Weston Park only open when the government wants you there...

@c_c “So why didn’t you cycle?” …I’m so glad you’re showing so much interest (slow day?) again, if you had read my post properly I said “The plan was to try and get some photos” – carrying a load of photo gear including a huge camera bag and a big tripod on a bicycle is impractical.

>>And for that matter, why didn’t you know the place was locked up, it’s been like that for years.
Well… maybe I just don’t have your superior powers of situational awareness.

>>Even if you didn’t go there while the gates were shut in the past, the signage and gates are still
>>visible?

indeed… they are not invisible… in fact I must have ridden/driven/walked/jogged past them thousands of times – but guess what, I hadn’t noticed them before… (there’s so much sign pollution in Canberra I tend to just phase it all out)… (obviously I should be hanged (I’m sure you’d be up for the job) for such a wild and irresponsible devil-may-care approach to municipal signage)… we’re not all as perfect as you I’m glad to say…

jawm said :

@nsn and @c_c re: walking in… If you read my post properly you would have read “(I could have cycled there from home but that’s not the point).”

Imagine if I was say a disabled driver, a pregnant woman or it was just absolutely wet and freezing but I fancied an early morning drive down to Weston Park… sorry, not before 7AM.

I’ll be irritating and rude (because you were to me) but I reckon I probably do more walking and biking than you do (isn’t the internet fun?) – but I still value the option to use my car if I so choose.

So why didn’t you cycle?

And for that matter, why didn’t you know the place was locked up, it’s been like that for years. Even if you didn’t go there while the gates were shut in the past, the signage and gates are still visible?

Agreed we live in a city where there will always be yahoos who want to burn things (or whatever) in the dark, in secluded locations. However I don’t think that the rest of us should be inconvenienced (with things like locked gates) just because of a few ne’re-do-wells. By the way there are more than enough ovals and other dark and secluded spots in Canberra where people could get up to anti-social behaviour. We don’t lock up *everything* when the big shiny thing drops from the sky every night so why bother with doing it for some parks? We don’t lock up Red Hill every night do we? We don’t close off Cotter Road ‘just in case’. The current logic also assumes all ne’re-do-wells come in via car – I’m sure there are plenty on foot/bicycle/trail bike too.

@nsn and @c_c re: walking in… If you read my post properly you would have read “(I could have cycled there from home but that’s not the point).”

Imagine if I was say a disabled driver, a pregnant woman or it was just absolutely wet and freezing but I fancied an early morning drive down to Weston Park… sorry, not before 7AM.

I’ll be irritating and rude (because you were to me) but I reckon I probably do more walking and biking than you do (isn’t the internet fun?) – but I still value the option to use my car if I so choose.

When I first moved to Canberra almost a quarter century ago I’m pretty sure I could drive into Weston Park whenever I pleased – no gates. I’d be surprised if the yobs of today are any worse than they were back then.

@Here_and_Now ..just for you… yes, we have become a Nanny State (sorry, just couldn’t quite work in “revenue raising”)… maybe next time… 😉

Watson said :

I remember when they put that gate in because I was pregnant at the time and was used to going for a walk there at the crack of dawn each morning. Until they put the gate in… Though it is true that you can just walk in of course – I am just a very habitual person and didn’t have much time before work so I went elsewhere.

From memory, the trigger was some repeated acts of vandalism at night. I think it involved putting bins on fire, but it’s nearly 8 years ago, so I’m pretty vague on the details.

..and you’ll have had baby brain! 🙂

clearly, the fog and trees were only inside the locked park and nowhere with free access, along the lake in various car parks for instance, appealed to this morning’s mist – only the locked parks. clever mist…

so, did you get any shots? do we get to see them?

As a photographer the timing of the locked gates around town is very annoying (particularly Mt Pleasant), not so much the opening times, but the closing times. You can walk in and get some great shots e.g. http://www.flickr.com/photos/d-eye/6565701203/in/set-72157628541080861
but personally I prefer to keep the car in view where possible, which isn’t the case at Weston Park.

I remember when they put that gate in because I was pregnant at the time and was used to going for a walk there at the crack of dawn each morning. Until they put the gate in… Though it is true that you can just walk in of course – I am just a very habitual person and didn’t have much time before work so I went elsewhere.

From memory, the trigger was some repeated acts of vandalism at night. I think it involved putting bins on fire, but it’s nearly 8 years ago, so I’m pretty vague on the details.

Ahem. Joking aside, I can see why this is frustrating. It seems once again the disruptive few have ruined things for the rest of us.

I will add, bonus points for bringing taxpayer money into your misfortune. If you can work in ‘revenue raising’ and ‘nanny state’, I think that’s the full set! 🙂

What buss819 said.

Of course you could have just parked your car near the gate and then walked from there. But that would have probably been quite difficult, what with all the additional weight from the chip on your shoulder.

“Why are they discriminating against car users?”

Seriously, why are people so lazy? Just get out and walk for goodness sake.

The reason it’s locked off is because of vandalism and car hooks doing burn outs. They cover the roads with oil, leave trash and vandalise everything in sight.

It sucks I know that because of some a-holes in our community, everything needs to be fenced of, tied down and gated. But that’s the reality.

So lose the whole libertarian diatribe and focus your anger on the scum who force such measures to be implemented.

Helpful government signs tell me the park is closed overnight and I should come back at 7am when if I’m lucky some tax payer funded gate unlocker will have done their job and re-opened the park to car traffic.    

What an explicit sign! 🙂

Umm… Are you serious? Just about every single one of these recreation areas are locked over night, Weston, Pine Island, Black Mountain Peninsula etc.

It isn’t because the government wants to imprison society, it’s because the certain elements of society that ruin it for everyone have done exactly that, vehicle related damage, unlawful activities etc. If there is no car for people to sit in while they are down there it means people wont stay and vandalise etc. which ends up costing the government more money in the long run.

But yes, you should go to the human rights commission and say that you have been discriminated against.