IRVINE : No Sites Found for Off-Road Bike Racing

Cyclists longing for the return of off-road bicycle racing in Irvine have received bad news in a report concluding that the city has no suitable sites for a BMX course.

The report, released last week, also indicated that a plot of land in Woodbridge often mentioned as a possible home for the course is unacceptable because it is too small.

But BMX advocates vowed this week to continue their push for a course in or near the city.

“It’s a good family activity . . . and the kids love it. They’ve grown up with it,” said Juanita Moe, a member of the city’s bikes and trails commission. “I think (having a BMX area) improves the quality of life. It’s the kind of activity we want to encourage.”

Dirt bike enthusiasts have been without a BMX course in Irvine since 1989, when a Jeffrey Road facility on city-owned land closed down after 12 years of operation.

Business was good at the course, Moe said, but the city decided to turn the site into a park.

“We had a lot of success with it,” she said. “National meets were held there. People came from everywhere” to ride through the hilly obstacle course.

Some residents have sought a new BMX facility ever since the closure, and the issue even got attention during the 1990 City Council race, Moe said.

So earlier this year, the city commissioned a study to look at the feasibility of developing a new course.

The report said no viable sites are now available, according to Marty Bryant, a senior transportation analyst-engineer for the city. It effectively rejected a site off Barranca Parkway in Woodbridge, saying it lacked adequate parking space and “might not be a good draw” because of its location off main thoroughfares.

Building a BMX course would cost about $387,000, not counting the price of land, Bryant said.

The report said that encouraging a private operator to run the BMX facility would be more efficient and cost-effective than having the city run the course--a point stressed by several council members.

Both city officials and BMX advocates said they will continue to seek a suitable site. Planning officials will provide information about the course to builders when they propose new developments in the city.

And Moe said her committee is looking into a new site just outside Irvine in a flood control area near Jeffrey and Trabuco roads.