Frequently asked questions
Frequently asked questions
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What is a pump track?
What is a pump track?
A pump track is a playground and training facility for anything on wheels – bikes, skateboards, scooters wheelchairs - for riders of all skill levels.
Pumping is the act of using the riders' arms and legs to carry momentum and gain speed using the features of the track rather than pedalling.
As skills and balance improve more options become available – e.g. a 5-year-old can roll through a feature that a more experienced rider can jump
A pump track is a loop (or multiple loops/partial loops) that can be ridden continuously rather than a single start and end point.
Different loops can be optimised for different users – small kids, wheelchairs, jumps or racing.
An asphalt pump track gives a smooth, grippy surface and minimises ongoing maintenance.
Pump tracks are hugely popular, highly accessible and a gateway to other wheeled sports.
What is BMX Racing?
What is BMX Racing?
BMX is short for bicycle motocross, and BMX racing is an off-road track-based bicycle racing discipline under governance of the global UCI body.
Eight riders compete in each race and are released from a starting gate to begin the sprint. The riders then race around the track from the start to the finish, riding one lap only of the of the purpose-built BMX dirt track which is between 300-400m in length (30-40 seconds).
There are currently 32 BMX clubs affiliated with BMX NZ across seven regions and over 2100 licenced riders.
In the Wellington region there are around 200 licenced riders and 3 clubs - Capital BMX, Hutt Valley Thunderbolts and Kāpiti BMX.
The race season from Sept to May has multiple meets each weekend - with ‘club days’, interclub racing within region, National Qualifying meets, Regional Championships, North/South Island titles and a National Championships.
There are development pathways to elite global racing at junior, under 23 and pro levels. BMX NZ sends an amateur (self-funded) team to the UCI World Championships each year.
New Zealand has had riders qualify for each Olympic games since BMX racing became an Olympic sport at Beijing 2008. Sarah Walker won a silver medal for New Zealand at the 2012 London games.
What is Capital BMX?
What is Capital BMX?
Wellington has a BMX track at Capital BMX in Ian Galloway Park.
Capital BMX Club Incorporated was formed in 2013 to build a 370m UCI level track for the Wellington region at Ian Galloway Park on land leased from the Council. Upwards of $250,000 was raised, of which around 30% came from Wellington City Council. Construction started in Nov 2015, and the track opened in Feb 2016.
The club offers bicycle skills training and racing during the season running from September to April. As at 2024 it has around 65 riding members aged 4-66, who compete both locally and nationally.
As well as club day and interclub racing, Capital BMX hosts an annual Capital Champs Nationals Qualifying Meet (NQM). It has hosted the Wellington Regional championships in 2018 and 2022 with each event bringing more than 100 riders and their families from all over New Zealand to Wellington for a weekend. It will next host the Wellington Regional champs on 9 Feb 2025.
The track is open to members of the public when not in use by the club – around 11,000 riders use the track each year ranging from kids learning to pedal through to mountain bikers jumping the biggest features.
In 2022 the club redeveloped the 3rd (split) straight to make the ‘pro’ straight more ridable by club members and public riders and reduced the height of the jumps on the ‘challenge’ straight to enable younger riders (6-to-10 year-olds) to learn how to jump. The track was also fully resurfaced with lime.
Future developments are targeted at enabling a bid to host the BMX NZ Nationals, inc. construction of a gate canopy for rider safety (which will have the added benefit of shielding local residents from gate noise) and earthworks to create spectator areas around the track.
Other planned developments would drive an increase in track usage – lighting to enable evening training beyond daylight savings months and additional secure storage space for Have-a-Go rental equipment for public use.
What are dirt jumps?
What are dirt jumps?
Dirt Jumps are mounds of dirt, shaped and moulded to allow riders launch from a take-off to a landing.
Clay creates a solid and smooth riding surface, holds up well to the elements, and won’t get overgrown with weeds too quickly.
