A RECENT  LETTER:

High Park, Before and After!

Prior to the High Park road closures to vehicles in 2023, a Sunday family outing to High Park was fun and affordable.

Let’s follow along with a family of 5 (2 adults, children 3, 5, 7) out for the day with grandparents, Grandpa in a wheelchair.  Driving into High Park from Parkside Drive, park in the Zoo parking lot.  Adventure Playground is steps away, hurrah! Children want to see the animals. The walk is too hilly for grandparents, so Grandma drives with Grandpa to the parking lot at Grenadier Café, while the rest of the family makes their way up the hill through the Zoo to join them.  Where next?  Hot, sunny day – Splash Pad! Everyone hops into the car. Along Colborne Lodge Drive, round to West Road, park by the Splash Pad, Accessible Playground, picnic benches, washroom.  Maybe still time to enjoy Hillside Gardens, Childrens Garden or Colborne Lodge, to end their full day of adventure in High Park. Five or six hours of enjoyment for the cost of gasoline, and maybe an ice cream!

Today, with the closure of roadways to vehicles and parking, this outing would be difficult and expensive.

Let’s begin trying to park outside the Parkside Drive entrance. Hmm, $4.25 an hour with a 3-hour limit. No full day out here!  And - no unloading platforms on the perimeter.  A bike lane on one side and constant traffic on the other. A challenge indeed to unload children and wheelchair!  Out of the car, now, where to?  400-meter walk to the Adventure Playground.  But how do we all get to the Café, Splash Pad, Colborne Lodge?  Ah, the Train. Adults: $9.00, seniors and children $7.00. But wait – no wheelchairs on the train - Grandma and Grandpa get left behind.  Oh, and be sure to check your watch: the 3-hour parking limit means a hefty fine or towed car.  Minimum cost for the (3-hour) day is now $39.00 + gas, without Grandma and Grandpa on the train, and no ice cream.

No wonder High Park is so quiet on weekends now…

write to your Councillor, the mayor_chow@toronto.ca and highparkmove@toronto.ca and tell them what you think!!!