Pedestrians have put their collective foot down – no pun intended –  in getting cyclists off a portion of the path around Lac des Nations.

Municipal council recently showed unanimous support for a proposition to ban cyclists and rollerbladers from the southern portion on the popular trail – between the Marché de la gare public market and the Pont Noir – on Saturdays and Sundays between 11:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m.
“We’ve had complaints from pedestrians over the last several years,” said Serge Paquin, a city councillor in Mont-Bellevue, the borough where the ban discussion was initiated. “The trail has become crowded for pedestrians and it’s turning into a dangerous situation.”
Although pedestrians and those on wheels each have their own designated lane to use, the path on the south bank of Lac des Nations is relatively narrow and makes sharing difficult, Paquin said, especially with families with young children and strollers.
The trail that skirts Lac des Nations is one of the biggest success stories of the Cité des rivières iniative, a downtown revitalization project that now draws hoards of families to enjoy Sherbrooke’s outdoors.

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By Sarah Rogers

2009-07-03