BMXers, Etnies Fight Lake Forest Bike Ban

It has been nearly two months since the city  from the , citing liability issues, but bikers and the park's namesake have not given up hope.

More than 1,000 people have joined a Facebook group petitioning the city to allow BMX back into the Lake Forest skate park. They were barred when city staffers became worried the city might be subject to a lawsuit if a biker was injured.

According to a company spokesman, Etnies—which lent its name to the city-run park—is actively working with city officials to find a solution.

"Me and my kids rode lake forest for last three years. Now we have to travel to other cities to ride," wrote Facebook user James Sheffield, "so as a result now we buy gas, snacks, food, coffee, bike parts in other cities. Please bring back BMX and you will reduce our carbon footprint to."

Etnies spokesman Ashton Maxfield is studying a bill proposed by state Sen. Lou Correa (D-Santa Ana) that would release cities from liability due to skateboarding at a public park. It has passed the Legislature and is awaiting the governor's signature.

The bill, however, specifies skateboarding—not BMX.

"The biggest issue keeping BMX from being allowed in the skate park is state skate park legislation not including BMX," Maxfield said. "The next step is to get BMX included in the California skatepark legislation."

, is in communication with Correa, hoping to get BMX included in the bill, Maxfield said.

The proposed legislation is essentially an extension of a current law that gives cities operating public skate parks statutory immunity, which expires Jan. 1, 2012.

At back-to-back meetings of the Lake Forest City Council, BMX fans asked the council to reconsider the ban, based on the section of governmental code that spells out the details of the immunity that cities currently enjoy.

The list of activities cities aren't liable for is extensive and includes "bicycle racing or jumping" and "mountain bicycling."

However, it also specifies that " 'mountain bicycling' does not include riding a bicycle on paved pathways, roadways or sidewalks."

An analysis by the city attorney's office—undertaken in response to the questions from local residents about the immunity rules—concludes that all references to bicycles in the codes are "clearly associated with trail mountain biking" and "clearly disassociated" from references to skate parks in other sections of government code, according city spokeswoman to Debra Rose.

The ban will stay in place until "the liability issues for injuries to BMX riders are resolved," Rose said.

Still, though the ban remains in effect, the decision is not necessarily "final," she said.