To the editor:

Please take the time to read the cover article “Is the rail trail safe?” in the Sept. 20 Lake Placid News. Kudos to motorists David DeGirolamo and Frederic Ellers for speaking out and gaining the support of the Parks & Trails Advisory Board Chair, Charlotte Lomino. Their story is horrifying; five children walking their bikes and proceeding half way across the road at the busy Route 86 Fowler’s Crossing were almost killed. This article was also on the front page of the Sept. 18 Adirondack Daily Enterprise.

My message to the DOT spokesman: Bike trails are specifically designed to reduce car/bike collisions not increase them. Fowler’s Crossing, just outside Saranac Lake village is perilous. And it is not the only one.

We don’t need the DOT mounting defenses against taking any further precautions. Nor should we accept the excuse that an obviously unsafe crosswalk “is in full compliance with existing engineering and safety standards.”

Drivers who choose to stop for poised crossing bikers out of caution, risk getting rear-ended; plain and simple. The DOT’s response to monitor the situation to determine if enhancements should be considered, is insane. This situation calls for a far different response toward remediation than a “wait and see” approach.

Coincidentally, on Sunday, Sept. 22 at approximately 1 p.m., I was at the east side parking lot at Fowler’s Crossing. I was not attempting to cross Route 86 but stopped and turned to watch two bikers coming from the west side doing just that. I saw a partial replay of the situation David and Frederic experienced. A car choosing to stop in the easterly lane narrowly missed being rear-ended by a second car who subsequently swerved towards the startled bikers already in the crosswalk. How many times is this happening if I was able to see it at that arbitrary moment?

The DOT has to stop making excuses. At the very least, mount a flashing yellow caution light above crossings on busy routes and substantially reduce the speed limit (for an appropriate distance) monitored with a radar speed feedback sign. No more let’s wait and see …

Janet Potter

Ray Brook