WA’s peak cycling advocacy body and a prominent bike trail designer have said while it is heartening to see local governments pumping finances into two-wheeled sport, not enough funds are being put toward the maintenance of these biking facilities for the long term. WestCycle said it recognised these highly used facilities for BMX and mountain biking (MTB) provided significant benefit to local communities by keeping kids active and engaged. “These investments are significant steps in the right direction,” WestCycle CEO Wayne Bradshaw said. “While facilities like the Yalbunullup trail near Lake Joondalup and the Mooro-Beeloo Bridge BMX/MTB pump track (in Bayswater) are a great start, the next step is to ensure the sustainability and ongoing growth of all MTB trails and other off-road facilities in WA. PerthNow Digital Edition . Your local paper, whenever you want it. Read now “Maintenance is an issue too. The popularity of these trails means there is an increasing demand for maintenance to ensure safety, accessibility, and enjoyment for all users. “Continued investment is crucial, particularly for maintaining both new and existing trails.” Paul Neve from Three Chillies Design is the man behind the design and construction of the unique Bayswater pump track under the Tonkin Highway, which was conceived to activate oft forgotten urban spaces. He said while he has built countless tracks over two decades, most local governments don’t have the knowledge and ability to do their own maintenance of these biking facilities and thus call upon companies such as his for their expertise. “We’ve built a lot over the years, and we did them all in clay back in those days, but then nobody would do their maintenance,” Mr Neve said. Camera Icon Paul Neve, director of Three Chillies Design. Credit: Ross Swanborough / The West Australian “I don’t mind doing maintenance, but it’s not what I really went to busy doing, so I’ve been really working hard to make the tracks sustainable without high maintenance costs. “Hence, we’ve sort of developed our own polymer stabilisation, Polypave, we call it, and that was all about making it maintenance free, because then it becomes attractive to the council.” But WestCycle hopes to develop a more straightforward solution to the burden of maintenance of all types of tracks and trails. “One of our 2025 WA State Election priorities was the establishment of a $3 million annual trails asset management fund,” Mr Bradshaw said. “This fund would empower landowners to collaborate with local club volunteers, as well as expert teams, to carry out essential technical and machine work to properly maintain our State’s trails network.” Camera Icon Yalbunullup mountain bike trails open in Joondalup. Credit: Parks and Wildlife WA Despite this, local governments pumping money into biking facilities continues across the Perth metropolitan, with councils such as Joondalup leading the charge. Earlier this month, an upgraded $800,000 BMX pump track was unveiled at Gibson Park in Padbury, so far proving a hit with all ages, and construction of the $9 million Duncraig Adventure Hub at Percy Doyle Reserve is well underway with completion expected next year. These are on top of the vastly popular $4.57 million Yalbunullup MTB trail along Lake Joondalup, which was originally conceived by Northern Beaches Cycling Club MTB director Mark Papadopoff. “Councils are quite often very supportive of putting in pump tracks and jump lines, which I think suits younger families, and that’s where this cross-country trail really suits everybody,” Mr Papadopoff said. “Most of your big trail networks are up in the hills or sort of in regional areas — in Kalamunda, Dwellingup, Margaret River and Nannup — those are some fantastic trail systems but this was never trying to mimic that. “What it gives us is a proper cross-country trail, but in an urban area, and this one’s the first of its kind. Camera Icon Northern Beaches Cycling Club MTB director Mark Papadopoff riding the trail he dreamed up, the Yalbunullup bike trail along Lake Joondalup. Credit: DBCA “It’s super exciting to see something right there in the middle of Joondalup where people can ride it after work, kids can ride it after school.” For Mr Neve, who also built the 7km Yalbunullup trail based on plans by fellow trail designer Dave Willcox of Common Ground Trails, the drive to professionally build bike tracks was born from his opinion that two-wheeled sport remains one of the most accessible to families of all backgrounds. “Years ago, City of Swan got me to set build a set of jumps in Beechboro and on opening day, there’s a line of 30 to 40 kids waiting for their go on every janky bike they’ve pulled out from a shed,” Mr Neve said. “And I’ve been at it ever since, building good s*** for the kids in suburbia because they can’t get to the trails at Goat Farm or Mundaring without mum and dad. “And now they’ve got a really good set of jumps or a trail in their backyard or just around the corner that sets them a challenge. Camera Icon Alfie Kerr (2) and Finn McCarthy (2) give the new track a spin. Credit: Supplied “A kid that can pull a back-flip as a 12 year old is a highly successful human, whether he can write or read. He set himself a challenge, he’s got it, and that’s that.” But the viable future of two-wheeled sporting in the suburbs still lies in proper fiscal investment, with WestCycle’s Mountain Bike Strategy 2022-2032 revealing poorly maintained trails were a contributing factor for riders using unsanctioned trails that were typically built closer to home. In October last year, City of Cockburn narrowly voted down a bid to ban mountain bikers and hikers from Manning Park, citing environmental degradation as the number one concern. But representatives from Manning Park Mountain Bikers and Manning Park Trail Runners said the park had become a central point for connection and community. “There’s real missed opportunities there,” Perth Mountain Bike Club president Chris Park said. “You can’t stop people building unsanctioned trails, stop people riding them. There’s an example in John Forest National Park before they built the recent trails there. “There are 50km of man-made trail that have been there for 20 plus years that are all brilliant. And, at times, certain government organisations have gone in there (and) bulldozed them. “Sometimes there are very good reasons, such as significant cultural significance, but let’s all work together.” Camera Icon A rider testing out the Yalbunullup bike trail on opening day. Credit: DBCA WestCycle said its ultimate goal was to create a safe and for environment for people who ride bikes. “Perth and Peel have the most trails in the State so it is pleasing to see the advancement of the trails network in the State’s most populous areas, all bankrolled by strategies driven by the broadest community outreach,” WestCycle’s Mr Bradshaw said. “This includes more and better mountain bike trails, BMX facilities and a safe and accessible path network that links activity centres such as schools, parks and MTB facilities for kids and others on bikes.”