Help Calgary get its own bike park!

This is our chance to help Calgary get its first and only bike park! We just need everyone to come together and vote!

http://www.avivacommunityfund.org/ideas/acf11512



OVERVIEW:

Mission & Vision CALGARY MOUNTAIN BIKE SKILLS PARK

To develop and maintain a fun, safe and accessible environment for mountain biking opportunities to all members of the greater community. Fostering a future for mountain biking, while uniting the diverse biking communities and promoting an active lifestyle through sport.

1) Introduction 1.1 What is a Mountain Bike Skills Park? A Mountain Bike Skills Park is typically comprised of a variety of Technical Trail Features (TTFs) arranged in a park-like setting. Skills Parks also integrate well into urban environments. TTFs are ideal for technical mountain bike skills development, and include natural obstacles (e.g. rocks and logs), engineered features (e.g. ladder bridges), log rides and dirt jumps. Bike parks come in different shapes and sizes, but share the common theme of making technically challenging mountain biking more available to the public, especially youth and families. These parks accommodate a wide range of abilities, with opportunities for skill building on progressively difficult challenges.
The past few years have seen a burst of new skills parks built across Canada. The goal of the Bike Park Association is to create a safe environment within the Calgary region that is easily accessible for mountain bikers of all ages and skill level. The park will be well built, environmentally friendly and easy to maintain. The park will also provide comfortable facilities for family and friends (e.g. picnic tables and benches). 1.2 Bike Park Design A bike park is best set in a natural forested environment with the main area situated in an opening. The main area is populated with a high density and diversity of Technical Trail Features. Sprouting out from the main area is a network of trails that loop back to the core. Incorporated into these trails are certain key TTFs. An alternative ride-around route is always built next to the TTF for those electing not to attempt the feature. Ideally, several of these trails will be linked to nearby city multi-purpose trails and paths thereby granting easy access to the area for those commuting by bike. Technical Trail Features include: • Jump features: dirt jumps, jump pack, • Drop features: dirt, wood • North Shore-style skill features: “skinnies”, log rides, ladder bridges, teeter-totters • A pump track, BMX & Cyclo-cross Track

Sloped or undulating terrain within the bike park is ideal for a number of reasons. First, it presents a natural run-in for the TTFs thereby saving the cost of building artificial ones. It gives spectators a natural safe place to watch the riders. Strategic placement of dirt mounds offer photographers and videographers a safe vantage point from which to capture riders in action.
Another key consideration in the design of any bike park is the variety of biking equipment and style. The bike types considered when designing a Skills Park include mountain bikes with and without suspension, as well as BMX bikes. Even those types can be broken down into DH, FR, AM, XC, Trail, DJ, slopestyle, freestyle, etc. These bikes differ in terms of amount of suspension, wheel size and roll speed. As a result, the geometry and dimensions of TTFs must vary in order to provide an optimum and safe riding experience. No one-size feature fits all styles. Understanding this and incorporating it into the Skills Park design will reduce the risk of rider injury. Further, TTFs should be built in a range progressing from beginner to advanced ability.

2) IMPACT & BENEFITS The community impacts and benefits of a new Bike Park within the envisioned scope are truly far-reaching.

This facility will: ­ Promote lifelong skills development and active lifestyles ­ Be a free-of-charge, open-access facility that promotes an all-inclusive experience, and particularly benefits low-income and ‘at risk’ families and youth ­ Discourage the building of unofficial trails and stunts within city limits ­ Fulfill a need that is not currently met in Calgary Promote healthy lifestyles for people of all ages – particularly among youth ­ Provide a new outlet for high energy youth who are not interested in traditional sports ­ Improve rider safety through skills development on professionally built infrastructure ­ Benefit families directly through facility usage, and indirectly by having a safe and accessible facility for family members ­ Have a lasting impact on the community

We identified potential areas of alignment between the scope and objectives of the Skills Park and the City of Calgary’s current endeavours. They are as follows:

• Parks and Recreation Business Units.
o Provide a new and alternative recreational use for undeveloped City land.
o Protect Calgary’s park resources by encouraging the respectful use of land and discouraging the building of illegal bike trails and stunts within the city limits.
o Preserve and sustain park resources