I would like to talk about Whiffin Spit Park and the trail leading out to the end of the spit.
RELATED: Walking the Spit
Surprisingly, this is not about dogs, dog owners or dog droppings not being cleaned up along the trail.
I try and walk the spit several times a week, and once again I saw an elderly person fall and stumble to the ground. Something that happens quite often throughout the year in any of our seasons here in Sooke.
RELATED: In depth: Simple falls causing serious injuries to people over 65
The trail needs to be cleaned up and either rake away the numerous rocks that have been washed up onto the trail and that have caused some areas to be unsafe for those with disability issues or some of the elderly. I realize we have had some great storms this year and that much of this has in fact been caused by these said storms.
RELATED: 420 pounds of trash removed from Whiffin Spit
But, I am now at the conclusion that a chipped asphalt trail needs to be put down along one side of the trail. This would only need to be three-and-a-half feet in width. By doing this we can provide disabled, persons utilizing walkers or other mobility aids or just a mother pushing her child’s stroller with a safer way to enjoy our community park.
RELATED: Sooke’s accessibility and inclusion challenged
There will be many naysayers that say there can be no changing in the park, but are we not supposed to be helping all members of our community and others that visit a safe and enjoyable way to take it in?
Remember when the conversation about putting railings up at the breakwater were thought of as a no go? And yet, look at it now and how many more people now enjoy and visit that site.
Do I need to start a GoFundMe page?
Murray Lambert
Sooke
