When the abandoned CN Rail line in Plympton-Wyoming is upgraded, some county politicians want to make sure it is accessible to everyone.
Lambton applied for and received a grant from the federal government for $75,000 to turn the abandoned line from Camlachie to Mandaumin Road into a trail. The work will cost about $225,000 to complete. It is built into this year’s budget which is up for approval in March.
Sarnia City/County Councillor Anne Marie Gillis wanted to make sure wheelchairs would be able to access the trail. “If we are trying to increase tourism, especially that area, we shouldn’t discriminate,” she says.
“I live on the (Howard Watson) trail and I see mechanized wheelchairs all the time…We’re talking about tourism here and we’re talking about trying to get as many people on the trails as we can.”
But Warden Bev MacDougall cautioned the trail has to be well thought out if people in wheelchairs are going to be using it. “It’s out in a rural setting its not in a urban centre, we don’t want to leave people in an area, in a place that isn’t safe and then have them turning around and becoming vulnerable.”
Plympton-Wyoming Mayor Lonny Napper, who advocates for accessible spaces and works with the Accessibility Committee, say his group take a look at the plans and offer suggestions.
