By Marcus Uhe
The mountain biking community in Pearcedale and coastal villages need a suitable mountain biking trail, according to former resident and avid rider Ben Oliver.
Mr Oliver has launched an online petition having grown frustrated with the lack of facilities in the area.
The petition has garnered more than 250 signatures.
With Melbourne’s outer suburbs growing rapidly in recent years and showing no signs of slowing down, he feels it’s time investment in the riding infrastructure shifted gears to match other improvements in the area.
“In Pearcedale there’s been a massive amount of money put towards recreation areas,” he said.
“The footy club getting re-done, the skate park being re-done. That’s great for scooter riders and skateboarders but the BMX track doesn’t suit the style of riding that everyone wants to do these days.
“The main places in our area are Red Hill on the Mornington Peninsula. It’s really hard for kids to learn how to jump and progress their skills.”
Sporting clubs at the Pearcedale Recreation Reserve are set to benefit from new facilities, such as changing rooms, a community hall, an office and an outdoor undercover area, jointly-funded by the City of Casey and the state government’s Growing Suburbs Fund.
The BMX track at the recreation reserve, or the racing track at Casey Fields, does not suit the current communities’ demands, based on riding trends, Mr Oliver said.
“BMX used to be a big thing and over the past five years mountain biking has exponentially grown.
“My local trails, about half-hour south of Pearcedale in Red Hill, the interest has grown exponentially mainly because of Covid-19.
“I definitely think if we had more of an impressive jump track to ride in Pearcedale it would take traffic off surrounding areas as well, and kids wouldn’t have to rely on parents to drive them too.”
During lockdowns the parks across Melbourne and around the area were damaged as locals took matters into their own hands with the creation of DIY jumps and tracks, desperate for an outlet during the allotted time for outdoor exercise.
A proper track would reduce the need for dangerous, amateur constructed tracks damaging council property, it’s been argued.
Mr Oliver also said the intangible social benefits would greatly enhance community spirit.
“Every friend that I have right now is from riding bikes. The great thing is it’s such a kind community. What I found is that everyone’s keen to help. Whether you break your bike or need tips to ride a certain jump, everyone seems happy.”
Director city planning and infrastructure at the City of Casey James Collins said the council was aware of the petition and said while there were “no immediate plans” to upgrade the current track at Pearcedale, they appreciate the community feedback.
“The City of Casey’s Open Space Strategy provides a framework to guide the planning, design, development and management of open spaces in our community,” Mr Collins said.
“As well as having many local parks within walking distance, we aim to have larger parks with more features such as pump tracks for riders within about one kilometre of all suburban households. These tracks are designed to meet the needs of riders of all ages with beginner to intermediate experience, rather than advanced riders.
“The Casey Fields Master Plan does however propose a pump track, adjacent to the new BMX track, which has the potential to consider more advanced jumps, given the regional nature of the sporting precinct, however there is no funding currently allocated to its design and construction.
“In 2014 council developed a Sport Cycling Strategy that considered all types of cycling. It did not recommend building a large-scale facility in Casey due to the existing State Mountain Bike course at Lysterfield (part of which falls in Casey’s municipality), and also because of Casey’s topography being mostly flat – it is difficult to get the appropriate terrain that would make an interesting, challenging track for advanced mountain bike riders.
“Furthermore, the national governing body for cycling AusCycling prepared the Victorian Mountain Bike Strategy in 2021 and did not recommend any new mountain bike trails in Casey.”
To sign Mr Oliver’s petition, head to change.org/p/pearcedale-bike-jumps
