WATCH: While some kids can be glued to their tablets or smartphones a group of boys in Colwood decided instead to build a mountain bike track on a patch of land beside the Galloping Goose trail. The CRD destroyed the trail and as Luisa Alvarez reports both kids and parents are hoping there’s still a chance for compromise.
Zooming by on their mountain bikes you can tell Morgan Lessard, Parker Gale, Myles Moshuk and nine-year-old Ty Skaalrud love to ride.
But with no nearby tracks, they had to take matters into their own hands.
“There’s nowhere to go in this whole community they want us to go to Hartland that’s an hour and a half drive away we aren’t biking they’re by our selves,” said Morgan.
Which is why as a team they decided to build their own track on a patch of land beside the galloping goose trail off Aldeane Avenue.
It wasn’t easy and Myles Moshuk says the whole project was well thought out.
“First we kind of looked at what we were going to do and planned it out and then we started shaping it and packing it,” said Moshuk.
The boys took the project seriously and according to Gayle’s stepdad, Steve Swannel they really showed their determination.
“They persevered through some winter months and had some good times and some wet cold muddy times, and it really came to be something really neat that they were proud of,” said Swannel.
He said he kept a close eye and didn’t feel that the boys were abusing the land or the property’s nearby.
“They felt empowered, said Cora Ringheim, Ty Skaalrud’s mom “The kids they felt like they were accomplishing something other than homework.”
But all that work is now gone.
On Tuesday, March 20th workers with the Capital Regional District taped off the area, dismantled the trails and placed debris across to prevent people from rebuilding them.
“Staff received reports of people jumping off the illegal trails onto the Galloping Goose,” said CRD spokesperson Andy Orr In an e-mailed statement “Creating a potential safety hazard for trail users. There was also a significant impact on the ground and vegetation on the side of the trail and in the adjacent forested area within the trail corridor.”
In hopes of coming to some sort of resolution, Swannel said they have contacted the CRD to see if something can be worked out.
“We see the safety concerns we just wish we could have some conversations with the CRD as far as if they were able to use it safely how could we go about that,” said Swannel.
13-year-old Morgan says they even have suggestions about how to make it safer.
“You can make some signs that say caution you could get hurt walking through this area or watch out for bikers stuff like that,” said Morgen.
And while they haven’t heard back from the CRD they say they’re still holding out hope their trail can be resurrected.
“I’m hoping that they let us ride here again,” said Ty,9.
Until then, Cycling Co. on Bear mountain has offered the boys a free day camp where they will be able to grow their skills as as riders.
Luisa Alvarez
