Do you want drones, horses or Segways in city parks?
What you are permitted to do in a Calgary public park, from flying drones to tobogganing, is up for debate for the first time in 15 years as city hall prepares to review the rules around parks and pathways.
The city has created an online survey to gather information on how Calgarians use municipal parks and what sorts of activities they would like to see permitted in green spaces.
“People’s interests change over time. There’s new sports, there’s new activities that people like to do (and) people’s sentiments change about what we should control and what we shouldn’t control,” said Nico Bernard, a manager with Calgary parks.
“It’s about the use and it’s also about the rules that we apply sometimes.”
Some of the less common activities mentioned in the survey include e-biking, Segway use and horseback riding. The city is also curious about Calgarians’ views on more conventional activities like tobogganing, bicycling and walking.
Feedback is also sought on the use of pathways, including whether “unsafe pathway behaviour” from cyclists or pedestrians “detracts from the park experience.”
One question prompts Calgarians to weigh in on whether the recreational use of small drones should be permitted in parks.
The city hopes to compile the feedback in a report that will go to council later this year.
“(Park bylaws) haven’t been reviewed for several years and we want to just make sure it’s still current,” Bernard said.
“There may be a few changes or there may be very little changes. It just depends on if the public is interested in seeing updates to it.”
Based on public feedback, the city could recommend a relaxing or tightening of the rules for a number of parks-related activities, from food truck permits and fruitpicking to the number of locations where tobogganing is permitted.
Coun. Druh Farrell said she sees the survey as a chance to check in with Calgarians to see if the existing rules are still relevant.
Farrell said rules governing park opening hours in particular may need to be revisited, especially in parks that include pathways used by commuters.
“Closing the pathway may not fit with today’s needs,” Farrell said. “When we first developed that bylaw, those pathways were simply recreational and now they’re part of our (transportation) network.”
The Ward 7 councillor also said she has some reservations about relaxing the rules around drone usage in city green spaces.
The survey will be available online until the end of the month.