Safer City Riding Starts With Pump Tracks

Although children get older and learn to cycle better, they still want to use their bikes when they are in the city. Children use the sidewalks, the parking areas, the apartments, the park entrances. There are cars, pedestrians, dogs and bikes with packages driving by. Parents are worried because a child who can cycle is not automatically ready for dealing with traffic. Also blind corners, parked cars and unexpected crossings can be a problem for children.

New urban park pump tracks are perfect for kids to learn to cycle in a traffic free environment prior to riding on roads. A pump track for kids is a great piece of practical urban park cycling infrastructure for families, schools and communities to enjoy safe outdoor activity.

Why Children Need Safer Places to Ride

Riding in urban environments places a lot of demands on young cyclists. They have to be aware of cars, control their speed, avoid pedestrians, filter through noise and balance on their bikes. Many of the skills that they need to master such as braking early, looking ahead and riding a straight line are still developing. On a narrow sidewalk or quiet road, one mistake can be enough to cause an accident.

Children need a safe space to cycle, again and again, without the pressure of traffic. Repeating basic movements such as turning, slowing down and regaining balance helps children to master their bike. Urban parks with pump tracks are ideal places where children can practice their bike handling skills in a controlled environment that adults can also enjoy.

What Is a Pump Track?

A pump track is a closed course made of rollers, berms, and turns with varying banked degrees. Riders use a pump track by shifting their body weight from side to side of the rollers as opposed to pedaling. This helps riders learn and develop rhythm, balance, timing and ultimately, speed control.

A Loop That Makes Riding Easier to Manage

The loop design creates one of the biggest safety features of the system. Riders travel in one direction, retrace the same sections of course and generally follow the same riding line. This helps kids understand what is happening and it makes it much easier for adults to keep track of the kids and safely supervise their activity.

A well-designed urban pump track is typically designed for use with a variety of different wheeled sports including bicycles, BMX, scooters, skateboards and more. An urban park cycling facility is a single facility designed to service this activity.

How Pump Tracks Improve Cycling Safety for Children

Pump tracks do not replace all the elements of road safety education or helmet wearing or adult supervision. But they can reduce the early risks to children of road cycling by transferring the practice of riding to a area where they are not sharing with cars.

Children Build Control Before Facing Roads

Riding on roads requires quick decisions such as slowing to turn, maintaining space from other riders, looking ahead for potential problems and managing panic. At a pump track kids can practice all of this in a controlled environment.

The beginner rides over the first rollers, stops, puts a foot down and starts again. After a few laps the child looks ahead while riding. Braking becomes more natural and the child has more control of the speed.

Supervision Becomes More Practical

Children riding their push cars in a busy park often go in all sorts of different directions. They may go around a bench to do a lap, cut across grass to get to the other side, cross a pedestrian path or go near a playground. It is impossible for all adults in a park to keep an eye out on every corner.

A pump track clearly defines a riding zone which makes it easier for parents to monitor their children. They can stand at the top and see most of the track as children ride around and around. They can then remind them to wait, to wear a helmet and to travel in the correct direction. For park staff, a pump track creates a central point for signs and for regular checks on the surface.

Why Urban Parks Are the Right Location

Urban parks where families already go to play with their kids are close to schools, and housing, and soccer fields and public transport. Make more useful the space for everyday recreation that already exists. Make it safer for kids.

Underused Space Can Become Active Space

Many city parks have small corners that are too small for a sports field but are just the right size for a very compact wheeled sports area. Our modular pump track can be built in such spaces without having to transform the whole park into a building site.

A small riding loop can bring a lot of fun to a quiet paved area such as the space between an open plaza and a building, a corner at a community center, etc. Children won’t be riding in unsanctioned jumps in the park, or riding through pedestrian paths in the park.

Parks Can Support Lessons and Family Programs

Pump tracks can also be a fantastic venue for school and community activities. Local Recreation Departments can deliver beginner skills sessions, Helmet Days, Scooter Park sessions and family focused Cycling Workshops. Local Schools can use the pump track for balance-bike skills sessions or for after school cycling clubs.

