Open letter to mayor and city council,
Is having people, dogs, and bikes on a shared path a good idea?
Bark Park was reopened and dedicated as such last fall with much fanfare. Residents provided input for beautification.
Bark Park can be a wonderful place to walk, relax, let dogs socialize, and provide a scenic ride for bikes. My wife and I visit this park often and fortunately, have met many wonderful people there.
Through many conversations, I began to hear more and more stories of unsafe and dangerous incidents taking place involving bikes, dogs, and people interactions.
As I began to ask others what needs to be done, the consensus emerged that a segregation of people and dogs from bikes was very important to restore safety for all park users.
As a result, I drafted and began circulating the following petition to communicate this need for safety improvements on behalf of park users.
To date, this community petition has garnered over 250 signatures and continues to grow. Here is the petition request:
We the undersigned, request the Mayor and Council of the City of Richmond to undertake changes at Bark Park (No. 3 and Dyke Roads) to improve the safety for dogs, pedestrians, and cyclists. The primary goal is the physical segregation of people/dogs from bikes. Options, in priority:
1. Construct additional gravel path, for bikes, running east-west, approximately 10 ft further north from the current path and implement a physical barrier (low-hedge or low fence) on the south side of this path. Current gravel path would be restricted to people/dog use only;
2. Maintain the current gravel path, running east-west, and install a physical barrier approximately down the middle to provide separation of users;
3. Maintain the current gravel path, and install a series of gates as physical barriers to slow bikes and/or require dismount of bikers;
There have been a number of incidents causing grave concern that without such measures, the risk of accidents, injuries, physical and verbal altercations, and the potential for escalation and violence will continue and may increase.
This petition with be presented in final to the Parks Committee Meeting on Tuesday September 26th.
Ironically, several weeks back as I was explaining this petition to people and collecting signatures at Bark Park, I heard a commotion and turned around to see an elderly gentleman on the ground, with blood down his arm, and clearly shocked by what had just happened.
He was simply riding along, not even as fast as many riders do, and a dog ran in front of him.
In his kindness, he tried to turn and avoid the small dog resulting in his falling off his bike and sliding on the gravel.
Thankfully, several dog owners kindly jumped into action to provide first aid.
Dog owners, bikers and people who have stopped using Bark Park due to these safety concerns would appreciate action to restore this park as a safe place for all to go and enjoy visiting.
It is unfeasible and unsafe for dogs, people, and bikes to use the same path in Bark Park without any segregation or physical controls for safety.
Jerome Dickey
Richmond
