Background

-Adapted from City of Lafayette Staff Report 12/8/08.

Background

Mountain bike and bmx jumping have been steadily growing over the past ten years; so much so that bmx was featured in the 2008 Olympic Games (mountain biking debuted in 2004). Much like the current trend of skate parks across the country, the demand for bike jump parks is on the rise. Many cities have or are building parks of their own.

For years, riders have been building unauthorized jumps in the Lafayette Community Park. As the popularity of the sport grew, so did the size and number of the jumps local riders would build. The jumps grew to the point that, in order to expand their jump site, riders began building closer and closer to the Las Trampas Creek bed causing damage to trees and banks. Parks maintenance staff has repeatedly removed these sites within the park, frustrating the bike jumpers and resulting in new bike jumps built in other undesirable locations. The nearest public bike jump park is run by the City of Pleasanton. That park was built when the City was faced with a situation similar to Lafayette and found that giving the riders a place to enjoy their sport was the best solution. (Click to view before and after photos of constructed and deconstructed unsanctioned riding areas in Lafayette.)

Recreation Program Coordinator Jonathan Katayanagi began a dialog with a number of the local riders, builders and bike shops in the area in an effort to find a solution. The result was the formation of the Lafayette Bike Jumps User Group. This group has been meeting and doing extensive research on other city bike parks in hopes of adding a bike jump park to the Lafayette Community Park. They studied existing bike parks in Aptos, San Jose, Pleasanton, Fresno, and Folsom.

A comprehensive report was presented to the Lafayette Parks Subcommittee and then the entire Parks, Trails and Recreation (PTR) Commission. After questions and discussion, the Commission was in full support of moving forward with a Bike Park project in the Lafayette Community Park at the identified site.

Bike Park Site

The process began to identify a suitable location for the development of a bike park facility that would be accessible to local riders in the community, provide enough space and suitable terrain to create a high quality park riding experience, ensure minimal environmental impact during construction, maintenance and the long term operation of the facility. City staff, the Park Trails and Recreation Commission and knowledgeable local riders identified a 1.8-acre site within the Lafayette Community Park for a bike jump facility. The site is in the south-end of Lafayette Community Park, which is designated for active recreational use. Amenities such as restrooms, drinking fountains, trash and recycling cans, in addition to access to regional biking (paved path) trails, parking and bus stop make the site a very suitable location. The current dirt access road would border the proposed site providing easy access for construction and equipment and emergency vehicles. There is currently a water line that runs to the batting cages; close enough to provide water at the base of the site during construction and maintenance.

Bike Park Design Process

The second step of the project was to find a designer and have a design made.  The design would dictate what types of features would go in the areas of the park, what areas are dedicated to beginner, intermediate and advanced level features, as well as the flow of the park as riders go from feature to feature.  The designer would also help the city determine whether the site would provide sufficient dirt once graded to build jumps and determine if the dirt onsite provides a mix of clay and sand suitable for building bike park features. 

Bike Park Design Firm

After visiting and talking to the cities who have built their own bike parks, an experienced design firm was selected: Hilride Progression Development Group. This experienced firm puts a lot of emphasis on skills progression parks and ensuring the park would be suitable for beginner to advanced level riders. Their designs offer a variety of features for different bike riding interests and abilities, including jumps, tracks, elevated trails, log rides and appropriate signage. Their services also include website design and volunteer coordination. Hilride could also provide project management services. The user group preferred to use Hilride because of their experience with other bike parks.

Bike Park Community Design Development

The vision and Master Plan for the Lafayette Bike Park was developed through a series of Community Design Development public stakeholder meetings facilitated by Hilrdie. These meetings provided an opportunity for local riders, builders, and other members of the community to provide their input on the style, aesthetic quality, flow, progression, and specific riding features and experiences, that they hoped to ride at the bike park.

Environmental Compliance

With an approved Master Plan, the proposed park is currently going through a rigorous environmental review period, which includes obtaining permits and complying with CEQA.