Issue with Skateparks in Hong Kong

In the last few years, we have been blessed with all these new skateparks cropping up in  Hong Kong.   Last year, it was amazing to have the new Fanling skatepark; & a year before that, we had the fun little skatepark in Tung Chung.   All these new parks in addition to good old Mei Foo, Chai Wan skateparks & the Tsing Yi, Tsuen Wan & Kwai Chung Skate plazas.. & there are more to come…

For the full list of skateparks; please have a look at the Leisure and Cultural Services Department’s website index here:

Skateparks

This year, we are also looking forward to the opening of the TKO skatepark, located at the Sports ground in Tseung Kwan O.  This park is the biggest & most comprehensive skatepark in Hong Kong.

For those of you that don’t know, there are also designated “BMX” parks in Hong Kong, the HK govt calls these “cycling tracks / grounds” but there are a couple of purpose built skateparks for BMX only

Po Kong Village road

Pak Wo road Playground - the first BMX ‘skatepark’ in FANLING

There is also a new BMX park in Fanling, not far from the Fanling skatepark – for some reason, this is still awaiting to be opened……

So what are the issues about Hong Kong Skateparks today?

There have been many inquires & complaints from Skaters & BMX riders alike about not being allowed to use certain parks.

Yes, some parks are designated “BMX only” & some are “skateboarding / inline only”  Why?

Lets first have a look at Mei Foo Skatepark, “ Lai Chi Kok Skateboard arena”

This park was opened about 10 years ago, & was open for Skateboarding, BMX Freestyle & Inline Stunt.   Users in general were quite happy with this park since its opening.  Mei Foo was the first proper “skatepark” in Hong Kong & all skaters & BMX users used this park in harmony for a decade with no issues… so why have the HK govt segregated the new parks?

The Po Kong Village road park was opened earlier this year, but the LCSD has designated this as a BMX only park; just like Fanling Skatepark & Tung Chung skatepark are for Skaters only;  the LCSD’s idea is to have parks specifically for BMX & for skaters, perhaps this seemed like a good idea as there would be specific parks for specific users……

However to further complicate matters, BMX users who want to use  PKV have to undergo an assessment run by the Hong Kong Cycling association in order to get a ‘permit’ to ride this park.    This assessment / permit is NOT NECESSARY for BMX riders to use Mei Foo skatepark, & when I challenged the LCSD on why, they said that its due to the park being different & bigger, etc etc & the main reason was for Safety; all irrelevant reasons that cannot be justified since Mei Foo exists without these requirements.

This permit requirement is quite unique for a Skatepark/BMX park since this is the only place in the world that I know of has such a ridiculous requirement.

In fact, many BMX riders who visit Hong Kong or just arrived in Hong Kong hear about this awesome park, go there & are simply turned away because they do not have ‘a permit’.

Fanling skatepark & the upcoming TKO skatepark are amazing skateparks that many BMX riders also want to use, but these are designated Skateboard only.

So why can’t BMX riders use them?   In fact, the Fanling Skatepark has been used by BMX riders after-hours, its well known fact that BMX riders in Fanling use the Fanling skatepark after the park closes.  So why do we have this double standard in Hong Kong where some skateparks allow all skate & BMX, but some are BMX only & some are Skate only?

The current Mei Foo park does not have the assessment / permit requirement for BMX users like how PKV has.   This is the reason why the usage rate of PKV park is so low.

None of the skateboard parks have permit requirement for Skateboarding.

Even though the PKV park is run & managed by the LCSD, the fact that a permit is required to use it makes  access to this park fully under the discretion of the Hong Kong Cycling Association; in other words, all users of this park must be members of the HKCA & undergo their training & assessment before the LCSD will issue them with a ‘permit’ just to ride the park.   Have I mentioned that the park is BMX only?

Many BMX users have requested that Fanling skatepark  & the upcoming TKO skateparks be open to BMX riders like Mei Foo skatepark;   this would absolutely make sense as all skateparks should be available to all Skateboard/BMX Freestyle/ Inline stunt users.

Just like Mei Foo, there would not be any requirement to obtain a ‘permit’ to use these parks;   due to these parks not being classified as a “cycling ground”.   The LCSD will consult with the Hong Kong Cycling association if a facility has been designated as a ‘cycling gound’ – exactly what had happened with Po Kong Village road.

If Fanling skatepark & TKO skatepark were to be open to BMX riders without the need to obtain a permit, just like mei foo skatepark, then many BMX riders would have a choice where to ride & this whole permit issue would really become irrelevant if a user wanted to ride anywhere else except PKV park.   At the same time, PKV park won’t be fully utilized because its not open to Skateboarding & Inline.  The usage rate of PKV will further diminish when the new parks are all open & if BMX is allowed in them.

LCSD have multiple standards with regards to Skateparks in Hong Kong.

I believe that the Hong Kong Cycling Association is the exact root of all the problems arising from PKV park…

The Hong Kong Cycling Association is NOT the Authority/ governing body of BMX FREESTYLE in Hong Kong – the global authority is the International BMX Freestyle Federation / IBMXFF .  The Hong Kong Cycling Association is affiliated with  the International Cycling Union / UCI –  which is the authority on everything cycling, including BMX racing, but NOT BMX FREESTYLE.  Click on these links & this is all fact & I am questioning WHY the LCSD are consulting with the HKCA on matters of BMX Freestyle when they are not the experts nor authority on the sport; & WHY the HKCA are representing a discipline that they are not sanctioned to?

I do not know how many times I have tried to point this fact out to the LCSD but bureaucracy prevails in Hong Kong.   Who suffers?  Users & Tax Payers.

Due to the generalization of the term “BMX”, the LCSD has pidgeon-holed BMX freestyle as a cycling sport under the authority of the Hong Kong Cycling Association even though they are not the authority nor experts of extreme sports nor BMX Freestyle.      In fact, the PKV BMX park was designed by renowned SKATEPARK company Convic, a skatepark company who knows what works.   Its hilarious to see directional arrows in PKV park & seems like a feeble attempt by HK cycling to interpret this park as a track.

Ignorance & bureaucracy in the HK LCSD, together with incompetence & lack of expertise in the Hong Kong Cycling association  involvement in BMX Freestyle speaks for itself.

The last two BMX parks which were designed by the HKCA; namely Pak Wo road & the completed but yet to be opened new Fanling BMX parks are total disasters in terms of design & usability.  ( almost zero usage in Pak Wo road park )  Waste of Tax Payers money.   Almost every BMX rider wants to use the new Skateparks in Hong Kong, but no one cares about the last 2 BMX parks.    Again this goes back to the consulting with the wrong experts.

The PKV park, which is an amazing park, has become the HK Cycling Associations’ members only park.   This park cost Tax payers MILLIONS, but is not being fully utilized by BMX riders, skateboarders & Inline skaters.   Because of the permit requirement, perhaps its a way to ensure training classes & assessments are done to keep some HKCA coaches employed?

We are trying to educate the LCSD regarding skateparks.  But everything seems to be buried under incompetence, bureaucracy, fear of liabilities,  & HK Cycling’s advice & policiers when the simple solution is staring at us in the face.

Just to look at how Mei Foo skatepark was managed for the last 10 years.

Open all skateparks to all BMX / Skateboard & inline users with no need for any bull**it permit requirement that is under the control of an Association.

All users enter a skatepark at their own risk.

Its amazing how far Hong Kong has come in terms of sports development for extreme sports, we have all these parks but for many users, we can’t use them.