Cyclists and people with disabilities say they are furious at the District of Saanich for erecting gates along a popular path that they say effectively blocks them from using it.
The two gates are on a former alleyway between Quadra Street and Leslie Drive. The pathway offers quick access to both roads, but the gates now only offer a narrow gap for cyclists, especially those riding cargo bikes – a popular mode of transportation.
“Imagine a municipality seeing this bike, stroller, and wheelchair friendly cut through and thinking, ‘We better make it impassable to many rolling through,’” tweeted Philip Marciniak, who tagged Saanich.
Marciniak’s first photo showed gaps in between the gates, but a second photo showed those gates had been replaced with wider ones. “Here is what it looks like after our municipal tax dollars have done their thing today. Nice and cargo bike proof! Wow, what an excellent improvement to our neighbourhood.”
The Saanich Twitter accounted responded by saying the wider gates were added because the previous ones had been vandalized with holes cut in the middle.
“This barrier was altered by vandals,” tweeted the district. “It was restored based on concerns from residents that bikes were speeding through the pathway and causing conflict and injury with pedestrians and other trail users.”
Saanich also tweeted the gates were needed for safety.
“Using barriers on pathways to slow cyclists down offers multiple benefits. Firstly, it enhances safety by reducing the risk of accidents and collisions between cyclists and pedestrians. Secondly, it resolves conflicts between different user groups on shared pathways. Lastly, it encourages more responsible cycling behaviour. Our engineering staff is currently reviewing this location and others for accessibility to address the access width concerns.”
The district’s explanation didn’t site well with users of the path.
“Why was an option that reduces accessibility options implemented before a review of accessibility impact was conducted?” asked @realluckless. “What accessibility standards are Saanich attempting to maintain as their base minimum.”
Marciniak was also skeptical of the need for the gates at all.
“I live on this block and I have never heard or seen of speeding cyclists or accidents,” Marciniak tweeted. “This is a knee-jerk reaction to neighbours complaining about cyclists using ‘their’ cut through. Blocking it off like this is absurd. Definitely can’t fit a trike here, for example. At minimum, bollard spacing like on the Lochside Goose would be reasonable. Sadly, restricting gates are quite common in many parts of Saanich, which suffers from quite unsafe roads for vulnerable road users.”
One person said these gates discriminated against people with disabilities.
“As a disabled Saanich resident, I am so incredibly disappointed by your decision to ‘spend money’ making this path inaccessible to me,” tweeted @aroace_LauraG. “Those ‘vandals’ did a public service – free labour that benefited the community, particularly disabled residents. This is appalling.”
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