REDHEAD residents want council to pump the brakes on the location of a new bike circuit, arguing it will cause traffic problems and drag lifeguards away from the beach.
In the summer months, Redhead's carparks, streets and green areas are crammed with cars and kids desperate to get down to the water for a dip.
So it came as a surprise to the community that none of the three locations Lake Macquarie City Council put on the table would host the pump track - instead, it chose the usually packed overflow carpark.
Tabitha Sayer is a mum to two boys, and said the lack of access is a real cause for concern.
"Most of the community agree the pump track is a good idea for the community, it's the location that's the biggest concern for us," she said.
"We don't even have proper footpaths, as a mum who uses a pram I have to walk behind cars that reverse out on you, so how do the bikes get there?
"There's so much congestion, you have a single-lane road and in the summer the council even pays for portable signage telling people to slow down in a high-traffic area and to watch your kids in the school holidays because of how busy the area becomes already."
Traffic issues were so significant earlier this year that the council employed traffic controllers, installed two LED signs and detoured cars to manage traffic flow.
A petition against the location has racked up more than 350 signatures, which residents argue outstrips the total responses received in council's three-week consultation period.
And, it's not just access giving them grief, Redhead Surf Lifesaving Club president David McCallum said the location is likely to draw lifeguards away from the beach to deal with injuries.
"While we agree with it and it's a great idea for the facility to go ahead, we think the location is a poor choice," he said.
"On a summer's day we can have hundreds of people on the beach, we patrol from the cliff face down to Second Creek so we have a big area to patrol, this could take resources away from that which is concerning.
"We are focused on lifesaving, not looking after a pump track."
The council's community assets section manager Brendan Callander said the carpark provided the best access to amenities and is the most suitable land.
"With the facility being based around bike usage, we expect that locals will mostly ride their bike to access the facility, therefore local users won't add to existing demand during peak periods," he said.
"Vehicles moving through the nearby carparks are travelling at low speed and the area will be appropriately signposted to warn motorists of pedestrian and cyclist activity." He argued there's no expectation for lifeguards to provide first aid.
"Council carefully assesses risk before construction of any new infrastructure, including the planned pump track at Redhead," he said.
Construction is expected to start early 2023.
