Laguna Beach residents and mountain bikers are split over a contentious proposal to create a pump track for non-electric, non-motorized bicycles, skateboards and scooters.
While no final decision has been made, city leaders are debating potential locations and designs for a pump track in town.
A pump track is a looping circuit with turns, small hills and dips for bicyclists of all ages to build skills in balance, confidence and bike handling.
The design forces users to “pump” their bodies up and down on a bike in order to propel forward instead of pedaling in the traditional sense. While they are primarily designed for non-electric bikes, pump tracks can also accommodate users on skateboards, scooters and rollerskates.
Laguna Beach leaders have discussed the idea as a way to create new recreational opportunities for residents and youth in town who already enjoy biking on nearby trails.
Supporters claim the pump track will give kids a place to ride their bikes away from busy, dangerous streets and help encourage local youth to get outside more often and lower screen time.
Critics argue the pump track will create unmanageable issues regarding traffic, parking and noise. They also claim a pump track will create a new regional draw for unwanted non-residents to visit the city.
While using electric bicycles on the pump track would be prohibited, critics also argue there won’t be a good way to keep e-bikes out of the proposed track.
Five members of the Laguna Beach Recreation Committee discussed the pump track and considered potential locations at the Jan. 12 meeting.
While multiple locations have been studied over the past several months, city leaders said the most promising option is Moulton Meadows Park, which currently features a playground, tennis courts, a soccer field and a large open grass area.
Recreation committee members voted 5-0 to recommend that city council members continue studying a pump track at Moulton Meadows Park and study alternative sites if necessary. Two committee members were absent from the meeting.
Committee members generally supported the concept and offered a series of comments and recommendations for the city council, noting certain aspects of the proposal that need to be discussed further — that includes enforcement, hours, cost, design and accessibility.
“These kids need a safe place to play and ride their bikes,” Recreation Committee member Claudia Redfern said during the meeting.
Committee member Gwen McNallan also requested that the city conduct a study to find out how many local youth the pump track would serve, if approved.
“This is meant to be a neighborhood amenity for locals,” she said. “I want to see more opportunities for youth.”
Dozens of community members attended the meeting, piling into a multi-purpose space at the Laguna Beach Community and Susi Q Center and spilling out of the packed room as the public comment portion of the meeting went on for about two hours.
Sheri Morgan, Laguna Beach Unified School District Board president, spoke to committee members during the Jan. 12 meeting. She emphasized she was speaking as a private citizen.
“As a community, we support anything and everything we can for our students, for our kids,” Morgan said. “What this community used to be known for was coming together and finding common solutions, not coming in and cramming something down the community’s throat and saying, ‘Deal with it.’”
“I beg to challenge you to think outside the box,” she told committee members. “Find another solution if it doesn’t work for everyone.”
David Browning, president of the Orange County Mountain Bike Association, encouraged committee members to support the pump track for current and future generations to have a safe place to ride.
“We’re asking the recreation committee to support a pump track in this town for our families and to look at all the places that might work,” he said at the meeting. “So far, we believe Moulton Meadows may be one of the better ones.”
Laguna Beach City Council members previously discussed the proposal in July 2025 and voted unanimously to continue studying the pump track.
Councilmembers Alex Rounaghi and Hallie Jones supported the concept during that meeting.
“In the City of Laguna Beach, we’ve not done a good job in terms of creating recreational opportunities for our youth,” said Rounaghi, who was serving as mayor during that time. “Public safety is the number one rule of local government, but one of our key responsibilities is to create recreational opportunities for people of all ages, whether it’s pickleball in other areas, and in this case, a pump track.”
He emphasized that while there isn’t a “perfect location” in the city for a pump track, Moulton Meadows Park seems to be the best option.
Jones said she visited San Clemente’s newly constructed pump track and saw how popular it is with kids and families.
“The idea that we would actually be investing in something that would provide a really fun thing for kids to do — I think we’re putting our money where our mouth is to at least explore this option,” she said at the July 22 City Council meeting. “I think there’s a lot of attention that needs to be paid to location.”
San Clemente opened the county’s first asphalt pump track in April 2025 at Richard T. Steed Memorial Park, replacing a plot of dirt with an 18,000-square-foot track with a smaller section for beginners.
It was funded through a collaboration among the Friends of San Clemente Beaches, the Parks & Recreation Foundation and the Orange County Mountain Bike Association. The pump track, located near a skatepark, is maintained and operated by the city.
Samantha Wylie, beaches, parks and recreation director in San Clemente, said the pump track has been “so well received” locally and by some residents in neighboring cities. She said it used to be a dog park that had about 2,000 visitors each year.
After the pump track opened in April, it attracted approximately 23,000 visitors for the remainder of the year, Wylie said, quickly making it one of the city’s most-used parks in 2025.
When asked about enforcement and potential issues with e-bikes at the pump track, she said she’s received no complaints about e-bikes or other issues at the track. She emphasized the pump track is a “multi-generation space” that serves a very welcoming community that has self-policied itself to avoid trouble.
In Laguna Beach, no final decision has been made yet. The discussion is expected to return to a future city council agenda for further discussion and more opportunities for public feedback.
The Laguna Beach City Council meets next on Jan. 27 with the council’s regular meeting starting at 5 p.m.
Angelina Hicks is the Voice of OC Collegiate News Service Editor. Contact her at ahicks@voiceofoc.org or on Twitter @angelinahicks13.