City Council Agenda - November 26, 2012 - City of Guelph

Attachment 11. Outdoor Spaces and Buildings (streets, design, green space, sense of physical safety, signage)LikesPeople like the parks, trails and recreation opportunities in Guelph. There were many examples givenof what makes Guelph a special place to live for older adults: lovely parks, well-maintained parkspaces, walking paths and trails. Trails are being used by people with walkers. New trails are beingintroduced into older parks to increase accessibility for seniors. New parks and trails are designed tobe accessible. Grandparents are pleased with the City’s prompt response in fixing playgroundequipment. Access to the river is improving. There is a draft Recreation, Parks and Culture StrategicPlan (2009) identifying the aging population as an area for attention. There is a Guelph Trail MasterPlan with the goal of a comprehensive trail system to improve trails for all including seniors andpeople with disabilities. Examples of excellent spaces included the Enabling Garden, Riverside Parkand space where people can grow their own food.City-wide yearly inspections of sidewalks were mandated to begin in 2012 following amendments toprovincial legislation requiring the City to identify and fix hazards on sidewalks. In some areas of theCity the quality of the sidewalks is reasonable; in others areas some parts of the sidewalks were feltto be hazardous. Sidewalk hazards have been marked for visibility and safety; however, repairs inmany cases are outstanding.The quality of the built space from a seniors’ perspective varies. The north end is reported as very‘seniors’ friendly’. Nice progress has been made in some areas, e.g., the main City centre is accessiblewith good curb cuts.Areas for ImprovementFear of falling is a serious reality for people as they age. A fall can be catastrophic, easily resulting insuch things as a broken hip necessitating hospitalization. This can often spell the premature end ofindependence. Problems with sidewalk maintenance, curb cuts, and snow clearance are major issuesthat need to be managed to improve people’s ability to age in place and maintain theirindependence.Sidewalks are a serious concern for most older adults, especially for people using wheelchairs orscooters. The comment was made regularly that it seems as if the engineers who design sidewalksand curb cuts haven’t experienced using a wheelchair or scooter. Lack of maintenance was reportedby many respondents. One individual said there was a hole in one sidewalk that had been there,marked by orange paint, for four years. There is a reported lack of sufficient funds in the budget todo all the maintenance identified as needed.Snow clearing practices are not adequate to allow older adults to remain mobile in the wintermonths. Windrow build-up, snow and ice on sidewalks and roads isolate seniors or can lead toserious falls.Older Adult Strategy for the City of GuelphPrepared by The Osborne Group, October 201222