Saanich is defending itself against charges of manipulating plans for Haro Woods in favour of allowing biking in the area.

B次元官网网址淎t this point, weB次元官网网址檙e planning our way forward and no definitive decisions [about biking] have been made,B次元官网网址� said Gary Darrah, manager of park planning and development.

B次元官网网址淎 potential option might be to consider some biking in a designated area of the park, not throughout the full woods, as a pilot project. Whether this is considered further will depend on continued engagement in the community.B次元官网网址�

Darrah made these comments after and after receiving criticism around its handling of the question of whether Saanich should allow biking in the area, and if so, where.

Gerald Graham, a Saanich resident who lives in the area and is familiar with the issues, said SaanichB次元官网网址檚 public consultation has been a B次元官网网址渟hamB次元官网网址� because Saanich has been trying to B次元官网网址渞am throughB次元官网网址� biking.

B次元官网网址淭hey basically wanted to accommodate it [biking],B次元官网网址� he said. Specifically, he notes that SaanichB次元官网网址檚 environment and natural area advisory committee was going to endorse a pilot project for biking in the area following a presentation after the third and final open house.

finds some support for B次元官网网址渃reating an area where people may ride, and build tracks and jumps as they please (a B次元官网网址榖iking areaB次元官网网址�) subject to conditions.B次元官网网址� This biking area would appear in a B次元官网网址減reviously disturbed areaB次元官网网址� of Haro Woods. However, this same survey also expressed reservations about allowing it in Haro Woods in any form.

For Graham, genuine consultation would have consisted of presenting the public with choices about permissible activities.

B次元官网网址淲hat they need is a consultation process that starts from scratch,B次元官网网址� he said.

Council was set to receive the draft management plan on May 28, following two years of public consultations. B次元官网网址淏ut due to the lack of shared understanding among stakeholders around recreation uses in the park, we decided to continue to gather public input and extend our survey,B次元官网网址� said Darrah.

B次元官网网址淒espite all of these public engagement activities undertaken, weB次元官网网址檝e identified a lack of consensus in the community on the issue of biking in the park,B次元官网网址� he said.

Accordingly, Saanich continues to solicit feedback, a process that may take months.

The 5.6-hectare park with its mature Douglas firs is located off Arbutus Road in the Cadboro Bay neighbourhood, and has become a popular destination for walkers, joggers and cyclists, drawing users from inside and outside of Saanich. But this popularity has also caused environmental damage, while sparking conflict among users.

wolfgang.depner@saanichnews.com