Kite String All over Milliken Park

Kat: 16th Oct 2007 - 04:22 GMT

Yea, I live really close to Milliken Park, and it is almost impossible to walk with flip-flops on there. Kite strings poke between your toes and BOY does it hurt. I'll call that number tomorrow!

Larry, here is an article about this in the paper today in Toronto: 17th Oct 2007 - 00:56 GMT

The Toronto Star

THE FIXER

Irresponsible kite-flyers need to clean up their act

Oct 16, 2007 04:30 AM

Jack Lakey
Staff Reporter

Telling someone to "go fly a kite" is a rather gentle rebuff, but kite flying can cause serious problems.

Few parks in Toronto are blessed with as much wide-open space as Milliken Park, near Steeles Ave. and McCowan Rd. The middle of it is a vast grassy area, surrounded by pavilions full of picnic tables, a hiking trail, playgrounds and mature trees.

The open area in the middle, which covers 32 hectares, is perfect for flying kites, due to the absence of utility lines and other overhead obstacles in which kites and their strings could get tangled.

Jean Hilscher emailed to say a kite-flying festival was held there last month. During a family outing at the park after the festival, "we found literally MILES of kite string along the ground and in the trees," said Hilscher. "Many kites were caught in the trees. We did our best to clean up what we could, but a lot of cleanup is still required.

"The debris is certainly a danger to local wildlife, and also makes the park unsightly."

We've received other complaints about kite problems at Milliken, so we finally checked it out. We immediately noticed a sign citing a city bylaw that "No person shall leave any part of a kite, including string or any other type of tethering material that could cause damage to any person, property or wildlife in the park."

At first, we couldn't see any evidence of kite debris, and thought the complaint may have been overstated – until we walked face-first into a length of nylon line strung between several trees on the periphery of the open area. The line was so fine it was barely visible at midday, and sharp enough that it could cut someone unlucky enough to hit it while running.

Then we started noticing pieces of kites dangling from many trees around the open area, and even in trees in the parking lot. Abandoned kite lines were strung between many trees, while large balls of it were strewn in the grass, one of which became entangled in our feet while walking.

STATUS: Bill Harding, who's in charge of parks in that area, said it's hard to catch the perpetrators.

"How do you police it?" he asked. "They have competitions where the idea is to cut each other's kite line, and I think that is a big part of the problem." Despite the bylaw, few people clean up after themselves, and the parks department doesn't have the manpower to catch them, he added.

What's broken in your neighbourhood? Wherever you are in Greater Toronto, we want to know. Go to www.thestar.com/the fixer and click on the submit a problem link or call us at 416-869-4823.

Indeed Bill Harding they cut kite lines, but with what type of line??: 17th Oct 2007 - 12:13 GMT

Pakistan province lifts 2005 kite ban

Kite flying is a popular sport in Pakistan

The government of Pakistan's Punjab province is to allow kite-flying during the Basant spring
festival in February 2007.

But officials said the kite-makers and those flying them would have to follow certain rules to minimise risk to life.

The Supreme Court outlawed the sport in 2005 after several people were killed by glass-coated or metal kite strings.

Basant, which begins on 25 February, is popular with tourists but religious leaders say kite-flying is un-Islamic. The ban will return after the festival.

Proposals

Officials said the regulations, announced by the government on Thursday, would be presented before the Supreme Court for approval.

Under the new proposals:

# metal-reinforced and glass-coated strings are banned

# only cotton strings up to a certain thickness are allowed

# kites larger than 2x2 feet, that require a thicker string, are prohibited

# kite strings can only be coated with wheat-flour glue, dye and soft, finely-ground glass.

In an attempt to regulate kite-making and kite-flying, the government says it will issue licences to retailers selling kites and strings, and only those dealers and manufacturers who are members of a single association registered under the Companies Act would qualify.

One of the kites being prepared before the start of the Basant festival
The kite-flying can get very competitive during Basant

Officials said bikers in Punjab had also been told to affix protective antennae on their bikes to protect them against the kite strings.

They said those violating the rules would be punished with imprisonment of up to four years and a monetary fine.

Fatal consequences

Metal or glass-coated strings help cut the strings of rival kites - the main objective of the sport.

But they can catch unsuspecting bikers across the throat, at times with fatal consequences.

Metal string can also cause short-circuits in overhead power cables, leading to heavy losses for electricity utilities.

The festival, praised by President Pervez Musharraf who often flies down to Lahore to participate, is traditionally held in the second week of February.

But for the last two years, it has been delayed because of the ban. In 2006, the authorities also announced a lifting of the ban for the duration of the festival.

