The refurbished pump track on Church Road, which has not even been given an official opening date, has already proved popular with cyclists.
The pump track is waiting to be checked by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) and cannot officially open until it has been certified.
The refurbishment of the pump track – a purpose-built track for cycling, where riders can get round by “pumping” rather than pedaling – has been carried out by Staffordshire Moorlands District Council, and Coun Jill Salt has been working closely on the project.
Coun Salt, who remembers the track from when she was a child growing up in Biddulph in the 1980s, said it was not ideal that riders were using the track ahead of its opening, before it had been health-and-safety checked.
But she said it was nice to see people were excited for it to open.
She told the “Chronicle”: “We anticipated some antisocial behaviour – the people who build these pump tracks all over the country did say that initially you might get a bit of that, before people get bored of going round in circles on electric bikes and the novelty wears off.
“We’re building a community around this and there’s lots of adults and children that are passionate about the project, so if we come together as a community we should prevent that from becoming endemic.”
Last month, the “Chronicle” reported that a resident had taken to social media to express their concerns about the safety of children at the pump track.
Coun Salt told the “Chronicle” in July: “Within every sport, no matter what it is, there’s a risk, as there is with everything, including crossing the road, so I have no concerns about children’s safety.
“If they are supervised by parents or are wearing safety equipment like helmets, I am sure they will be fine.”
She said the track had created a lot of “hype” and people were very excited about it.
She added: “We’ve had people from across the border in Cheshire and people from the far north of Staffordshire.”
The pump track originally opened in 1986 and the refurbishment is being finalised on its 40th anniversary.
Coun Salt said: “We’ve accidentally timed the opening of the refurbishment to the original 40th year anniversary.
“We had a meeting about planning the opening event and there was a man at the meeting who still had his medal from when the original pump track opened.”
A celebration party is being planned for the opening of the pump track but a date for it has not been announced.
Young people have been heavily involved in the design and planning as Youth and Community Zone Manager Anthony Capostagno told the “Chronicle” last month.
He said: “It is going to be a great benefit to the community and a lot of Biddulph is looking forward to it – including myself as a mountain biker.
“By working with young people it will create a sense of ownership, and they will look after it.
“They have been designing elements of the ramps and how big they will be.
“It will create a community where they all help and learn from one another.”
The pump track will remain closed until the health and safety checks have been completed but an official date has not been announced. Cyclists, scooter riders and skateboarders will all be able to use the new track.
(Photo: Biddulph Youth and Community Zone).
