The good news is that people are using Burnaby trails in record numbers as they try and get out of the house amid COVID-19.
Metro Vancouver released new data and says that its Burnaby Lake Regional Park did boffo business in January, despite some pretty terrible weather.
The bad news is that some of those folks using the Burnaby Lake trails are displaying “bully behaviour” according to more comments I’ve received from readers.
“People just refuse to move to the side on these narrow trails,” wrote Phil, a Burnaby senior. “I don’t want to get COVID and so I don’t want people near me – even outdoors. It's the worst bully behaviour."
Even in the winter, Metro Vancouver’s Regional Parks set new visitor records. In January 2021, Regional Parks recorded over 1.2 million visits — more than double the 550,000 visits that took place in January 2020.
This follows a record-setting year in 2020 when, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, residents turned to Metro Vancouver’s regional parks as safe outlets for exercise and to connect with nature and others. Regional parks saw 16.5 million visits last year — an increase of 38% from 2019, when there were 11.9 million visits.
But getting outside doesn’t mean dumping COVID-19 protocols in the trash. It’s why the City of Burnaby instituted a one-way path at Deer Lake.
“I am getting tired of reminding people; if they can't figure out what two metres is, they need to go back to school,” said Burnaby resident Robert Unger. “So we are on the trail and a group of four adults and seven children are walking spread out across the whole walkway. We stepped off the trail to let them pass. I said, ‘Try to keep to the two-metre rule,’ to one of the women and she said they were all one family and so it didn't matter. The request from the government is household, not your whole family group, and two metres is two metres, not two feet. They made everyone they passed move off to the side as they ambled on by.”
Parks visitors are asked to follow these guidelines:
- Choose parks in your own area – do not travel across the region
- Maintain physical distance of at least two metres from others at all times, including in parking lots
- Dispose of tissues and other waste in designated garbage bins
- Pack it in, pack it out – do not leave any items behind in parks
- Wash or sanitize hands frequently during the day and upon returning home
- Stay home if you are sick
This isn’t rocket science. Just play nice so we can all enjoy the outdoors.
Follow Chris Campbell on Twitter @shinebox44.
