Wollongong City Council has voted to advance plans to investigate setting up a mountain bike park in the Illawarra but has held off on making a decision about whether to open Mt Keira Road to cyclists and walkers.
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Councillors voted unanimously at Monday night's council meeting to back a motion from George Takacs and Michelle Blicavs calling on council staff to canvas suitable sites and operating models for setting up a dedicated mountain bike park.
Cr Takacs, a long-time mountain bike rider, estimated the site would need to be around 80 to 150 hectares to create multiple riding tracks.
As part of the motion staff were also asked to prepare a report to the council outlining key features of other dedicated mountain bike parks in Australia and New Zealand.
Cr Takacs also moved a motion to defer making a decision on whether or not to temporarily reopen Mt Keira Road to bike riders and walkers until after councillors had a site inspection and could meet with representatives of the cycling community.
Mt Keira Road was closed to all traffic last December because of safety concerns over rock falls and land slippage.
Cycling and walking groups have lobbied to have the road partially reopened.
Cr Takacs said councillors had received a lot of communication from residents regarding the issue, which he said reflected the road's "value" to the community.
