Article content“The laneways are a pretty unique part, like a remnant of a historic pedestrian St. John’s,” Quinton said.Article content“Most of these laneways will predate the automobile. They probably even predate the streetcar. They have been around for a long time. They are not just quaint and quirky. It’s also useful. They are unique.”Article contentIn their plea to council, Quinton explains that the Trust requested that council pause the sale of any laneways to create an inventory of the similar routes that may exist in the city. Article contentIn an ideal world, he hopes council would also consider adding signage and creating a map to recognize the historical and present-day significance of these paths for those community members who continue to use them.Article content“Those lanes are well travelled,” Quinton said.Article content“People really use them. It’s a nice park-like alternative. You can come through the street and walk through the trees and it’s lovely. We don’t have a lot of amenities as pedestrians walking downtown. We’re constantly feeling under threat by cars and the laneways are our actual amenity for people walking through. It’s a nice piece of history that deserves to be preserved.”Article contentArticle contentQuinton admits the group’s biggest concern was that the city may have been actively working against its own developmental regulations, which highlight the need to preserve these last remaining cornerstones of the city’s pedestrian past.Article content“The associated guiding document, Envision St. John’s, literally spells out protection for these laneways and here you guys are talking about selling one,” Quinton said.Article content“I understand that that one neighbour wants a parking spot and I don’t blame them, because the city, frankly, isn’t following the plan very well at this point. Until there’s proper signage and until these things look a little more like amenities instead of just neglected patches of grass or dirt, yeah, I would understand why people are thinking that no one cares about this.”Article contentMore than meets the eyeArticle content Homeowners at 22 Hayward Avenue in St. John’s had already started to complete light work on the pedestrian pathway that borders their property, but the pathway will be staying put as council voted not to sell the the piece of land. Keith Gosse/The TelegramArticle contentTuesday’s lengthy council debate and subsequent waffling in votes may suggest that council was quick to recognize both the historic and modern day value in preserving these paths. Article contentArticle contentRavencroft believes the unique and lively debate helped council to understand the complexities involved when considering the sale of one of these city-owned laneways. Article content“There’s a lot of competing things that are at work there between preservation of the neighbourhood, respect for the homeowner that is living adjacent to the footpath and the cultural issues that are behind it,” she said.Article content“There’s lots that goes into this one. I think it was just a reflection of understanding that, as the mayor pointed out, sometimes an issue looks simple on the surface and then you realize there’s a lot of complexity not far below.”Article contentStill, Ravencroft was sympathetic to the homeowner’s situation, but believes the reported issues of individuals vandalizing, sleeping in and defecating in the laneway are systemic issues and not the fault of the laneways.
A path forward: St. Johns votes against the sale of historic pedestrian footpath
