In the Dec. 12 op-ed piece by Tony Goodwin titled “A poor alternative,” Tony explains why he believes that the alternative route in the rail/trail debate that I and others have suggested will not work. I have a lot of respect for Tony, and he has a vast amount of knowledge about trails due to his work spearheading the development of the Jackrabbit Trail and his trail guide work for the Adirondack Mountain Club. We fundamentally disagree, however, on the rail/trail issue.

I don’t argue, by and large, with the concerns he raised. There are legitimate questions regarding, for example, costs and easements on private property. However, there are also numerous questions regarding the proposal of those wanting the rails removed. How are the rails and ties going to be removed out of the more remote sections of the corridor? How are the ties going to be disposed of? Once abandoned, will the environmental groups demand the corridor become classified as wilderness, leaving the snowmobilers out in the cold (pun intended)? I don’t believe the answers to these questions have been fully addressed and are any less perplexing than those about the proposed alternative route. Perhaps they are even more so. In both cases they are problems to be solved, with some being more challenging than others.

Here’s what I think about the road bike versus mountain bike issue. I propose that the trail corridor from Lake Placid to Lake Clear be road bike friendly and wide enough in most places to allow for “side by side” travel. This distance is approximately 17 miles, thus providing a variety of trip length options for road bikers up to a 34-mile round-trip. This stretch of the route, surfaced as such to accommodate road bikers, would of course also accommodate mountain bikers. The trail from Lake Clear to Tupper Lake would be mountain bike friendly and provide a more diverse recreational experience that would be designed to be as mountain bike friendly and family friendly as possible. The distance of this section would be approximately 25 miles (50 miles round-trip) with numerous shorter options. This mixed design offers a great win-win solution and provides a variety of recreation opportunities for tourists and locals alike.

What disappoints me most about the rail/trail debate is the unwillingness by some to recognize that both sides make valid points and that both sides have a tendency to bend the facts to favor their argument. We first need to recognize that this is not a fact-driven issue of right or wrong. It is an opinion-driven issue based on emotions and differing preferences. Those folks who have promoted the removal of the rail infrastructure have, to date, in my view, been unwilling to consider any option other than their original proposal. The railroad advocates appear to be much more willing to explore alternatives where both the train and recreationists can coexist, the basis for the original management plan Alternative 6, adopted by New York state in 1996 after extensive consultations with all interested parties.

We need to focus more on our interests and less on our positions.

The residents of the Adirondack Park deserve a world-class railroad and world-class trails. They’re not mutually exclusive.

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Jack Drury lives in Saranac Lake and is vice president and CFO of Leading E.D.G.E., an educational services group.