“Bark and Ride,” a new 4.5-acre public facility in San Ramon, Calif., combines a dog park and a park-and-ride lot for commuters.
Mike Noubani, a nearby resident, told Mercury News that the name confused him at first.
“We thought they misspelled it,” he said. “We didn’t know what it was.”
According to Mercury News, city planners have successfully addressed the need for both a new dog park and a parking lot for people using carpools or public transit. The interim Park and Community Services Director, Karen McNamara, said that “the odd coupling has turned into a perfect combination.”
Having the park-and-ride next to the dog park, which has separate areas for small and large dogs, has resulted in more parking spaces. McNamara said most of the 50 parking spots adjacent to the dog park aren’t used on evenings and weekends, which is the peak time for the dog park.
The property’s use was limited due to its odd shape and location under power lines. “You can’t plant really large trees and things like that. It suits itself for parking cars,” McNamara said. She added that since dog parks don’t need a lot of trees either, the property worked for that use as well.
“It’s kind of a combination win-win for having something there for that space, that land, that otherwise would not be usable,” McNamara said.
“Bark and Ride” is now open, and a formal grand opening will take place later this year.
PHOTO: Jonathan Fleming
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Category : Dog Parks & Beaches &TRAVEL TIPS
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