To all current, past and future users of the Rideau Trail that runs on the east side of Little Cataraqui Creek between Parkway and Queen Mary Roads, and everyone concerned about the environment.

• The City of Kingston is building a multi-use pathway connecting Parkway and Queen Mary Roads as part of Kingston’s Active Transportation Plan.
• The pathway will be built on a part of the Rideau Trail that runs through a conservation area on the east side of the Little Cataraqui Creek wetlands.
• The wetlands is home to a diverse range of aquatic and land nesting species.
• The multi-use pathway will improve accessibility to the area, but is not being designed to minimize environmental impact.
• The City of Kingston plans to pave a petroleum-based asphalt road down this portion of the Rideau Trail instead of using a more environmentally friendly surfacing option.
• The City of Kingston has no data on how we use this green space daily, yet is pushing forward with its pave-it and leave-it solution.

We are requesting a compromise - build an accessible pathway, not paved with asphalt, but surfaced with stone dust, and evaluate its long term use and impact on the wetlands area so to inform best practice for future development.  

Please support our cause by reading and signing the petition below, which will be presented to Kingston City Council in January of 2020.

PETITION

We the undersigned ask Kingston’s City Council to recognize the following:

"Whereas a stone dust surface is environmentally less intrusive and reduces unnecessary urbanization of existing conservation lands adjacent to a protected wetland, rather than an asphalt surface,

whereas a stone dust surface is perhaps more cost efficient to install and maintain than an asphalt surface,

whereas a stone dust surface meets the needs of active transportation and accessibility on urban pathways including current community stakeholders,

whereas current data is insufficient to indicate an asphalt surface on said pathway is necessary.

Therefore, be it resolved that City of Kingston Staff use stone dust instead of asphalt for the surface finishing of the proposed multi-use pathway between Parkway and Queen Mary Rd. until such time as user data for this pathway exists that would justify a move to asphalt."