Bondi on board with new skate park

Bondi Beach Skate Park may soon be upgraded amid increasing concerns over safety for beginner skaters.

Founded in 1991, the park has grown to be popular for experienced skaters due its small area, large bowl and skateboarding difficulty.

Founder of the Bondi Skate Park Volunteer Group, John Fox Williamson gathered over 1,000 signatures that were presented at last Tuesday’s Waverley Council meeting.

The petition advocated introducing lighting acting as a deterrence to vandalism in the area. It also called for the construction of a separate ‘beginner’s bowl’ that would help minimise the risk of harm for less experienced skaters who share the park in its current state.

Councillor Joy Clayton said Council were proactive in looking for ways to alert the community about safety issues, and would seriously consider the petition.

“Safety anywhere is an issue and we have to make sure that we’re always focused on and mindful of everybody’s safety in the municipality … whether [they are] surfing, skating or riding a bike,” she said.

Councillor Dominic Wy Kanak said the location of the new park needed to be as close to the existing park as possible, but Council ought to consider all alternatives.

“We need to look at what kind of footprint the junior skate park will have and look at its further footprints into the public space, and [take] other safety issues into consideration,” he said.

Mr Wy Kanak said the park was originally designed to meet the needs of skaters of all levels but due to the way it has evolved, proper safety practices now need to be introduced.

Committee member of the Sydney Regional Skateboarding Association, Jimmy Kleiner said there are few skate parks for youngsters in the eastern suburbs. He said any proposed changes to the Bondi facility should accommodate different kinds of skaters – both transition skating for beginners and street skating for more experienced boarders.

“All there needs to be is just an extension of the park. [Currently], you do need to be at a certain level to ride at Bondi and it’s a shame because a lot of skaters do go there and get put off by the [more experienced] locals at the park,” Mr Kleiner said.

He said the fences surrounding the park also needed to be examined, arguing they are dangerous for boards in an already congested area.

“Often, [beginners] get in the way of expert skaters who try to use the park properly, so there needs to be something more accommodating for them. Otherwise, it is a bit dangerous in the bowl; it’s like a bit of a highway,” Mr Kleiner said.