Bike jump tracks built by teenagers in three reserves at Engadine will not be removed.
Sutherland Shire Council was due at this week’s meeting to decide the fate of one of the tracks, in Lantana Road Reserve, following complaints bushland was being damaged.
The council decided not only that the track should stay, but so should two others in Brigalow Place Reserve and Geelong Road Reserve.
Council staff will maintain, monitor and, if necessary, take action to mitigate risks to riders and minimise any damage to bushland.
Mayor Carmelo Pesce, who represents D Ward, which includes Engadine, added the extra two reserves to the motion he moved, which was carried unanimously.
Cr Pesce was the only D Ward councillor present.
Cr Pesce said later he was aware of community concerns from comments on social media the council would remove the tracks in all three reserves, and he contacted one of the residents to get further information.
“Let kids be kids,” he said. “When I was a kid that’s what we did.
“People whinge about kids being inside on their iPads and not going outside to play.
“This is an opportunity for them to be outside, exercising and having fun.”
Two other options on Lantana Road Reserve, which were put by council staff to the meeting, involved the construction of new facilities, with an outlay of $5000 to $30,000, depending on the size and scale, plus ongoing maintenance costs.
A staff report said, from time to time, council removed such tracks, but often the facilities re-appeared at the same location or elsewhere.
Lantana Road Reserve was an opportunity to “re-think” the traditional approach to removing them and develop a solution that could serve as a precedent for managing similar sites.
“Such facilities do help develop gross motor skills and encourage more children to engage in physical activity,” the report said.
“Encouraging children to exercise through their school years may also help them to form positive long-term habits to take into adulthood.”
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