Multi-use path plan through Rockway Gardens raising concerns
Posted Sep 18, 2025 03:40:34 PM.
Last Updated Sep 18, 2025 03:41:31 PM.
It’s one of the first things visitors to Kitchener see, but a planned multi-use path extension could forever change Rockway Gardens.
The next phase of the Rockway Fairway Transportation Connections project requires a multi-use path connecting the Iron Horse Trail and the TransCanada Trail and ultimately the Fairway Road transit hub.
The city’s preferred route would see the path run along the south side of Floral Crescent between Preston Street and Doon Road.
Where the plan is rubbing people the wrong way is that it would require some of the original stone work to be removed. It would eliminate parking spots, used by visitors along Floral and could potentially be a safety hazard.
The group GardenKitchener has proposed a variation of one of the potential options that is only slightly less direct but avoids all of the garden’s most beloved features.
Rockway Gardens sits in Kitchener’s Ward 9. Councillor Debbie Chapman stopped by The Mike Farwell Show to talk about the city’s plans.
She said it seems as though the municipality is treating Floral Crescent as just another street.
“Rockway Gardens is a destination place. It’s not a drive-through, right? Although cars do go up and down the street, people go there and park there. I think we have to respect that.”
Chapman added it’s a very popular spot.
“People go there to have their wedding pictures taken, graduation photos, or just to sit in the grass and have a picnic. There is a lot of activity that goes on in the gardens. I think it’s kind of a gateway to our city.”
It’s common to see groups there even when the gardens aren’t in bloom.
Chapman said she can see a scenario where someone enjoying the gardens could run into the path of a swift-moving e-bike or e-scooters zipping along the normally quiet street.
Ultimately, there are options, said Chapman.
“If we insist on putting in a trail, I think interfering with what’s already there, historical, cultural landscape in many ways, is unnecessary.”
There will be two community consultation sessions coming up where concerned residents can look at the plans and have their say.
The in-person sessions are Sept. 23 at the Kingsdale Community Centre and Sept. 25 at the Rockway Centre.
The city will also be posting an online survey in the next week or so.