These programs teach children safe ways to use scooters and other items as early as possible. For example, waiting turns, riding in one direction, checking your speed and wearing appropriate safety gear are all part of the experience and are taught in a fun way without feeling like a lecture.

Why Modular Pump Tracks Fit City Planning

One major issue for park development teams are; space, budget, time and long-term maintenance. Our modular system of pump tracks gives planners much more options than a typical permanent build.

Flexible Layouts for Different Sites

Modular pump tracks are made up of pre-manufactured sections that can be laid out on a site to best suit its requirements. A small school courtyard could require a short, purpose built track for beginners, whilst a city park could call for a larger track designed for a mixed user group. A community center could benefit from a modular track that can be extended as required.

This flexibility enables cities to plan the Green Corridor step by step, to study its use on a daily basis and to add sections as needed.

Anti-Slip Surface for Daily Outdoor Use

The surface of your riding area is a serious safety feature. We never want to see a pump track with a slippery or glossy surface. For outdoor use, it must have grip.

A quality modular pump track is equipped with an anti-slip surface, which is very grippy. This allows for constant contact with all kinds of wheels on the track: bikes, scooters, BMX bikes and skateboards. This is especially important at the transition, during sharp turns, after some light rain and during intensive use. The surface of the track must provide the rider with good and predictable handling. A slippery surface does not provide this.

Design Details That Make a Pump Track Child-Friendly

When planning a pump track for kids it should feel fun and exciting but not extreme. A lot of planning goes into a pump track before it is even installed. Park staff must go through a list to ensure the space is suitable for a pump track, including sightlines, drainage, paths nearby, seating, shade and access.

Useful design details include:

• Clear entry and exit points
• One-way riding signs
• Beginner-friendly rollers and turns
• Waiting space near the start
• Parent viewing areas
• Separation from walking paths

A child-friendly layout does not have to be big. In many urban parks a small play area with a clear flow is more efficient than a big complicated play area.

Where ULTRAPUMPTRACK Fits In

ULTRAPUMPTRACK is a manufacturer of modular pump tracks. Our expertise lies within the field of changeable wheeled sports facilities for park, school, community center, back yard, sports park and event use.

They have a solid background in building dirt and asphalt pump tracks. This experience translates well to knowledge on how to design a flow, the optimal shape, and build for durability and long-term performance. The modular system they created can be configured to fit on just about any size area and can be built out in a matter of hours. It is designed to be versatile and work well with a mix of wheel sizes, and be able to withstand daily exposure to the elements.

To a project owner, the value of our designs goes way beyond the construction of a riding track. They enable you to plan a layout that fits your specific site, caters to the exact age groups of your users, stays well within your financial means and remains relevant for the long term. For urban parks in particular, which are often confined and under intense public scrutiny, that’s a huge asset to turn your idea into a practical area where families can have fun on bikes.

Conclusion

Urban parks can be equipped with pump tracks to give kids a safe area to ride while minimizing exposure to traffic. A pump track is a traffic free area where kids can continually practice balance, braking, cornering and overall confidence while repeatedly riding through the track.

For Cities, Schools & Community Parks – Small Spaces Become Fun Places! Modular Pump Tracks can transform underutilised spaces, create opportunities for youth activity and provide a dynamic & ever changing Park Cycling facility without the scope of a massive sports facility. A well designed Pump Track with clear rules, good visibility, suitable for beginners & covered with appropriate anti slip surface can become a valuable safety asset.

FAQs

Are pump tracks safe for children?

A pump track can be safe if the design meets the skill level of riders, and includes helmets, appropriate supervision, warning signs, and sufficient space. Children are able to learn many aspects of cycling in a controlled environment, away from traffic.

What age is suitable for a pump track?

Pump tracks can be designed for very young children who ride balance bikes as well as for older children who ride bicycles and for teenagers who enjoy riding BMX as well as on scooters and skateboards. The age group that is best suited to use a particular pump track depends on several factors including the design difficulty of the track, the skill of the rider, and local safety rules.

Why install pump tracks in urban parks instead of near roads?

Urban parks and traffic free cycle tracks are ideal for kids to practice cycling without the hazards of cycling on the road. Not only do they reduce the chances of kids getting hit by cars but also allows parents to get off their bikes and keep an eye on them.