For people unfamiliar with Turkey Head, it’s the land that juts out from Beach Drive, between Orchard and Currie streets. The area hosts a marina, a parking lot and, around the perimeter, a walkway. This walkway is heavily used by both locals and visitors for the access it gives to vistas of the Salish Sea.
This narrow cement sidewalk skirts the edge of the water, and is blessed with a few park benches. People enjoy strolling while watching the waves, the gulls, water birds, otters and seals.
There are a number of signs, impossible to ignore, that declare the walkway off limits to “skateboarding, rollerblading, rollerskating, or bicycling.” The signs close with: “Dogs prohibited on walkway” as per municipal bylaw. (Dogs on leash are permitted, however, on the adjacent asphalt parking lot.)
With large rocks and a steep drop on one side, a high curb on the other, there is just enough room for two people to walk side-by-side. I have had the temerity, once or twice, to politely remind dog-walkers of the restriction; each time the response was incredulous. For some reason, a ban on dogs does not apply to … dogs?
Following the logic of this, skateboarders, rollerbladers, rollerskaters, and bicyclists should feel free to use the walkway. If the signs forbid it, it must be okay.
Robert Harwood
Oak Bay
