Help Save Access to Our North Medway Valley Trail Update

The proposed North Medway Valley trail, midway between Fanshawe Park Road and Sunningdale Road, is under threat of becoming a controlled access zone. The second phase of the city planned trail system, known as the 2005 Preferred Alignment, has been reclassified by environmental activists. The majority of the Medway Trails Advisory Group has lobbied to classify most of this area as a Nature Reserve. This classification allows no trails and access is only by permit, for scientific research.
At a recent community meeting, local residents were presented with a confusing array of 13 trail concepts that all downgraded the recreational facilities proposed in the 2005 Preferred Alignment. All of these new concepts restrict access in one form or another. The advisory group has recommended a change in the decision criteria from 50% ecological and 50% social in the 2005 study to 75% ecological and 25% social. The community quickly realised they had little representation, if any, on the trails advisory group. There was a reluctance to identify the advisory group members. The community also realised that the large number of proposed concepts would dilute the vote to maintain access in the valley.
The meeting presenters emphasized that no final decision has been made. However, they failed to mention the new 400’, locked fence at the Sunningdale end of the valley. The new fence was installed for the Sunningdale Golf Course for liability purposes. Coincidently, it is situated on the Trail Concept 3: Restrict Access plan, to limit access to the “core” of the valley. There is also a private owner’s fence around the midpoint of the trail that could be locked at any given time.
If you value your trails and recreation, please take the time to educate yourself and vote. The city has provided the following link:
http://www.london.ca/d.aspx?s=/Planning_and_Development/Land_Use_Planning/Parks_Planning/Medway_trail.htm
You vote by clicking on comments. You will be asked to comment on Trail Standard, Management Zone, Evaluation Criteria and Trail Options. They don’t give you any options so you have to go to the other parts of the website to determine your choices. I suggest that you contact the city representative and ask to be walked through your options if you are having difficulty.
As an example, here are my choices. I selected the level 1 hiking trail standard to minimize the impact on the environment. For Management Zone, I selected Natural Area to permit the new hiking trail. For the Evaluation Criteria, 50% ecological and 50% social was selected. For the trail options, I selected Trail Concept 4C, to provide a continuous link with my future neighbours.
If it all sounds rather complicated, please don’t be deterred. Remember, this selection process was sanctioned by the Trails Advisory committee. Please help save our trail system by sharing these concerns with your neighbours and fellow hikers and urge them to vote. Help them complete and return the comment sheet. Finally, the deadline to complete the Comment Sheet is Friday, January 13th, 2012.