A petition protesting the fence and enforcement of dogs wearing leashes on the path along Dallas road, has over 500 signatures in 24hrs.
“As many of you have heard an abrupt decision was made to segregate pet owners from the general public who collectively enjoy the Dallas Road off leash area. The decision was a result of the initial idea to put some fencing along the road area but was somehow changed to along the path area on both sides. All of this was done with out public consultation. Somehow the irresponsible choice was made to remove what is the top location for meeting up with pet owners, runners and walkers by a group of people I’ve never actually seen utilizing the area where I walk my dogs every day. Our mayor mentioned that a few complaints were received in the past but the city does not receive them anymore. Our city council voted for it. The cost will be sixty thousand dollars and construction is to start immediately. Please sign this to prevent the destruction of this pet friendly area.” Reads the petition.
It is garnering dozens of signatures and comments every hour such as this one from Katherine D: “This fence is a complete waste of tax payers money. It will simply create more congestion, won’t actually hold most of the dogs out of any specific space, and will likely create more tripping hazards and congestion with more dogs on leash. Stop trying to fix what isn’t broken and honestly leave Clover Point alone Lisa! It’s great just the way it is.”
The protest comes after an announcement by the City of Victoria that it will be installing split-rail fencing along sections of the pathway along Dallas Road and educating dog owners that pooches on the pathway must be on a leash.
The one year pilot project is in response to complaints about conflicts between off-leash dogs and pedestrians on the pathway. The project is expected to cost $60,000.
The petition can be found here.
