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Beacon Hill Park


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#101 G-Man

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Posted 01 August 2012 - 08:14 AM

So here is my experience yesterday:

Decided to take my family last minute for a picnic in Beacon Hill Park. We live in Quadra Hillside. Drove down to Cook St. Village and picked up dinner at Bigwheel (great service and ready in under 10 minutes). Then drove down to Park Blvd and tried to access park this is now blocked off. A little cheesed turned around drove to Dallas road and tried to enter westbound onto Circle Drive, this is now no right turn from Dallas so had to drive all the way over to Douglas entrance. Now the limitations must be having an impact because at 6pm on a sunny tuesday night there was barely anyone parked anywhere. There was also no tourists and no one using the puttig green (our destination). I guess this is good for me but sad for a park that until now has been a hub of activity.

So it would seem that the plan for the park is to have the park empty on sunny evening or to be enjoyed only by those that live in close proximity to the park. This is the most assinine plan I have ever seen it is an insult to taxpaying residents of the city that cannot just walk over and no, taking my 2 and 4 year old on the bus for an evening picnic is not an option. What is an option is not going again.

Good work! great solution to what is supposed to be at the very least a park for all Victorians.

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#102 sebberry

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Posted 01 August 2012 - 08:54 AM

G-Man, PLEASE send your thoughts to the City. This whole plan really is silly and if ordinary folks like you don't complain, all they'll receive is praise from the car-hating eco-nanny Friends of Beacon Hill Park.

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#103 Nparker

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Posted 01 August 2012 - 09:08 AM

Once again, our council, in their infinite (lol) wisdom, created the solution to a problem that didn't exist. Well done!:squint:

#104 aastra

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Posted 01 August 2012 - 09:10 AM

...great solution to what is supposed to be at the very least a park for all Victorians.


Hey, if you don't live within easy walking distance then it's not your park. Don't you know that?

#105 jklymak

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Posted 01 August 2012 - 09:33 AM

So here is my experience yesterday:

Then drove down to Park Blvd and tried to access park this is now blocked off. A little cheesed turned around drove to Dallas road and tried to enter westbound onto Circle Drive, this is now no right turn from Dallas so had to drive all the way over to Douglas entrance.


Not sure what you mean. The Park Boulevard entrance is still open, isn't it? at least it was Monday PM. You just can't drive through to the putting greens, but there is parking right there next to the cricket field, and its a 3 minute walk, even with a 2 year old.

#106 G-Man

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Posted 01 August 2012 - 09:45 AM

No that entrance is now completely blocked with bollards. It is now just a curve that goes on to Heywood. Also having a picnic in the park with two children requires holding more than a hand. I suppose if I had known that the closures had occurred I could have brought the stroller but I didn't and really when you are working within a tight constraint of time (getting home from work 5pm till bedtime at 8pm) there is something to be said for convenience. It is fine I will just go to Summit, Topaz, Playfair, or Rutherford next time. Of course then Big Wheel and Prima Strada lose out but it will be a gain for Fifth Street or La Piola. Just not sure that is what Beacon Hill is all about is all.

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#107 Bob Fugger

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Posted 01 August 2012 - 10:36 AM

Where is the "information kiosk" that they planned to have for feedback? I'm going to visit it every day just to let them know how dumb it is.

#108 Baro

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Posted 01 August 2012 - 11:09 AM

Beaconhill park has always been in a tug-of-war between being a CITY park and a neighbourhood park, the later tends to win. Laws against "commercial" activity have prevented the park from hosting festivals or events that cary any sort of sponsership, let alone food carts or any of the things that bring more life and activity. The "friends" of the park constantly try to block and stop any events there and always want to do what they can to see less use, to see the park become more quiet.

Now we're cutting off vehicle access, once again another step towards turning this into a quiet neighbourhood park rather than the busy city park it should be. We should be looking to vibrant busy places like Central Park for inspiration, not spending hundreds of thousands to cripple the park.

Stop the traffic blocking, relax the commercial ban, turn the old Checker House into a park owned snack bar, give peanutbutter a good dusting, and encourage more events and activity.
"beats greezy have baked donut-dough"

#109 Bob Fugger

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Posted 01 August 2012 - 11:27 AM

Went to the City's website for this pilot: http://www.victoria....-hill-park.html

Apparently, there will be an Information Booth on "select weekends." Also, an online survey, running from August to October. Is anyone as shocked as I am that it's August 1 and there's no survey? :whyme:

#110 sebberry

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Posted 01 August 2012 - 11:52 AM

Just took a drive around there today - what a mess of confusion in an already confusing park.

It was quite busy, I'll give you that. The parking lots were mostly full and there were lots of people there.

Now, this has been pushed as a "experiment" but I see nothing experimental about the way the bollards have been permanently cemented into the ground. If anything they should have carted in some concrete blocks, but no, they've gone one step further.

