From Nick Rice.
ON Sunday morning I chanced to see a programme on Channel 4 called Freesports 4 which was
covering the UK leg of the world BMX bike 6.0 circuit.

The venue for the event was a disused railway tunnel in Hampshire which had been converted into a fantastic course for BMX riders with the use of thousands of metres of 4×2 and 6 mm and 18 mm plywood for ramps curving up the side walls, especially for this event. It has now been handed over for the youth of the area to enjoy and improve their skills.

In Jersey we have a ridiculous situation in that the ‘temporary’ skateboard park was placed on the New North Quay (or swept under the carpet by States Members) in between an industrial zone and
the town marina car park next to large visiting yachts.

This location is taking up much-needed marina parking and forces the skateboarders and BMX bikers to walk, skate or cycle through the existing marina car park, as the access to the road has been denied by a temporary fence and gate. It was deemed that this route was safer for the skateboarders than along the pavement and crossing the road.

What do we have plenty of in Jersey lying idle? No, not politicians – tunnels. Surely we could convert a tunnel, be it at Mount Bingham, Fort Regent or even the Cavern, into a first-class facility, or even a world-class venue, to inspire our enthusiasts to train unaffected by weather. The noise would be contained within and there would be no risk of being run over by a car or truck.