HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2017-12-07, Page 7Accessible to all
Blyth's Julie Sawchuk, seen here, can now enjoy the
Goderich-to-Guelph Rail Trail in her wheelchair, thanks to
the accessibility upgrades made to the trail and the
construction of the new Blyth Brook bridge. (Photo submitted)
THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 7, 2017. PAGE 7.
The great (accessible) outdoors
On a recent
trip to London, I drove past
Springbank Park where they have
just finished repaving the trails.
How I longed to stop and try out
my wheels, spend some time
outdoors on a smooth level surface
and get some speed at
the same time. Maybe come
spring?
In winters past, I would have
been dragging all our ski equipment
and my kids out onto the trails. Yet,
here we are at the beginning of
December and the trails are bare
and dry, not a snowmobile in sight.
This weekend we ventured out
anyway; kids in their running
shoes, me on my mountain trike.
Having read in The Citizen and
on Facebook about the new bridge
installed on the Goderich-to-
Guelph (G2G) Rail Trail, I wanted
to check it out. It had been
described as just west of Blyth over
the Blyth Brook, so I figured it
would not be too far away. Good
thing I looked at a map before we
left the house - that would have
been a long roll from Blyth!
The new bridge crosses the brook
just west of Limekiln Line so that is
where we parked the car and
unloaded my trike. We headed west
and as I looked ahead to see where
the bridge was I marvelled at the
smooth and dry stone chip trail —
quite different from to the last time
I ventured down this section of the
trail.
Three summers ago Luke Klages,
Marion Studhalter and I rode our
mountain bikes from Blyth to
SAMSUNC
By Julie Sawchuk
Auburn. This was before any work
had been done, in fact I don't think
the trail was even officially the
G2G yet. We had a great time, but a
lot of it was rough riding and
crossing the brook was a bit
precarious. The bridge we used
then, just south of the actual rail
trail, was narrow and tricky to get
to. I remember carrying our bikes
across that bridge (perhaps while
they dangled over the river?) and
jumping back down into the field.
Not exactly accessible!
What an opportunity we have
created by supporting the G2G as a
community. This new bridge opens
up a section of trail that was
otherwise difficult to navigate no
matter if you had two, three or four
wheels. I know that this project was
neither easy nor inexpensive, but
completing it has created
accessibility to an outdoor space,
something that, out here in the
country, is hard to find.
It is my hope that all outdoor
projects (events, patios, gardens or
trails) in our community will
consider the benefits of improved
accessibility. Demonstrating a
commitment to the Accessiblity for
Ontarians with Disabilities Act
(AODA) in Ontario will realize
both economic and social gain.
Accessible rural communities are
few and far between; let's make
ours one of them.
Nature
Julie and Theo Sawchuk's children, Ella and Oliver, are
seen here enjoying the outdoors along the Goderich-to-
Guelph Rail Trail at the new Blyth Brook bridge, which is
now fully accessible. (Photo submitted)
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