Curb at park entrance sizable obstacle for some
When the way into a city park is a lot more accessible to some than others, somebody is getting the short end of the stick.
Most of us take ease of movement for granted and think nothing of tiptoeing around or over whatever is in our way. It’s much more of a blessing than we will ever know, no matter what we think.
But for those who aren’t so blessed, small concessions that improve mobility can be the difference between getting where they want to go, or being left behind.
And when people who use mobility devices to get around are forced to scale a wheelchair-unfriendly curb at a key access point to a park, it’s hard not to conclude that they’ve been overlooked.
Brad Hubley emailed to say he was riding his bike on Canada Day weekend at Port Union Village Common Park, at the bottom of Pt. Union Rd., south of Lawrence Ave., when he spotted a problem.
“As we pedalled our way through the parking lot, I noticed that the access area from the parking lot to the path (into the park) is protected with two bollards and yellow lines on the asphalt.
“What is lacking is a curb ramp or cut-out,” he said, noting that the main access point from the parking lot into the park is separated by a curb that could be a problem for some people.
“Given the number of strollers that were in sight and the number of visitors, some of whom may have mobility issues, I’m surprised that the presence of a curb ramp was overlooked by the city.”
We went there and found that the curb separating the path from the parking lot is not cut down to scale, which is no big deal for most people, but could send someone in a mobility device on a goose chase for another way in.
When just about every other curb in the city is levelled with the surrounding asphalt to allow those who aren’t so nimble to cross it, there’s no reason why this one shouldn’t be. Status: Goran Mitrevski, the new manager of parks for Scarborough, sent us a note saying he assigned staff to look into it. He forwarded us an email Tuesday that said a work order has been issued to cut the curb down to size. What’s broken in your neighbourhood? Wherever you are in Greater Toronto, we want to know. Send an email to jlakey@thestar.ca. Report problems and follow us on Twitter @TOStarFixer.