FRUSTRATED MOM

Mother gets clarification on whether she can be in cycling lane in Victoria Park with a stroller

A Fort Augustus mother says she was left feeling unwelcome on the cycling lane at Charlottetown’s Victoria Park on Tuesday night.

Kayla Hainer, who has three young children, was pushing one of her children in a stroller while her mother was pushing another one of the children beside her in another stroller.

The third child was riding her bicycle beside them when they were approached by an angry woman on a bicycle.

“This lady comes barrelling down the street and she was like, ‘Move out of the way, move out of the way, don’t you know this is a bike trail? Strollers can’t be on here’,’’ Hainer recalls.

Hainer said she informed the woman she didn’t see any signs saying she couldn’t push her child in a stroller while her other child was on a bicycle.

“She then starts mouthing off, and I don’t want to even repeat the words. She was really vulgar with me. I was completely blown away. There was more than enough room for her to pass us without (using) vulgar (language). We were really confused.’’

Hainer said they used the cycling lane because she didn’t want to trek along the boardwalk with two strollers and a bicycle.

There is a sign on each end of the Victoria Park cycling lane that indicates to users that strollers are not permitted.

The Guardian checked with the City of Charlottetown’s

parks and recreation department on the matter, and it turns out Hainer had every right to be on the cycling lane with her children Tuesday night.

A spokeswoman said the city encourages youngsters to use

the cycling lane. However, while walking on the lane is discouraged, she says Hainer was fully within her right to walk next to her daughter on a bicycle.

Hainer said she’s quite relieved to get clarification,

explaining that she’s a big fan of Victoria Park.

“It’s such a major tourist attraction. I would be down there swinging my son on the swings and someone would just come up and ask where I’m from.’’

Hainer suggests the city make the signs they have on both ends of the cycling lane bigger or put up signs where the message is a bit clearer.

DAVE STEWART/THE GUARDIAN Kayla Hainer, pushing the stroller, found out the hard way that she’s allowed to push her child in a stroller on the cycling lane at Charlottetown’s Victoria Park as long as her other daughter is on her bicycle beside her. Hainer said she was accosted by a cyclist on Tuesday night for being on the cycling lane with a stroller. Also pictured are her son, Brayden Thompson (in the stroller), her daughter, Blake Thompson (in the baby holder), her daughter, Trinity Hainer (on the bicycle) and Chloe Coggar (walking), a child Hainer babysits.