Coquitlam plans to beef up bylaw enforcement at Mundy Park and may eventually create a segregated trail system to reduce the number of dog-related conflicts among park users.
A recent survey found that while most residents are happy with Mundy and its amenities, many have concerns about off-leash and aggressive dogs as well as the droppings some leave behind that are not picked up by their owners.
While staff is planning on conducting a $20,000 dog etiquette campaign, most councillors said education is not enough and fines needed to be levied.
"I think people know the rules," said Coun. Craig Hodge, "they just choose to ignore them."
Many dog walkers enter the park with their pooch on a leash, only to let them roam free once they are out of sight of the parking lot, Hodge said. To combat this, he suggested bylaw officers ride bikes so they can get deeper into the trail system to issue tickets.
EDUCATION KEY, SAYS MAYOR
Mayor Richard Stewart agreed with Hodge but noted educating park users is also important. Because enforcement of off-leash rules has been lax in the past, many residents are not aware of the importance of keeping their animals under control, he said. "I don't agree that the public understands what the rules are now because we don't enforce them," Stewart said.
Dog-related conflicts were highlighted during public consultations for the city's draft Mundy Park Forest Management Plan. While the off-leash issue was not the focus of input sessions, 60 of 200 comments were related to dogs and 42 people voiced concerns about aggressive canines.
As a result, city staff have asked council for funding to investigate a segregated trail system that would allow for a separate off-leash area. Currently, dog owners are allowed to walk their pets without a leash on the Perimeter Trail from dawn to 10 a.m., except around Mundy Lake.
Under the staff proposal, three trails would exist: an off-leash, an on-leash and a trail where pets would be prohibited. Staff recommends $20,000 be allocated to create the segregated loops, with another $20,000 to be spent to launch the dog etiquette campaign. Another $60,000 would be required for stepped up enforcement.
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