I have a sneaking suspicion that the city has once again pulled the wool over everyones eyes and has every intention of making this permanent.

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#111 gumgum

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Posted 01 August 2012 - 12:04 PM

Yeah it does seem very permanent.

#112 gumgum

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Posted 01 August 2012 - 12:10 PM

I'm having trouble figuring out how this implementation is to directly appease locals.
Seems to me that this will hurt Cook St. Village businesses, and increase parking on that side. And it will increase traffic on the JB side.
None of which will be a big deal, but I challenge this silly conspiracy that theae changes are only for local residents.
And are the "Friends" even still in existence?

Edit: Seems they are. But the site hasn't been updated in a really long time.


#113 gumgum

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Posted 01 August 2012 - 12:32 PM

Have we seen this map before?





I'm trying to understand the motives behind these changes and one of them might be the new pathway with the road closures that will now run diagonally from the northwest to the southeast. See the red dotted lines on the map above.

#114 gumgum

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Posted 01 August 2012 - 12:35 PM

No that entrance is now completely blocked with bollards. It is now just a curve that goes on to Heywood. Also having a picnic in the park with two children requires holding more than a hand. I suppose if I had known that the closures had occurred I could have brought the stroller but I didn't and really when you are working within a tight constraint of time (getting home from work 5pm till bedtime at 8pm) there is something to be said for convenience. It is fine I will just go to Summit, Topaz, Playfair, or Rutherford next time. Of course then Big Wheel and Prima Strada lose out but it will be a gain for Fifth Street or La Piola. Just not sure that is what Beacon Hill is all about is all.

You could have driven up Arbutus Way and parked right next to the playground.

#115 sebberry

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Posted 01 August 2012 - 12:40 PM

I should have had my dash camera running today (would have caught some good aggressive driving on the highway too...)

I entered from the west side of the park to Circle Drive which spat me out at Dallas Road. I drove around and entered Arbutus Way at the North end of the park from Superior Street.

Ended up having to do a U-Turn at the "New accessibility parking" then a left turn onto Chestnut Row which was full of cyclists going the wrong way. (Ok, one cyclist going the wrong way).

The left turn from Chestnut to Circle Drive was a little confusing with all the bollards sticking up, the tour busses and the horse drawn carriages all over the place.


Someone please tell me why these changes are a needed expenditure of tax dollars?

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#116 sebberry

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Posted 01 August 2012 - 12:41 PM

You could have driven up Arbutus Way and parked right next to the playground.


Yes, but it's unnecessarily confusing and frustrating.

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#117 gumgum

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Posted 01 August 2012 - 12:48 PM

Just to be the devils advocate, perhaps some of this is our natural resistance to change? Maybe once we all get used to these changes, with proper signage, it won't be such a big deal?*

*Apart from the fiscal irresponsibility here. That sh1t is just ridiculous.

#118 Barra

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Posted 01 August 2012 - 01:46 PM

As a neighbour who is familiar with the park, I too wondered where all these speeders and miscreants are, as I had never seen them. I have a friend who lives on Heywood who tells me that they have problems with speeders on Heywood. I guess you have to live there to notice this. To me it is a road with a very low traffic load. Spent a couple of hrs on her balcony yesterday, and yup, very little traffic on the road.

When the city announced the open houses on traffic issues in the park I didn't attend, because I didn't think there were any problems. Obviously, only people who think there are problems went (I'm guessing quite a small group of people) and now they've created problems for families, tourists and people with disabilities who deserve easy access (please don't tell someone who uses a walker to park and walk across the park to their destination) or just to drive through the park in order to enjoy it.
Pieta VanDyke

#119 sebberry

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Posted 01 August 2012 - 02:06 PM

It wouldn't be the first time some miserable old fart has looked at me sideways for doing the speed limit on their residential road. I doubt there's a problem with speeders but rather the skewed perception that cars are speeding. It seems if you're not going 20 under the limit you're considered a maniac.

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#120 Bob Fugger

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Posted 01 August 2012 - 02:55 PM

I'm having trouble figuring out how this implementation is to directly appease locals.
Seems to me that this will hurt Cook St. Village businesses, and increase parking on that side. And it will increase traffic on the JB side.
None of which will be a big deal, but I challenge this silly conspiracy that theae changes are only for local residents.
And are the "Friends" even still in existence?

Edit: Seems they are. But the site hasn't been updated in a really long time.


From their AGM Minutes:

There is a Shakespeare Festival nearing approval for Holland Point. If it fails, and the cold offshore breezes seem to guarantee failure, there will be a concerted attempt to move it into BHP. Neither location is good either for the residents or the organizers.

BAHAHAHA, what a bunch of loons. Imagine the nerve of people actually trying to do something so experimental as Shakespeare in the Park.

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