The Capital Regional District shouldn’t be in a hurry to pave paradise. The CRD proposes to pave sections of Lochside Trail between Martindale Road in Central Saanich and Lochside Park in Saanich. The paving would mean horses would be banned from sections of the trail that riders currently use, and that has people protesting. Nearly 1,000 signatures have been collected on a petition calling on the CRD to scrap the proposal.
Those voices of protest should be heeded. This appears to be a solution in search of a problem.
The part of the trail proposed for paving is a leisurely recreational route, with farms on either side and tree branches creating a placid green tunnel. The path is used by a wide range of people: casual strollers, vigorous walkers, runners, families and seniors on bikes and, of course, horse riders. It has a rural feel to it that is a welcome respite from urban life. Paving would erode that pastoral nature.
While the trail’s surface is not suitable for thin-tired road bikes, riders of mountain bikes and comfort bikes find it ideal. Runners find the surface more yielding than pavement. And it’s a safe place to ride horses.
People who use the trail say pedestrians, cyclists and horses share the route in harmony, with cyclists and horses using different sides of the trail.
Options are limited for equestrians. Riding horses on regular roads is not wise. The traffic is distracting and the pavement is bad for their hooves and legs. The animals need regular exercise and outings to keep in good physical and mental health.
About 250 horses are stabled near Lochside Trail.
Glynis Schultz, owner-manager of Greenhawk Victoria, a horse supply store, said the area around the trail is the “heart of horse country on the Peninsula … It is a very, very active horse community with a lot of different disciplines.”
She said some trail users come to that section just to see the horses.
“You are going right through agricultural land,” she said. “I think it is actually something to be celebrated.”
The horse sector contributes to the economy, says Lee Hardy, co-owner of Poplar Lane Farm, with money spent on boarding and lessons, veterinarians, hay from local farmers, tack and feed stores, and farriers.
One of the most prominent aspects of the Saanich Peninsula is its agricultural character. The unpaved portion of Lochside Trail allows people to get up close and personal with farms, something rapidly diminishing in our urban society. It would be a pity to weaken the tie between us and the land.
The CRD has designated the trail as a bicycle and pedestrian trail, meaning it is primarily for high-volume recreational and commuter cycling. That’s why paving is being considered.
But Lochside Trail’s best attribute is its peace and serenity — we shouldn’t sacrifice that just to shave a few minutes off commuting time.
We shouldn’t be in such a hurry to be in a hurry.
