Scott Laos approached the podium at a Sept. 9 city council meeting and solemnly told Tucson City Council members about his son, Kory Laos, who was killed two years ago while riding his bicycle motocross (BMX) bike near the University of Arizona.
Laos' concerns are mirrored by other BMX riders in the community who feel the city has not provided them with a safe place to practice the extreme sport. Laos asked council members to allow the bike riders two days of practice time each week at Santa Rita Skate Park, a $1 million skateboarding facility that opened last spring. The park currently bans BMX riders from practicing there.
“We’re just trying to pick a couple of days for just bikes only,” Laos said, who has been pushing for the first BMX park to be built in Tucson since his son's death.
BMX bikes are smaller than regular bicycles and are designed for performing extreme tricks.
The skate park on East 22nd Street and South Fourth Avenue offers residents a spot to hone their skating skills while keeping them safe from street traffic.
Several other BMX riders addressed council members at the meeting, stressing their need for a similar park exclusively for BMX riders.
"The freestyle BMX riders of Tucson are looking for options," said Mike Hines, the southwest director for BMXriders.org. "If not Santa Rita, then where?"
Not everyone is a fan of sharing the park, however. Most concerns center around overcrowding and the safety of skateboarders.
Alex Felli, 17, said BMX bikes are too big and could seriously hurt skaters.
"If you run into another person skating, it's just body-on-body contact," said Felli while riding his skateboard at the park. "But if you run into somebody biking--if you get run over--their peg can like, gouge your eye out."
Riley Smith, 17, also thinks BMX riders should be kept out of the park. "Bikes are made for trails," Smith said. "It would just cause chaos, people would fight."
There are some who say they would not mind the influx of people at the skate park.
Anthony Hunt, 21, a former BMX rider, said a safe place for the bike riders is "definitely needed."
"It keeps people out of trouble," Hunt said. "It keeps kids off the street."
Tucson Parks and Recreation Director Fred Gray said the rules at Santa Rita Skate Park will not likely change.
"(The design firm) recommended bikes not be included," Gray said, adding that at least one of the 127 parks in Tucson should be able to accommodate BMX riders.
