Rouge Park is to undergo a five- to 10-year renovation. Although plans are still in the drawing phase, plenty of problems pop into mind at the thought of this suburban park’s expansion.
Expanding brings more visitors and larger crowds, which means having to build more accommodations for the park: more parking, attractions and restaurants.
This will amount to more trash from newcomers.
But, let’s break it down one subject at a time, as each brings complications to the expansion plan.
We’ll start by discussing vehicle parking. Cars are one of the most popular modes of transportation in this city, so they will be a major part of the expansion plan. Toronto is already congested with cars going in and out because people need to go through the city.
Will Rouge Park’s expansion bring hordes of people to Scarborough that will slowly bring car congestion similar to Toronto’s?
Issue No. 2: attractions.
Some serious brainstorming needs to be done to decide what exactly to add to the park.
But what else is going to attract people? Bike trails could be in future plans and off-leash dog parks would be a great way to bring in more people.
Building an area just for kids to play would also be ideal, as it would make the park more family-friendly.
Lastly, we need to look at the impact future restaurants and nearby small businesses will have on the park.
If I buy a bottle of water or a snack, I don’t want to walk around for half an hour, unable to find a recycling bin to throw out my trash.
I don’t want to see garbage dumps beside trees or a bush rather than in bins.
The issue at hand is: how are we going to keep this place clean? Someone should ensure that the new crowd of people coming into the park will put their garbage in the right place.
This means more garbage and recycling bins should be placed where convenient.
The renovation can be a step in the right direction but there has to be planning to ensure its success.