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Five Mile Drive is closed. Here's how Point Defiance will serve people with disabilities

News Tribune - 5/20/2022

May 20—It was the biggest story of the week. The varied reaction was predictable.

On Tuesday, Metro Parks Tacoma announced the permanent closure of the outer loop at Five Mile Drive in Point Defiance Park to vehicle traffic. The end of an era arrived two days later, on Thursday, when the gates to the 2.25-mile stretch of scenic roadway closed forever.

For many, news of the sudden closure triggered disappointment, and in some cases anger. Others — especially cyclists and hikers and anyone who enjoys Point Defiance outside the confines of a motorized vehicle — greeted the news with celebration, and often relief.

Then there were those living with disabilities and mobility issues. As usual, acknowledgment of what the change will mean for them was often a second (or even third) thought.

As a parent of a disabled child, it's a reality I've come to expect. It doesn't make me angry, at least anymore, and I don't have it in me to become a vocal crusader for the cause — mainly because I'm tired — but the fact remains:

Until you've experienced firsthand how unwelcoming so much of our world can be for those with limited mobility, you don't see it. Until you've gone trick-or-treating and been forced to hoist your child's wheelchair up and down every ramp-less curb — or clenched your jaw as full families crowd in front of your kid when he's trying to see the penguins at the zoo — it's impossible to appreciate how hard it can be.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there are roughly 61 million American adults living with a disability. Of those, roughly 13% experience serious difficulty walking or climbing stairs. The stats are comparable in Washington, and Pierce County.

For many in our community, the outer loop at Five Mile Drive was the only way to experience one of the most majestic spots Tacoma has to offer. It was dependent on automobiles, and far from perfect, but it was something.

Now that access is gone, and it's up to Metro Parks — and all of us — to make sure that whatever comes next at Point Defiance Park includes everyone.

Fewer vehicles in the park can be a good thing, but only if we're thoughtful and deliberate about planning that future.

Equity and access

On Thursday, Metro Parks spokesperson Rosemary Ponnekanti told me that the park district takes access and equity seriously.

The closure of the outer loop at Five Mile Drive was a decision made with urgency, given the increased erosion and growing threat of landslides, but now that it's been made Metro Parks has begun the process of planning for a future at Point Defiance that meets every park user's needs, she said.

In a perfect world, Metro Parks would have had an alternate plan already in place, Ponnekanti acknowledged, but that's not always how the things work.

At this point, nothing has been decided, she said.

"Access is a hugely important goal for Metro Parks in everything that we do in all our parks, including in Point Defiance," Ponnekanti said. "We also know how beloved the outer loop experience is for people, and how important that is to the community to keep. So while it's definitely the safest thing right now to close the outer loop, we're already looking at and planning for long range, accessible and equitable solutions for people to access that experience."

The reality is that Point Defiance Park will never be the same, for better or worse. But Ponnekanti said there are essentially two long-term options for providing additional vehicle access in the wake of the outer loop's closure.

Ponnekanti said one solution mentioned in the geotechnical report that led to the outer loop's closure is essentially a non-starter: moving the road and parking lots back 150 feet from their current location. Such a project wouldn't just be hugely expensive, she said, it would require the removal of too many trees and too much natural habitat.

"Although it was one of the recommendations from the engineers ... that's actually not an option," Ponnekanti said. "We're committed to being good stewards of the beautiful forest that is out there, and protecting it for generations to come."

The other option for creating additional access in the wake of the outer loop's closure is far more realistic, Ponnekanti said.

An existing 1.5 mile service route already cuts across Point Defiance, albeit it much further back from the bluffs, and developing it into a usable roadway for visitors would allow the park to better meet the needs of people more dependent on vehicles.

Of course, any project Metro Parks undertakes, no matter the scale, is subject to the availability of funding, Ponnekanti noted.

That reality, along with the need to involve the community in decision making, means it's going to take years.

"I just just want to stress that it's a long process," Ponnekanti said.

More than vehicles

One thing to keep in mind is that access isn't synonymous with cars and new roadways.

Beyond the potential of long range, multi-million dollar projects that increase vehicle traffic, Metro Parks will also weigh other more creative solutions that help as many people as possible enjoy Point Defiance, Ponnekanti said.

One possibility, she said, is increasing ADA parking near trailheads.

Meanwhile, the recent renovation of Owen Beach — which will open June 4 and includes a new exit road with ample parking at the top of the hill and near the water — is a good example of how Metro Parks designs its facilities with the entire community in mind, Ponnekanti said.

"That's only a couple of weeks away, and then people will be able to park right at that top end — which I want to say is maybe a 50 foot walk from the closed (outer loop) gate," Ponnekanti said. "So, depending on your mobility ... that's a possible access point, and it's much closer than any other parking that has been there in the past."

Earlier this week, Marty Stump, Metro Parks' chief planning officer, discussed another possible answer for increasing access to Point Defiance.

This summer, electric trams will replace the old propane trams at Northwest Trek — another Metro Parks facility — and Stump said that using similar vehicles at Point Defiance at some point in the future, or some form of public transportation, is an idea the park district will consider.

"As far as access and the experience of the woodlands and the views, and of the Puget Sound, we look at those through an equity lens. We need to make sure that that experience is as available as possible, regardless of how you arrive at the park and how you move about the park," Stump said. "Electric trams are quiet and really contribute to that contemplative experience of being in Point Defiance. The challenge here is to not create barriers to folks who could be out there and experience it."

On Thursday, Ponnekanti stressed that even with the closure of the outer loop of Five Mile Drive, there are still miles of road within Point Defiance, and plenty of things for park goers of all abilities to experience with or without a car — particularly once Owen Beach reopens to the public early next month.

She urged people to be patient, and participate in the public engagement process ahead.

"I really sympathize with people to whom this is a real loss. Because yes, it's a very beloved community thing to drive out there, and if you've got limited mobility, and driving is your only option, then that part of it is closed to you," Ponnekanti said.

"I would tell people to stay tuned, because we are going to want their feedback."

This story was originally published May 20, 20225:00 AM.

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