Wascana Lake path becomes a one-way starting Friday

If people are heading to Wascana Centre to enjoy a walk, changes are being made to the path around the lake.

Due to COVID-19 and the need to practise social distancing, the main path around Wascana Lake will become a one-way only as of Friday.

“The only one-way path that we’re really asking folks to enforce is that blue path at this time. The reason we can do that is because it’s a full loop (of) just over four kilometres,” said Monique Goffinet Miller, the CEO of the Provincial Capital Commission — the group that operates Wascana Centre.

“That being said, if you park in one place, you need to be able to do the full loop to get back to that. There are some jettisons off walkways so you can exit that walkway and make your way back.”

She said maps are available online and in the centre about what the loop looks like.

Goffinet Miller said the commission is not closing the roadways in the centre.

“We are asking folks if they are going to be stepping on to the road to pass someone, obvious guidelines would be to shoulder-check to make sure it is safe before you do that,” she said.

Goffinet Miller said the changes come after feedback from people using the paths as well as advice from the province’s chief medical health officer.

“It is about creating and providing an environment that is supporting that safe social-distancing practice,” Goffinet Miller said.

Signs have been put up reminding people to stay two metres away from each other and the centre has closed playgrounds and other facilities that could be shared surfaces.

Goffinet Miller said the commission did receive complaints about people on the walking paths not practising social distancing.

“It’s safe to say that it’s hard to learn a new pattern when you’re used to an environment where you run every day,” Goffinet Miller said. “Others are doing better than some. We have seen that many, many people are respecting those social and physical distancing practices.”

People will be self-policing when it comes to implementing the current policies in place.

Goffinet Miller said the commission is encouraging people to walk off the busy paths and explore Wascana Centre while being mindful of the wildlife there.

“We do have a bird sanctuary over by the Conexus Arts Centre. It’s really important that their health is also taken into effect right now. We have some birds returning to nest in those areas and it will be obvious, hopefully, to folks when they do see that this is an ecological area,” Goffinet Miller said.

The one-way restriction doesn’t include the paths by the University of Regina and the Saskatchewan Science Centre.