municipality over the past few weeks.
It said while it appreciated the benefits of outdoor activity, some sites had significantly damaged trees and vegetation, with branches cut and severed.
To reduce the risk of injury and to restore the natural values of the areas, makeshift jumps that have damaged the environment and pose a risk to public safety will be removed.
Advisory signs will be placed on the sites identified for repatriation works.
Following the removal of a large site at Zillah Crawcour Park in Newtown, work is scheduled to be carried out in four locations along the Bellarine Rail Trail in Leopold.
City community life director Robyn Stevens said it was important that open spaces were safe for all people to enjoy.
“We understand that kids want to have fun and we encourage healthy outdoor activities, but we have an obligation to limit risk on the land we manage,” she said.
“Many of these temporary jumps are not structurally sound.
“The unsuitable and unsafe modifications are being removed to reduce the risk of injury and to protect our environmental features.”
Ms Stevens said despite the removal, the City was keen to identify new opportunities for young people to enjoy bike riding and other outdoor activities.
“We are committed to providing more facilities that foster positive physical and mental health,” she said.
“We’re working with young people and other community members to determine their needs and to find appropriate small-scale bike jumps in their local area.”
The City has met with young people and residents in Ocean Grove and Barwon Heads to gauge their views on supporting informal bike jumps in the townships.
That followed a council allocation of $100,000 for a feasibility study into a new district bike jump facility in Ocean Grove.
The council has also committed to delivering a bike discovery track through the recently adopted Barwon Heads Village master plan, and further improvements were being investigated for The Hill Mountain Bike Park in Newtown.
