Majority of floating dock users won't be launching boats, says Mitchell Tweel

A new floating dock destined for Charlottetown's Victoria Park could be in the water by the end of August, according to the city.

The city purchased the dock in mid-July with the aim to give people a place they could launch non-motorized boats from, replacing a makeshift dock people had been using.

One resident of the city raised concerns about traffic congestion, and last Friday Coun. Terry MacLeod echoed those sentiments.

MacLeod voted to approve the purchase of the dock and says his concerns came to mind in the weeks following the vote.

"I use it a lot and when a car goes to parallel park there's a substantial backlog of cars, so especially if people decide to use it as a drop-off point for kayak or canoe, there could be substantial ... back-up of traffic," he said.

He also said location wasn't discussed before the vote, and he's also heard from residents concerned about the location because of increased traffic in the area.

90% pedestrian traffic

Coun. Mitchell Tweel, chair of the parks and recreation committee, says he doesn't think traffic will be an issue, as the vast majority of people will be using the dock to walk out on, and not to launch boats.

"The primary user for the floating dock are the people that use this boardwalk. I'm looking at 90 per cent or more, people that use the boardwalk, the pedestrian traffic on the boardwalk, will be the major user group," he said.

"That will be an extension for them, to come down here to Victoria Park, have a nice walk and be able to walk out on the water, if you will, and have that experience."

Tweel said there will be two parking spots designated for people launching boats, one of which will be for accessible parking.

No swimming, diving

MacLeod also had questions he thought needed to be answered before the dock was put in, like whether a lifeguard would be on duty.

Tweel said swimming and diving off the dock will be prohibited, and the presence of a lifeguard or life-ring is something "we will gauge that as we go along."

"We hope that with the [signs] we're going to outline, there shouldn't be any need for that, and that people who are using the dock will exercise that due care."

Tweel said the city will enforce rules.

"We'll be here to watch, and to gauge the level of participation, the utilization of the floating dock and then go from there," he said.

"It's no different, I mean if you look at Victoria Park right now, people are permitted to walk down over these large rocks and go down and [swim]. We can't prevent that. But the dock, it'll be clear, crystal clear, there'll be no diving or swimming off the dock."

'Safe access to water'

Tweel said the main purpose of the dock is to give people "safe access to the water."

"If you look at the shoreline, here with all these major boulders and these big rocks, the question becomes how do people access the water in beautiful Victoria Park?" he said.

"Well they currently can't do that, the dock that we're going to install will address that, and I might add, address it effectively."

He added there will be signage posted that will specify that only non-motorized boats, like canoes, kayaks, and paddle boats, are to be launched from there.

He said the city will assess the new addition on an on-going basis, to determine whether users are following the rules and whether any other adjustments need to be made.  

Tweel said the inspiration for the dock came from the flotilla that was put in as part of Art in the Open last year, which he said received overwhelmingly positive reviews.

"I believe given the opportunity, when this dock is finally installed and people have the chance to come down and experience it, I think it'll be a positive experience," he said.

"Does that mean we can add or delete? Absolutely. Like I said it's a work in progress, we'll be collecting information as we go along and I think it would be a nice feature in the park."

Tweel said he is extremely proud of the work parks and recreation staff have done in Victoria Park in recent years.

"When it comes to the overall being of Victoria Park, this park has never looked better.... It's the crown jewel of the province of Prince Edward Island, and all we're going to do is make it that much better."

More P.E.I. news