The City of Victoria has begun installing a new fence between its largest off-leash dog park and a pedestrian pathway along the Dallas Road bluffs in a bid to reduce conflicts between off-leash dogs and pedestrians.
The split-rail fencing along the pathway between Cook Street and Clover Point is identical to the fencing that already lines the off-leash area beside Dallas. The work will also include new waste bins along the pedestrian pathway on the south side of the park and a new wood chip path inside the leash-optional area.
City spokesman Bill Eisenhauer said the $100,000 pilot project followed public feedback that better separation was needed between dogs playing in the off-leash area and other people using the park.
But passersby on Thursday afternoon taking advantage of a sunny day to get some exercise with their dogs or just taking a walk by the water were largely against the idea of fencing off the spot.
“There are just so few places places for people to take their dogs for a walk by the beach in Victoria,” said Gabrielle Ciceri, who was walking with her dog Romeo. “The dogs are already on the grass and now humans have to walk there with them and that ground gets muddy and it’s uneven.
“It’s frustrating. We all come down here to do this and it’s such a dog-friendly city otherwise.”
Kevin Bell, who lives in the neighbourhood and was out walking dogs Cooper and Gia, said the fence is unnecessary. “Just tell people not to have their dog on the path,” he said. “People have to learn to control their dogs.”
Bell said he understands the sentiment behind the fencing, and no one wants anyone hurt, but most dogs that come down to Dallas are well-behaved and get along and there’s no real problem.
Kayla Moloney, who was walking two-year-old Marvin, said people in wheelchairs and powerchairs may not be able to easily get to their dogs in the off-leash area as the chairs are forced to keep to the pathway.
“It will make it difficult for someone in a chair to get across to their dog if there’s a problem,” she said, adding the fence feels like an overreaction. “I think everyone who brings their dog here has a good grip on their dog’s behaviour — at least that’s what I’ve always found.
“It’s been like this so long, I don’t know why they would change it.”
However, Jeff Kempling, who was running with his dog Bella, said he can see where the city is coming from in trying to separate the path from the off-leash area.
“I think it might be a good thing. I know there are issues with people and dogs and this is a known dog area, so having that separation might be OK.”
Nathan Innes, who emailed his concerns to the Times Colonist, said it feels like the city did not consult users of the park beforehand.
“They would have found this to be overwhelmingly unwanted,” he said. “If the issue is public safety, well, I haven’t heard of any attacks. On the point of safety, however, what about dog safety? Being forced away from tree coverage, dogs will lose shade to play and rest in during hot days.”
Innes said the separation can’t be enforced reliably, which means people won’t adhere to it. “Therefore, we will end up with a useless fence that only separates people from the joy of interacting with man’s best friend and each other.”
Bylaws require dogs to be on a leash when walking along the pedestrian pathway by the cliff and on the south side along Dallas Road.
New signage is being added to remind dog owners of the requirement.
City staff will monitor the fenced off-leash project along Dallas Road in order to help guide the city’s dog-in-parks strategy, which is expected to be developed next year.
