Conflicting claims surrounding the Warburton Bike Park’s accessibility options have surfaced from within the Yarra Ranges Council’s own Disability Advisory Committee (DAC).
While the Yarra Ranges Council said in a statement it consulted with the DAC on the construction of the upcoming Warburton Bike Park, the DAC’s chairman Cr Len Cox said “no decision has been made” on accommodating individuals with disabilities.
“These trails were developed in consultation with the adaptive riding community and consulted with Council’s Disability Advisory Committee to ensure they meet the needs of a wide range of users,” the council’s statement read.
But, Cr Cox said he had no knowledge of the consultation taking place, despite his position as chairman of the DAC.
“Council has never made a decision about whether they can or they can’t use them and I think this is something that council is going to have to seriously consider in the near future,” Cr Cox said.
It came after outspoken disability advocate Ivor Wolstencroft raised the issue of wheelchair accessibility options for the Warburton Bike Park to the Star Mail.
His wife Anne Richmond has mitochondrial disease, a disorder that impairs the body’s cells’ ability to produce energy – it has permanently damaged parts of her body and she has to use a wheelchair to get around.
With Warburton being a town that prides itself on its natural beauty, she hoped for the chance to use the facilities that acknowledge the beauty like everyone else.
“It would be nice… to be able to get out there and use things that are appreciating our beautiful bush and river that we have around here.”
Mr Wolstencroft initially posed that some of the easier trails be available exclusively on some occasions to those with a disability.
“I just thought it’d be wonderful if some could be available exclusively, because I don’t think mountain bike riders and walkers and wheelchairs would mix. But maybe for one weekend of a season,” Mr Wolstencroft said.
The council’s statement claimed adaptive mountain bikes – bikes designed for individuals with a disability – could share the trails with regular mountain bikes.
While Cr Cox and Mr Wolstencroft both identified the easier trails as suitable for adaptive mountain bikes, the council hasn’t advertised this.
A quick search of the council’s project updates for the Warburton Bike Park on the Ride Yarra Ranges website turned up no results relating to disability inclusivity.
Searching for key terms such as accessibility and disability on the Warburton Bike Park’s Facebook page also turned up nothing, meaning if the council has consulted with the DAC, it hasn’t advertised this.
Ms Richmond said in Warburton, there was little information available informing people whether a facility is accessible or not.
“You have to sort of know these things somehow… it would make a big difference to visitors who come here,” Ms Richmond said.
There’s been an increase in trails designed to cater to adaptive mountain bikes – an ABC article from 2021 reported in Western Australia, two trails near the southwestern town of Collie were made for adaptive mountain bike users.
Rod Annear, assistant director of parks and visitor services for the WA Government, said adaptive bike trails were probably going to be a part of almost all bike trail networks in the future.
“It’s not a lot you have to do to make it more accessible for more people,” said Mr Annear.
The Yarra Ranges has a higher rate of disability at 26 per cent when compared to the rest of Victoria, which sits at 19 per cent.
While the council’s recent statement is a step forward for disability inclusion, it won’t mean much if these efforts aren’t communicated – internally and externally – to those who need it most.
“We have communicated to the council about it and I think things will improve here, but possibly too late for me to use anyway,” Ms Richmond said.
“The wheels grind very slowly in the council.”
