The designated off-leash times in Bicentennial Park/River Road Park will now be before 8am and after 4pm Australian Eastern Standard Time, giving residents another hour in the afternoon to walk their dogs.

Council agreed to make the change after conducting a survey on the YourSay Bathurst website.

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This survey was visited by 79 participants, with 44 surveys completed by 43 contributors.

Almost 80 per cent of respondents supported the change to the off-leash times.

Council plans to alter the signage around Bicentennial Park to reflect the change in times, and to also undertake better promotion of the off-leash areas in Bathurst.

There are 12 designated areas pet owners can let their dogs of the leash, and council wants to not only make people aware of all these locations, but what times of day they can be used and the features of each one.

A social media campaign has been suggested to spread this message.

The campaign would also touch on the responsibilities of users, as the survey highlighted some issues in Bathurst's off-leash areas, such as people not controlling their dogs appropriately.

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