Residents worry parking removal at Sam Lawrence Park in Hamilton will impact accessibility

As a total overhaul is planned for Sam Lawrence Park in Hamilton, some residents are not on board with the removal of on-site parking as accessibility remains a big issue.

The City of Hamilton began the process to upgrade the park which overlooks the Jolley Cut on the Mountain Brow in 2019.

There are 30 planned initiatives in total which range from how pedestrians access the site, to a pedestrian bridge over the Jolley Cut.

“I just wish they had put more ramps in,” said John Knecht, someone who lives nearby.

“With so many initiatives, they’re not broken into phases,” said Wes Kindree, a staff member at the City of Hamilton’s Public Works. “The timeline to execute all those initiatives is going to be a bit of an unknown at this point.”

On the west side of Sam Lawrence Park, there is a quick place to park where you can get out and take in the view.

The city proposes to install a space for picnic tables and park awnings.

“We don’t have an overall cost for the project because of the large, extensive initiatives that are taking place,” said Kindree.

The parking that is currently at Sam Lawrence Park in Hamilton is going to be gone with the new design.

Some of the people that spoke with CHCH News said the new design will make it harder for them to stop by quickly on their lunch break and enjoy the beautiful view.

“If I have to park on the street, I don’t think I would have got a hold of such a beautiful view,” said Shivam Nehra, who was visiting the city.

“There’s nowhere to park no more, so they’re going to park on the street and then walk the trail,” said Rohan Grossett, a resident who lives in the area. “The trail is not that big.”

“A lot of people in the building I live in complain about the noise at night, because of the people parking,” said Knecht.

With no set cost or end to the project in sight, residents in the area will have to be patient while the city works through their upgrade list.

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