Riders at the Jerrabomberra pump track might have somewhere new to try out if a proposed course at Bungendore is approved. Photo: Mareeta Grundy.
A southeast community has put the wheels in motion for a new bike track for its town.
Bungendore mum Genevieve Hopkins’ push to create a new bike track was inspired by one of her son’s school projects, where he was asked to solve an issue in his community.
His idea was to create a pump track (a kind of purpose-built bike course that relies on riders’ momentum to push them along without pedalling).
“There’s not much in Bungendore for bike riders, and he would love to see a pump track … I really liked it [his design] and thought there’d be lots of interest,” she told Region.
“His peer group was really interested.”
Ms Hopkins has published a draft proposal for the bike track to give people “a bit of an idea” of what it could look like.
Ms Hopkins said Bungendore didn’t have a dedicated pump track and that while some people created “makeshift jump stacks”, that wasn’t the same as a dedicated facility.
Instead, people needed to drive to facilities in Jerrabomberra, Googong, Stromlo Forest Park and Majura Pines (with the latter two across the border in Canberra). Yass Valley Council has also recently voted to launch a focus group to create one in its area.
“There are a lot of people who do mountain biking and, like my son, they go to Stromlo for lessons,” Ms Hopkins said.
“They’re that determined … a whole heap of people go to other towns 30 minutes away.”
While her son’s project examined a different location, Ms Hopkins is putting forward the corner of McMahon and McCusker drives as a potential site.
“That location is right next to amenities,” she said. ”There’s lighting, there’s security cameras. It’s also central and easy to get to.
“It’s in a flood zone — which sounds terrible — but it’s perfect for a pump track and would require minimal mitigation for floods.”
This would put a pump track near the town’s skatepark.
“If it’s staged in the way that I’ve proposed, there will be a beginner pump track for the littlies so they can learn basic bike-handling skills,” Ms Hopkins said.
“Right next to it, [older kids] can build their skills in BMX and mountain biking on a technical pump track.”
The proposed pump track would be near Bungendore’s skatepark (on the right). Photo: Genevieve Hopkins.
Since starting the campaign, Ms Hopkins said, people had been quick to express their support, pointing to comments that it would give young people something to do.
“The response [to initial posts on Facebook] was pretty amazing — it was immediate and very positive,” she said.
“It wasn’t just children who were interested, it was parents and adults. I thought, ‘This has legs’.”
She said she had also met with several councillors, who had indicated their support.
Ms Hopkins has been working with a friend on the early planning for the project, but said several things needed to happen before it could progress.
“The ball is in our court. The next step is getting a working group together, getting the initial design and costings [sorted],” she said.
The timeline is “pretty open”, with the pair looking to form a group so they can apply for grants and keep working on a formal proposal they can submit.
A Queanbeyan-Palerang Regional Council (QPRC) spokesperson confirmed that while meetings with council staff had been held, a pump track currently wasn’t part of the administration’s plans.
“Public consultation and input would be a part of the project if council agrees to a suitable site and funding is sourced,” they told Region.
“Council’s Youth Advisory Committee are very keen to work on progressing projects that will engage young people in Bungendore.”
