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Showing posts with label BMX. Show all posts
Showing posts with label BMX. Show all posts
Tuesday, 10 June 2014
Saturday, 7 June 2014
Chalkhill BMX track ready for use
The cycle facilities at Chalkhill Open Space (Barnhill Road/St David’s Close) are now complete and ready for use by the local community. The facilities provided include a BMX track, a family cycle trail around the perimeter of the open space and a scooter track. More information on the facilities can be found at this webpage: LINK
A
few things remain outstanding such as moving the football goalposts
away from the cycle trail and time for the grass seed to establish but
these do not diminish the availability of the cycle facilities.
The official launch of the facility is likely to be June 25th but children were already enjoying the BMX track when I came by on Thursday evening.
A great addition to the facilities on Chalkhill thanks to Brent Council's Sports and Parks Department.
Tuesday, 13 May 2014
Chalkhill kids get on their bikes as school invests in cycling
Chalkhill Primary School has used 'Healthy Schools' money to buy bike and scooter storage:
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| There are two of these covered bike racks with helmet storage |
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| Scooter rack |
The teacher in charge has trained in Cycling Profiency and there train chldren and others. He works with Sustrans on bike safety and there is a Dr Bike safety and repair service.
Cycling Club runs before school every Wednesday. Children can use the large playground to improve their skills and control before other children arrive, The children who attend have named themselves the 'Bike-it Crew',
The school runs a special Bikers' Breakfast with a free breakfast, film and other events.
Cycling is also integrated into the sports and PE curriculun with children taking the bikes out for on and off road training.
Meanwhile 5 minutes up the road from the school additional cycling facilities are taking shape. The children were consulted by the designers of the facility which consists of a BMX track, family cycling track and a scooter course.
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| BMX track under construction in St David's Close |
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| Part of the circular Family Bike Track |
Friday, 8 November 2013
This should get Chalkhill residents on their bikes!
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| The site plan |
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| The BMX track |
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| The scooter track |
The initial deadline for comments is November 20th 2013 and the planning officer is Matthew Harvey: matthew.harvey@brent.gov.uk
Only two comments so far appear on the website. One is a simple objection while the other states:
Support: I currently live in a neighbouring borough and would be prepared to cycle 3 miles here to use this facility. I have grown up riding BMX in East London and moved to North London recently I have seen the benefits first hand of what places like this can do for local kids and communities. I've seen kids from all kids of backgrounds become friends, avoid turning to crime and help stay healthy because they had somewhere to go and something to do on the weekends.I hope there will be similar positive comments from local residents including children.
This is a summary of the facilities from the Planning Application:
Family Cycle Trail
The Family cycle trail
will be a ‘Green Grade Trail’ based on the International Mountain Bicycling
Association’s (IMBA) grading of routes/trails. The difficulty level of the
proposed trail equates to ‘Leisure and Easy’ and will be built to IMBA Standards
for Green Grade Trails.
The Family Trail (Green
Trail) will snake its way around the Sports field as indicated on the design.
Boulder stones will be placed to add features to the trail and help create a
natural segregation from riders and pedestrians. Best possible use will be made
of existing land forms and features onsite. All aspects of the trail will be
integrated into the exiting land forms as much as possible for example
elevations and deviations of the existing parkland.
BMX Track
The proposal relates to
the creation of a BMX Track facility to The Royal Society for the Prevention of
Accidents (ROSPA) and British Cycling standards. Further, a post installation
inspection will be carried out before the facility is handed over to ensure it
meets the standards and safety parameters set by British Cycling and ROSPA
The proposed design has
been created to suit all abilities of riders from beginners to experts as all
obstacles are to be 'rollable', meaning not so confident riders can roll over
each obstacle and still carry sufficient speed for the next. The nature of the
obstacles and angle of the berms will allow more experienced riders to carry
further speed and negotiate the obstacles in a number of different ways. Each
element of the track will be progressive and allow riders to increase their
skill level during each visit.
The Start Hill has been
positioned to be easily accessible from the entrance to the area. This helps to
reduce conflict between riders as well as other users of the sport ground as
the easiest way to the track
start it the most desired
route.
The position of the Start
Hill also helps to reduce the possibility of riders crossing the track as the
Start Hill is the area riders congregate and when positioned as close to the
entrance as possible riders are magnetized towards the correct starting position before riding the track. The
Track start slope is low to help control the speed of riders entering the first
straight. This will give less skilled riders the confidence to try the track as
they will not be entering th e obstacles at great speeds. The obstacles have
also been designed low. This keeps the speed controlled by not allowing riders
to gain lots of speed from long down slopes which high jumps would allow.
Inexperienced riders can
roll each obstacle safely whilst still carrying enough speed to negotiate the
next. The track will also be of interest to more experienced riders as they can
try to ride the track in different combinations and carry extra speed round the
berms.
Scooter Track
The Scooter Track will be
placed at the end of the asphalted access path to the area to allow for ease of
access by the users such as young children and families.
These asphalted access
paths will allow users of scooters and other small wheeled bikes ease of access
to the Scooter track as they will be of a smooth finish.
The access path will cross
over the start or return of the family cycle trail. this will be negotiated
with the use of stone boulders to slow both riders on the family trail and
users of the scooter track by means of a squeeze area.
The Scooter Track itself
will consist of small low obstacles linking from one to another. There will
also be a low start hill to allow riders to gain sufficient speed to negotiate
the obstacles along the Track. The entire Scooter Track will be finished in
asphalt to allow a smooth finish for the small wheeled Scooters and Bikes. The
smoother the finish the easier smaller wheels will be able to travel over the
surface.
Storage Container
The storage container will
be supplied to provide a future cycling club valuable storage space for
equipment such as bikes, helmets and other safety equipment.
Floodlighting is not
proposed and the lack of this provision should minimise recreational noise
during the hours of darkness.
Monday, 23 April 2012
Chalkhill children need summer activities
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| St David's Open Space very early Sunday morning |
Because of the further delay in the building of Chalkhill Park in my role as Chair of Governors I have backed the request by Chalkhill Pupil School Council for the refurbishment of the BMX track at St David's and installation of a skateboarding area.
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| The overgrown BMX track |
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| The Chalkhill Park site two weeks ago |
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