I am a long-term user of the Jim Uffelmann Memorial Park and agree there does seem to be an increase in the sense of entitlement some cyclists display on the multi-use river pathway. Most cyclists however seem to comprehend that dogs, or children, may dart out and they ride slow enough to avoid collisions. As usual, it is the few that mess it up for the majority; including one individual who recently was riding too fast and threatened a friend and dog with bear spray. To claim however that banning cyclists borders on discrimination is ridiculous and a display of the over wrought sense so many have of "me and my rights." Yes, dogs should be under control but to parrot the same old tired bylaw statement they should be under control all the time is a failure to comprehend that dogs are not machines and may not respond to their owners every time. Can we demand then that your kids or grand kids are under your control at all times in public spaces and are not running loose and slamming into people, yelling, screaming and fighting? The argument about impacts on the Bow River drinking water is weak in light of the new bridge currently under construction. Where do you think the road salt, grime and dirt is going to go when it is completed? What about the permanent change to the flow of the river itself; is that not going to impact the health of fish and other wildlife? Saying that the Town of Cochrane graciously allows dogs to be off leash is an over statement seeing how few off leash places there are. And contending that we should be segregated away from multi-user parks, away from the river and limited to alternate locations that are chosen only because they have no development value is just as discriminatory as declaring that banning cyclists from the park is discriminatory. Is it that unreasonable for taxpaying dog owners to expect that we be given the same access to some shared public spaces as everyone else? To say the dog owners and dogs are ruining Cochrane and endangering visitors is fear mongering and bordering on hysteria. Many people come from out of town just to use the river pathway (and probably spend money at MacKay’s Ice Cream and Cochrane Coffee Traders), or stay in the RV park because they CAN walk with their dog on the river pathway. As Jim stated; it is not just about dog parks, it is about places for people to recreate with their dogs. How about we all put a bit more effort into sharing the river pathway instead of shrieking about discrimination and the ruination of Cochrane by dog owners? And for anyone who feels unsafe sharing the river pathway with dog owners and their dogs, there are many kilometers of other pathways in Cochrane to use that are just as nice, if not nicer. Sandy Chilton
