Victoria is exploring options to reduce conflicts between off-leash dogs and pedestrians along a Dallas Road pathway between Cook Street and Clover Point.
Councillors have received complaints about off-leash dogs on the pedestrian pathway near waterfront bluffs, where they are not allowed.
Current bylaws allow off-leash dogs on a grassy area between the pedestrian path and Dallas Road.
It’s the largest off-leash area in the city and a popular spot for dog owners and their pets, according to city staff.
With the completion of a multi-use path on the south side of Dallas Road, as part of the CRD Clover Forcemain project, staff say bylaws must be updated to adjust the boundaries of the off-leash areas. A report recommending changes is expected this year.
On Thursday, councillors voted to allocate $100,000 toward a pilot project aimed at reducing conflict and ensuring safety in the Dallas Road waterfront park between Cook Street and Clover Point, with funding to come from the building and infrastructure reserve. Details have yet to be determined, but measures could include sections of split-rail fencing, signs and additional benches.
Coun. Ben Isitt said councillors had heard from seniors, people with disabilities and others who don’t feel safe in the area, as well as people who value the current open concept. “This proposes a pilot project that would attempt to balance those considerations and aim at a compromise that doesn’t go to one extreme or the other,” he said.
“It doesn’t maintain the status quo, which is inaccessible to a number of people, but it also doesn’t go as far as a contiguous section of fencing, which would create inconvenience for dog owners and would change the aesthetic of the area in a more substantial way.”
Isitt initially suggested a split-rail fence along the north side of the pedestrian path from in line with the totem pole in Beacon Hill Park to the base of Moss Street, but said Thursday he had heard from residents “there are more creative ways” to improve safety.
Council staff have received about 300 emails on the topic, both supporting and opposing changes.
Coun. Geoff Young said many people are not aware of the rules and assume off-leash dogs are allowed on the path, as well as the grassy area.
Councillors have received many comments from people who regularly walk in the area and they have never seen anyone bothered by the dogs, but that’s likely because those who don’t enjoy mixing with off-leash dogs avoid the area, Young said.
“We as council members know that we have received many letters from people who say: ‘I was knocked over. I went to hospital. I know about people who went to hospital because they were knocked over by dogs. I’m afraid to go down there because of the dogs,’ ” he said.
Coun. Charlayne Thornton-Joe said fencing should be the last option, suggesting that instead logs and rocks could be placed along the pathway. Making sure people know the rules and enforcing them is also important, she said.
“I hope that we’ll be able to look at the location of the [dog poo] bags, the water station, the garbage cans, and add more fun educational signage, and that the fencing be a last resort in key areas that may require it,” Thornton-Joe said.