Dirt Jumping has evolved from BMX racing tracks, with all the emphasis on giving the riders air-time, building technique and confidence to the point where they can perform aerial tricks.
Dirt jump lines can vary from rollers and tabletop jumps that can be ridden by under 5's on balance bikes, to enormous doubles with 10m+ gaps, with the worlds best riders performing flips and spins over them.
A great jump park will have multiple lines, getting progressively more challenging, spurring the riders on to gain skills and confidence.
The sheltered area behind the skate ramps is the perfect location in IGP; and IGP has a large potential catchment with many nearby schools; mountain bikers who already travel from all over the region to nearby Makara Peak bike park, and BMX riders who would train on jumps.
What skate facilities are envisaged?
What skate facilities are envisaged?
Skate Ramps
Vert ramps are a form of half-pipe so named because of the transition from a horizontal plane to a vertical section on top. They are multi-use – skateboarding, rollerblading, scooting and BMX.
The vert ramp at IGP is the only one in the lower North Island. Skaters from as far as Palmerston North and Whanganui often make weekend road trips to use the facilities.
In a poll conducted by WSA the ramps at IGP were 2nd most popular skate facility in the region.
Plans have been drawn up to give the ramps a much needed rebuild and add a beginner's ramp, although this budget was cut from WCC's long term plan in 2024.
Skate Park
Adding a skate park in IGP complements the proposal. There are no skate parks in Karori – so the potential catchment includes the Western suburbs and beyond, given the co-location of facilities.
A great skate park will have a range of features, rails & boxes, with good space and a well thought out design flow. It will be multi-use, for skaters, scooters and bikes.
Allocating space in the master plan for a future a skate park allows a design & build to follow on from the ramp development as funding becomes available.
Benefits of skating
Skateboarding brings together people from all walks of life, so it can be a great way to meet like-minded people and expand your social circle. It is primarily a youth culture sport.
Skateboarding can help develop balance, coordination, motor skills, and spatial awareness. It also fosters teamwork, which promotes cooperation and communication skills outside of a structured team sport. As a result, skaters learn to be more creative and efficient at problem-solving.
Why move the dog park?
Why move the dog park?
One of the primary benefits of the Wheels Hub proposal is colocation of facilities and the current 5500sqm dog park space is the ideal location for a major pump track.
There is limited infrastructure at the current dog park - a fence, a lime chip path, a water fountain, a couple of benches, tunnel and see-saw - making it relatively easy to move to anywhere with sufficient space.
There are several larger alternate sites within a short distance:
Appleton Park, is 8500sqm and currently unused. It is 700 metres south;
Wilton Park was closed for sport following a slip in Aug 2022. The post slip area is 7500sqm and it is 950 metres north.
A site to the North of the park, near the Central Allbreeds Dog Training School and Wests Rugby club rooms is also an option.
Why not just have a smaller pump track behind the skate ramps and keep the dog park where it is?
Why not just have a smaller pump track behind the skate ramps and keep the dog park where it is?
There could be space for a 1200sqm single loop pump track there, however:
A larger multi-loop pump track can cater for different levels and styles of riding on the different loops, needing at least 2500 sqm and ideally 3500sqm.
There is less risk of overcrowding and conflict with a larger multi-loop facility.
Moving the dog park reduces the safety risk of off-leash dogs interfering with riders on the pump, BMX or skate facilities.
Not moving the dog park means that several of the other Wheels Hub proposals won't have sufficient space to go ahead.
The Council should just stick to water and bins, this proposal is an unnecessary expense.
The Council should just stick to water and bins, this proposal is an unnecessary expense.
We're not asking for the Council's money - just the allocation of space for a regional scale pump track.
Master planning is already budgeted for this year and doesn't commit the Council to any additional spend.
What is will do is give a degree of certainty for the community groups advocating for their sports and activities, enabling them to begin actively fund-raising for the facilities.
Completing a master plan now enables the facilities to be developed within a holistic framework over a period of time as and when funds can be raised for each component.
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