Earlier this year the walkway from Ward Royal to the King Edward Court shopping area was closed to the public. As a result the South Path just alongside
Ward Royal has increased considerably in foot traffic. In this short period of time there has been a huge increase in garbage and graffiti along the path.
There are obviously people using the path for drinking as there are always empty beer cans strewn amongst the bushes and under the trees. It is well tucked
away from prying eyes, many nooks and crannies and dark hidden areas can be found all along the South Path. That's actually part of what makes it
interesting and unique, but unless something changes I fear this may be the scene for more serious offenses in the future.
While there are numerous lights along the path, most are covered almost completely by tree branches making it VERY dark at night.
The worst of the graffiti is in an area where there are no windows facing out from Ward Royal. This is also one of the darkest areas along the path.
I would hope that the powers-that-be might see the importance of being proactive by trimming the branches away from the lights to brighten the path.
Installing at least another trash bin along the path could help reduce the amount of trash. Possibly installing at least one camera, whether done by the
Police Department or by Ward Royal, along the path would probably help deter drinking/graffiti. (The best place in my opinion would be the area that is
blocked by view from Ward Royal where the concentration of graffiti exists ) And last but not least, an extensive cleanup of the entire path including
removing graffiti needs to be done. It would be great if occasionally a Police Officer could walk through the path, especially at night.
There has also been a problem with people biking through the path (even though there are NO CYCLING signs posted at both ends). One individual recently was
injured due to a bicycler on the path speeding through! I tried to get a photo of a group of bicyclers on the path today but they were too fast for me.
Apparently the Royal Borough maintains the walkway itself and one side of it, the other side is privately owned by the people on Clarence Crescent, and they
yet another portion is part of Ward Royal. I am not sure who would be responsible for the path - but I would be happy to volunteer as part of a neighborhood
clean-up on a weekend if that sort of thing is done here. I usually don't complain unless I'm willing to be part of a solution - the same holds true
now. I have not been here long but I love Windsor and will happily get involved any way I can to help make it better, or just help keep it from going
downhill!
Here are just a few pictures I took recently:





