Should Calgarians be allowed to fly drones, ride horses or toboggan in any park? The city wants your input

Officials want to hear what Calgarians do and don't want allowed in city parks and on pathways

Image | First time tobogganer

Caption: Under the current rules, tobogganing is allowed only at 22 approved hills in Calgary, which could change as the city undertakes its first review of its parks bylaws in 15 years. (Jeff Green/CBC)

Should Calgarians be allowed to ride horses in city parks? What about picking berries? Or riding a Segway?
Under the current rules, those activities aren't allowed but that could change this fall.
For the first time in 15 years, the city is looking to update the bylaws governing parks and pathways, and officials are asking for feedback from Calgarians.
"As technologies change, there's always new things people want to do, and the rules around some of those things are not even clear," parks manager Nico Bernard told the Calgary Eyeopener(external link) on Monday.
"Segways are an example. There are drones people want to use. There are all kinds of things people think they should be able to use but there are bylaws against them. So this is just a way for us to gather some input from the citizens and see what are the things they want to do or maybe do more of or maybe there are things that bother them and they don't want to see in parks."
One question asked on the survey is whether Calgarians should be allowed to toboggan down any hill they want. Under the current rules, sledding and tobogganing is permitted only at 22 approved hills and parks(external link).
"That's one of those examples where we want to poll people and see what's their interest and is it something they want us to control or something they want to do at their own risk," said Bernard.
Input can be given on the city's website(external link) until Feb. 28.

Image | Nico Bernard city of Calgary parks

Caption: Calgary parks manager Nico Bernard says the department is taking feedback on possible bylaw changes until Feb. 28.

The information will be gathered this spring and evaluated over the summer, then the proposed changes will be brought before council in the fall.

With files from the Calgary Eyeopener(external link)