The country's religious parties have traditionally opposed the festival for its supposedly Hindu origin, and have been demanding that it should be banned.

Over the years, the Basant festival has drawn thousands of revellers to Lahore from all over the world.

Even Indian movie stars have started participating in the festival which peaks with an all-night flood-lit kite-flying marathon on the eve of the festival.

BBC Reports Kite deaths in Lahore: 17th Oct 2007 - 12:25 GMT

BBC News

Kite deaths mar Pakistan 2005 festival

It is not the first time Lahore has seen kite-related deaths
Up to nine people have been killed and dozens injured during an annual kite-flying festival called Basant in the Pakistani city of Lahore.

Three people were electrocuted when banned metal wires they were using to fly kites - or catch stray ones - fell onto electric power lines.

A young girl's throat was slit by a stray metal kite string stretched across a road, witnesses said.

At least two more people fell from roofs during the spring festival.

Two men were also reportedly killed when they were hit by cars while trying to catch stray kites.

Despite a ban on firing guns, several people were injured by stray bullets.

Officials at a Lahore hospital said 42 children and 60 adults had been treated for kite-related injuries, the AFP news agency reported.

Highly competitive

Each year the festival spells tragedy for many families, the BBC's Paul Anderson in Pakistan says.

It has become a highly competitive event in which people employ extraordinary skills to bring down - better still, capture - an opponent's kite.

The city is in the grip of a kite-flying frenzy
Sometimes they use string coated in pulverized glass to cut an opponent's kite; other times metal wire - which is often coated in corrosive chemicals, our correspondent says.

The authorities have banned the use of metal- or chemical-lined strings to try to prevent accidents or electrocutions from kite-flying.

But the city is in the grip of a kite-flying frenzy and bans do not seem to have much effect.

And the event is getting bigger and bigger: each year tens of thousands of people flock to Lahore from all around the country and beyond.

The festival has become big business. Any rooftop worth standing on is hired for corporate entertainment.

The calls for caution are usually drowned out in the excitement, our correspondent says.

Hey Kite Flying is banned here in Chicago: 17th Oct 2007 - 12:45 GMT

If you ever see yourself in front of a Chicago judge for what you consider to be a minor infraction, you might try using our mayor, Richie Daley, as an excuse. Mayor Daley, as you know, has been sponsoring a "Kids and Kites Fest" annually since 1999. Unfortunately, flying kites within Chicago city limits is forbidden by law. (You'd rather use an alderman as your excuse? No problem. In that case, just mention the law against spitting on city sidewalks...)

You can reach City of Toronto's "Bill Harding" at:: 17th Oct 2007 - 12:54 GMT

Bill Harding
City Of Toronto
Parks, Forestry & Recreation
tel: 416-395-6003

e-mail: parks@toronto.ca

chris: 11th Jun 2008 - 23:08 GMT

I hate those kite strings.

Once riding my bike through the park's parking lot, they got stuck on it and jammed my gears.

Another time riding through the paths of the park, a semi-transparent kite string -only seen when up close and too late, cut across my neck and caused me to fall, leaving scrapes and bruises. Good thing for helmets though.

Ana: 10th Oct 2008 - 14:05 GMT

they should ban flying Kites at Milleken Park. One more thing i've noticed about some people who go to that park is that they always feed the birds although there is a sign not to feed them. Also, they throw there garbage anywhere. I'm not sure if its just their mentality or just no manners at all. Milleken Park is a beautiful park, but seeing these people messing the park does not show appreciation about their surroundings. We should be thankful that our parks are being maintained and cleaned. Some other countries does not have this kind of maintainance you know. I just hope that they start ticketing people flying kites there or ticketing people who just throw there garbage anywhere or ticket people who disobey the signs..

Peter: 10th Oct 2008 - 14:09 GMT

"and the sign said you got to have a membership card to get inside..... huh!"

Ana: 10th Oct 2008 - 14:15 GMT

no, what i meant is to ticket people who disobeys the signs or law.. like "speeding ticket" .. not like getting a ticket before you get inside the club.. lol..

Peter: 10th Oct 2008 - 14:51 GMT

yeah, ana. thats a lyric from a song about the pedantic nature of putting up too many signs to control what people can and cant do. i was poking fun at your reference to the somewhat draconian notion of ticketing kite-flyers and "anyone who disobeys the signs"... i mean, i like clean, maintained parks as much as anyone else, i am just naturally skeptical about anyone who says reactionary, pedantic things like "ticket people who disobey the signs" and is so gung-ho about ticketing kite flyers.