CITY COUNCIL APPROVES MOUNTAIN BIKE PARK

A proposed mountain bike skills park in Queen Elizabeth Park created debate amongst recreational advocates and environmental voices, but City Council had the final say and approved the mountain bike park.

The Edmonton Mountain Bike Alliance (EMBA) led the efforts in getting the proposal approved, will help with design and construction, plus handle much of the ongoing maintenance. Construction is scheduled to begin later this year and be completed next year.

Eric Gormley of Edmonton River Valley Conservation Coalition raised concerns about a “nibbling away” of Edmonton’s river valley and is of the opinion that the river valley should be reserved for natural connection rather than active recreation.

Councillor Aaron Paquette thinks there should be a balance between environmental concerns and reality and said “The best way to not impact the environment is not to have a city, but we do have one.” If folks are to provide amenities to turn a place that has already been disrupted into something that can be useful, and then also mitigate some of the issues that exist there currently, it makes a lot of sense to me.”