By KATHRYN BERMINGHAM
Riders told to leave as council puts brakes on hill racing…
RED tape has forced a popular bike club off the roads of an empty housing estate.
Melbourne Drift Trikes has been temporarily shut down by Cardinia Shire Council which has cited a breach of the Road Management Act as the cause of the suspension.
Club members have been riding trikes on paved roads off Pakenham Road for the past 18 months but the activity was recently suspended by the council.
Drift triking is a ‘gravity’ sport whereby participants ride three wheeled, non-motorised trikes downhill.
About 18 months ago several groups of trikers, who had been regularly using the unused Pakenham hill, came together to join Melbourne Drift Trikes Incorporated, which is now one of the largest drift trike organisations in the world.
Headed by president Greg Lawrence, the drift trike club now has about 80 members.
The site concerned is a series of paved roads in an undeveloped estate off Pakenham Road.
The estate has one entrance and does not act as a thoroughfare, meaning that traffic would have virtually no reason to enter.
Though Mr Lawrence admits that the group was initially noisy, disorganised and had occasionally consumed alcohol on this site, he said the group has developed into a responsible and structured organisation.
“The alcohol was stamped out and things started to become organised,” he said.
“The police had always come past twice a night as part of their rounds.
“We formed a relationship with them and they expressed that they were happy to see the same young people they often saw of a Friday night were taking part in a sport and staying out of trouble.”
Last month the council told members that they were unable to operate on the site until further notice.
Cardinia Shire Council manager of Development and Compliance Services Brett Jackson said that the council had agreed to assess the possibility of drift triking being permitted in a modified form but did not provide a timeline for the investigation.
“Council has actually agreed in principle to further investigate the options of this activity occurring in a modified form, which potentially may allow the activity to occur in the future,” he said.
“However, currently the activity is in breach of various legislation and, as such, council has advised the organisers on a number of occasions that the activity cannot continue in this manner.”
He said the council was working to find a compromise between residents and the drift trikers.
“The decision to further investigate the options of the activity occurring in a modified form was made with the aim of considering any potential for the activity to occur while minimising the impact on residents.”
Pakenham police Senior Sergeant Nathan Prowd said that there were issues that needed to be resolved before the trikers could continue.
“There are offences involved with using a toy vehicle on the road and a public road needs to remain open to the public,” he said.
“Issues would include safety insurance and noise complaints. Police would not give authority for the group to shut off the road.”
Residents in the area are divided on the issue.
Resident Attracta Roach lives on Highland Drive, the closest residential street to Pakenham Hill, and said she could hear the riders on the hill from her home.
“I can hear them at night, and they do get quite noisy. You wonder just what’s going on down there.”
Another Highland Drive resident Jack Pascoe said he was in full support of the organisation using the hill.
“From my experience, Melbourne Drift Trikes are by far the most respectful to the hill with making sure that all of their rubbish is always cleaned when they leave and when they arrive, and also by obeying local curfews that local police have put in place.”
Mr Lawrence said the group regularly welcomes local people to the sport.
“A number of local families have become involved with the organisation and we’re always happy to see new members. Recently we rode at Yakkerboo – we want to be a part of the community.”
Melbourne Drift Trikes Incorporated is awaiting clearance from the council before it can continue operations.
Do you agree with council’s decision? Have you had any experience with the drift trikers? Get in contact at www.facebook.com/PakenhamGazette.
