City of Toronto officially opens new off-road cycling park

TORONTO, Sept. 20, 2014 /CNW/ - City of Toronto representatives joined community members today to celebrate the official opening of Sunnyside Bike Park with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and riding demonstrations.  

The off-road cycling park offers cyclists progressively difficult challenges and opportunities for skill building. The park has been open for use since late July, with the official grand opening taking place today.

The park was designed by renowned bike-park designer Jay Hoots, who has designed more than 50 similar projects, including parks and trails in Vancouver, Canmore, Alta., and Petawawa, Ont.

Phase one of the park is complete. It includes a skills trail, pumptracks, a wide variety of jump lines, a large drop and a wall ride. Phase two, which includes improvements to the entrance of the park, a new pickup and drop-off area, family meeting area, trails and boardwalks, is scheduled for completion by the end of this year.

Much of the wood used to build elements of the park came from trees that the City of Toronto's Urban Forestry staff salvaged from the 2013 ice storm. The clay-based dirt came from a downtown development.

This new bike park will address the lack of off-road cycling venues in the west end and ideally will reduce or eliminate the creation of informal bike parks in ecologically sensitive areas of the High Park neighbourhood. This project is an example of Parks, Forestry and Recreation's work with the off-road cycling community to protect forests and natural areas in the city.

The park is built for all ages and skill levels and intended as a family-friendly destination. Sunnyside Bike Park is the third of its kind in Toronto, preceded by the Bayview Arena Bike Park and Wallace Emerson BMX Park.

Toronto is Canada's largest city, the fourth largest in North America, and home to a diverse population of about 2.8 million people. It is a global centre for business, finance, arts and culture and is consistently ranked one of the world's most livable cities. Toronto is proud to be the Host City for the 2015 Pan American and Parapan American Games. For information on non-emergency City services and programs, Toronto residents, businesses and visitors can visit http://www.toronto.ca, call 311, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, or follow us @TorontoComms.

SOURCE: City of Toronto

Media contact: Scott Laver, Parks, Forestry and Recreation, 416-338-5053, 416-771-2059 (cell), [email protected]