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Brad Bradford wants to allow more sleds to glide and slide in parks across the city.
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The Toronto city councillor says he is working to put forth a proposal at City Hall that would lift a ban on tobogganing at dozens of parks deemed unsafe by City staff.
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“We’ve heard loud and clear from Torontonians that they don’t accept the idea of a tobogganing ban, especially on hills where their families have been sledding for generations,” Bradford said in a statement.
The Beaches-East York councillor says signs posted earlier this month in 45 parks with hills that restrict tobogganing hasn’t stopped people from enjoying the winter activity.
“The City needs to find a workable solution,” he said. “The ‘no tobogganing’ signs don’t cut it, especially when residents are taking them down as quickly as staff put them back up. To stick our head in the snow and pretend folks won’t toboggan because of a sign is the worst form of irresponsibility.”
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Currently, tobogganing is allowed at 29 hills in 27 parks. The ban at the other parks, voted by City Council earlier this month, is due to liability concerns. If a person is injured while tobogganing due to hazards such as trees, rocks and stumps, a lawsuit could be filed against the City for damages.
Also, parks with hills that lead to rivers or roads is another concern for the City.
Bradford says City workers could instead put up signs warning people about the visible dangers if they decide to toboggan and take on that risk themselves.
“That’s the same way we handle it with arenas, with skate trails, and with stairs in parks that don’t get maintained in the winter,” he said.
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Bradford suggests the City should return to using hay bales and snow fences that managed the risks to tobogganing in the past.
“And it will be up to parents and young people to make informed decisions about the level of risk they’re willing to take on,” he added.
Meanwhile, Oshawa councillors voted down a controversial proposal a year ago that would have banned tobogganing at all but two municipal parks.
Instead, City staff were tasked with removing hazards where possible and posted signs banning sleds on the most dangerous hills.
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