828 replies to this topic

[sebberry]

More and more they want to turn our CITY PARK into james bay's private secret garden. No events, no food or drink, and now no parking or vehicle access??

They should just put a big fence around it.

[gumgum]

I don't get the criticism here. This is great news. Circle drive provides plenty of parking and is accessable to everything. If they ditch that road, there is a flaw in the plan. (But I think this is highly unlikely.) Otherwise, imagine how pleasant the park would be without those roads? Does anybody see any real use to them? They're stupid really.
Look at the map above. Most of the roads go nowhere.

If you're going to the playground, watering can, petting zoo, musical event, parking at circle drive is close. If you're just going for a walk, what does it matter where around the park you're parking really.?
If anything this possible scenario is worse for James bay residents as available parking on Douglas will be utilized much more.

[phx]

Do people still go to Beacon Hill Park? It seems like not much ever happens there.

[aastra]

The H1 Unlimited race on Goodacre Lake was a pretty big draw.

[victorian fan]

Do people still go to Beacon Hill Park? It seems like not much ever happens there.

You don't need 'happenings' to enjoy the park.

[gumgum]

I go there all the time and it's always busy.

[jklymak]

^ Me too. And I agree, there is little need to drive through the park. I'd even be fine with them getting rid of Circle Drive. Its not a strip mall.

[aastra]

I think it could be argued that the park would be improved if some of the roads were replaced with narrower paths for walking and/or cycling/rollerblading, but how much would it cost to do all that? And is that what we're talking about?

[jklymak]

^ I would think just the cost of bollards at the entrances. I don't know that it makes sense to tear up all roads to the middle of the park - bands need to setup at the bandstand, maintenance needs to be able to get around, etc. But closing the inner roads off to traffic seems an OK idea to me.

An exception I could see having a good argument is getting to the top of Beacon Hill. I see people parked up there enjoying the view who may not otherwise be able to walk or bike up. My dad would fit into that category.

[Baro]

I never drive to the park, but the cars aren't really a problem right now. I've never had to wait to cross any of the little roads there, pedestrians downright bully cars into stopping, there's a clear sense that cars are at the bottom of the totem pole in the park. Getting rid of the roads doesn't seem to serve any point, other than probably costing a few million. If traffic in the park was bad or causing problems I could see the logic, but it's really not a problem so why do anything about it? We have so many problems in this city and THIS is something they want to waste time and money thinking about? Why not fix up and re-open the checker house if they want to throw money at something in beacon hill? Why not put the money into fixing up one of our many under-used/downright abandoned parks? There's a million other "why nots" I could think of before "major changes to beacon hill park's roads" came up.

[aastra]

That's why I'm wondering if the plan is to actually remove some of the pavement altogether, to restore some lost park space.

[gumgum]

Maintaining streets costs money too.

[gumgum]

I don`t see why they can`t do something like this (Red is possible closed roads and yellow is an already closed road.):




The road marked in yellow was a pointless road. Who's to say we won't think the same of some of these other roads in the future?

I think it's important to keep access to the parking lot and at least some of Circle Drive because it provides a lot of parking close to many facilities. I never drive there myself, but I know that many do. Many have young kids.

[G-Man]

The road in yellow is a pedestrian road. I don't think they would get rid of that. What blow up the stone bridge?

Also Circle Drive is not much of a circle if it stops at Heywood. The hey wood entrance would make more sense to get rid of.

I am with Aastra, what is the purpose of this proposal?

[VicHockeyFan]

There are some roads that only allow service truck access, isn't there? They need a few of those I suppose.

[gumgum]

^^I wasn't saying we should do anything with the yellow road. I was just pointing out that it used to be a vehicle road. I think a route through the park from Cook to Douglas would be good to keep. Other than being historical, I see little point in keeping all of Circle Drive open.
What's the point of keeping all of these existing roads open?
Turning them into ped and cycle routes would be a good idea.

[sebberry]

Here we go, the car hating eco-nuts are at it again:

http://www.timescolo...1468/story.html

[Nparker]

Here we go, the car hating eco-nuts are at it again:

http://www.timescolo...1468/story.html

I don't own a car and even I think this is an asinine idea by our "beloved" Council. Don't fix what isn't broken.

[aastra]

In an effort to address issues such as speeding, drivers using the park as a shortcut and nearby office workers using internal park roads for free daytime parking, the traffic management plan would convert some internal roads into multi-use paths.

Read more: http://www.timescolo...l#ixzz1nWKVmaCZ

Those are some extremely serious issues there. No wonder our esteemed representatives are jumping all over this. Kudos to them for devising innovative new ways to waste money.

Gold59 makes a good comment.

[J Douglas]

I can sympathize with those who feel no value in the natural world, and find no solace in peace and quiet, and for those whose surroundings make little difference, as long as they are functional. For those that feel a picnic with the family is pretty much the same on a nice beach as it is on a highway median, I have a recomendation: Langford. There is a place that is functional, cheap, and one in which you will not be disappointed.

There is absoulutely no case to be made for traffic in Beacon Hill Park. It is surrounded by four traffic artieries: Douglas St, Dallas Rd, Cook St, and Southgate. If a motorist is in such a hurry that they must short cut through this relatively small area, at high speed, then they should be looking at either their lifestyle, or their medication levels.

This is a tiny area in relation to the captital region, and it boggles the mind to think that we have become so car-centered as to believe that even here, we would be lost without engines,even for a few hundred meters.