Bijou Bike Park: Preventing damage, safety issues and planned updates

Sledders and snowboarders this season were not kind to the new Bijou Bike Park, breaking down banked trails, overturning tables and benches, and leaving the area full of trash.

At Thursday's South Lake Tahoe Parks & Recreation Commission meeting, City staff, commissions and bike enthusiasts discussed how to ensure the damage and some other issues at the park come to an end.

A disregard of the hard word and hundreds of volunteer hours put into creating a center for cycling in South Lake Tahoe has been evident as people are seen walking over trails and park features meant only for bikes, leaving trash strewn throughout the surrounding terrain, damaging city property to create an urban snow park, sledding on hills meant only for bikes, and users not listening to volunteers trying to stop the behavior. Since this bike park is gaining national attention, and attracting future BMX and cycling events, changes and additions to the park were discussed at the May 12 meeting.

Lauren Thomaselli, the City of SLT Recreation Manager, said she is hiring a staff member to conduct summer bike classes on Thursdays, but they are also going to look into hiring a person to be on site to monitor users, enforce rules and keep an eye on the popular biking spot. How that will be paid for is unsure at this time. Having someone at the location will also help get tarps over sensitive ramps and jumps in case of rain.

One thought to earn money for paid staff is to have a "donation" parking meter near the soon to come "Fix-It Station." This station will be on a cement pad with tools, air pump and a bike rack so people can tend to their bikes while enjooying the park.

"This park needs to be constantly maintained," said Jim Marino, the City's Capital Improvement Project Manager.

The City is going to take 50 of the 140 trees being cut down across the street from the Bijou Bike Park at the City Playfields and bring them over to support the berms around the bike area, to help cut down foot traffic. They are also bringing in ten truck loads of dirt from the airport to fix the damaged features and trails. They will look at adding vegetation will the added dirt and trees to give the appearance of a no-walking area.

Fences will soon be going up, but not to surround the whole bike park.

"We’re only looking to add fencing in at key areas like between the play ground and at some areas along the straights on the BMX track," said Ben Fish, the leader of the effort to build Bijou Bike Park, and Presidents of the Association. "We will also be adding gates that can help close some features on the jump lines during the winter."

The Bijou Park is planned to not only be the home of the Bike Park, but a hub of recreation in South Lake Tahoe. Expansion of all activities are planned. "

The current disc golf course is heavily used, but can attract a different culture to the park than what is conducive to a family-friendly experience. Participants tend to drink and smoke, both illegal activities at the park, so rules will be made public with signage and enforcement.

Not only are rules needed for illegal activities, but also for etiquette of bikers, safety for those at both the skate and parks and other important areas of concern.

"We have growing pains," said Fish. "We tried to anticipate as much as possible>"

Beside the fences, new dirt and signage, the Bike Park will see a new location for the Strider course as well as a new BMX park. "We want to morph the park into being cutting edge," said Fish. "Always changing and updating."

The association watching over bike parks checks them out all year long, and there are many rules that have to be followed. There is industry support to keep riders on age appropriate parts of the park and planned signage they hope will control this.

It has been disappointing to the volunteers and commissioners with the amount of water bottles being tossed into the woods along with other trash, and total lack of respect for the hard work everyone has put into the park.

They all feel education of the public will solve many problems, especially with the culture that surrounds large events that are expected.

Since so many volunteer hours went into creating what is now being mentioned around the country as a "go to" bike location, they want to create a culture of giving back. Picking up trash, helping out on work days and helping spread the word about rules are just a few of the possibilities.

"Volunteers do what they can, and are doing a great job," said Marino. "Its hard to control those that don't know the rules."

He also suggested the City create a policy manual that will grow with the park. Items contained might include winterization plans, seasonal tasks, park policy and other items that will stay with the park, even after current partners are no longer involved.