A Bike Park is being developed in central Whangarei as part of the multi-sports facilities being built at William Fraser Memorial Park, an old landfill site. The park will have something for everyone from toddlers on balance bikes, mountain bikers young and old, e-bikers wanting to get their confidence up, adaptive bikes, and BMX and freestyle riders. It will also be suitable for other micro wheels; skateboards, scooters, and skaters.
Parts of the park have been opened to the public as of August 2021, with development continuing in the remaining areas as funding becomes available. The park has already proved to be very popular with the car park full at weekends. Ultimately the park will be linked to nearby shared paths to the Hatea loop and Onerahi.
- Pump Track; Built and designed by international pump track specialists Velosolutions. This is actually two tracks next to each other, an intermediate track and an advanced track with 1.5-meter high berms. The surface is asphalt making it popular for bikers, skateboards, and scooters. The layout of the track consists of continuous loops with rollers and banked turns. Riders use their body position to generate speed, with the ideal outcome to be able to ride endlessly without pedaling.
- Circuit Track; An 800-meter asphalt loop track that is five meters wide. This is the perfect place to get your confidence without the worry of traffic, improve your fitness, or practice road riding in a bunch. This track is designed to be ridden in one direction (anti-clockwise), to minimize any conflicts. The Circuit track is suitable for all bikes and mobility vehicles including adaptive bikes.
Connection to the shared path network is currently possible across Dave Culham Drive. This currently includes a short section of gravel which will be upgraded to asphalt in the near future. This provides a great link to the Onerahi and Waimahanga paths, and the Hatea Loop.
Carparking is available onsite off Dave Culham Drive, including five accessibility parks. There are toilets on site and drinking fountains.
Still to come is a painted learn-to-ride track on the flat asphalt area around and through the existing building shelter. This will be the perfect place for traffic skills coaching, and a safe area for young riders to become aware of road signage and rules. A beginner bike skills area at the base of the building will allow small children to perfect their balance and riding skills, and the building is to get a substantial overhaul to create a light open area that can provide shelter from the sun and rain, and also provide a covered outdoor area for organised activities.
The Bike Park is open to the public and can be used for an event or regular training check out the Bike Park Rules and Etiquette and process guidelines.
