North Avon BMX Club creates inclusive asset for Christchurch community

A new, sealed 2,500 metre2 pump track at Christchurch’s Bexley Reserve will cater for wheels of all kinds, from bikes and scooters to skateboards and even wheelchairs.  

North Avon Christchurch BMX Club has funded and built the new track on land next to its existing BMX track. The club then gifted the track to the Christchurch City Council which will look after ongoing maintenance. 

It cost $650,000 and incorporates two loops, one of which has been constructed to be inclusive for wheelchairs.

The pump track is part of a bigger redevelopment of Bexley Reserve, which will include a learn-to-ride cycle safety facility and a new playground.  

Council Community Parks Manager Al Hardy says the partnership between the North Avon BMX Club and the Council was extremely positive.

Hardy shared “the club managed the fundraising and design-build of the track and they’ve created an asset for the whole community to be proud of. To have a top-notch facility like this developed by the local club in Bexley, an area that was hit hard by the earthquakes, is a win-win for everyone.”

It has been named the Nigel Mahan Pump Track for a former club member who was one of the key drivers of the project but has since passed away.

Project leader Christina Freeman says the club is thrilled with the outcome and adds "with construction now complete, it is so satisfying to see the facility already being enjoyed by so many enthusiastic riders of all ages and all abilities.  It has also been amazing to see how positively the Nigel Mahan pumptrack has contributed to the environment in Bexley Reserve.  We got it done and we are stoked.”