Re: "One week in, mixed reaction to park changes," Aug. 12.
Whoever thought up the pilot project of directional changes in Beacon Hill Park, clearly did not consider anyone with mobility issues. The city claims to have added three additional parking stalls dedicated for seniors and families, yet on the day we were there, there wasn't a parking stall to be found anywhere along the roadways.
Adding to the confusion is the small signage advising drivers of directional road changes as well as temporary bollards. During my brief visit, I observed three out-of-province vehicles having to back up a few times in their attempts to make the turn onto Chestnut Row from Bridgeway. The angle of the curve is such that it is next to impossible to turn clearly into it. Our city has a number of senior-care facilities that utilize small buses to take their residents for rides through the park, and I can almost guarantee that none of them would be able to make that turn without taking out another vehicle's mirror or back bumper.
When this park was created back in 1862, the Hudson's Bay Company surrendered the land to the Crown and reserved the land to be used exclusively as a public park.
Yet with all these restrictions, it is now no longer a public park, but rather one that only able-bodied individuals can enjoy. I will no longer be coming to the park.
Albert Deacon
Victoria
