Would it not be wise to poll bikers and skiers to see if they would use the proposed rail-trail from Lake Placid to Tupper Lake? I for one would not. I have ridden on a rail-trail and, being a mountain biker, found it terribly boring. These trails work in places where they run from town to town over short distances and with easy access. That’s not the case here.
Road bikes cannot ride on packed stone-dust trails; only mountain bikes and hybrid bikes can. Also, consider the best time to ride this trail would be black-fly and mosquito season. It would be like running a gantlet.
Cross-country skiing is also not appealing, even if there was room next to the snowmobiles flying by. If you have ever skied on snowmobile trails you know how bad the air quality is from the mixed-fuel engines. To remove an existing rail bed that could and should be used to transport consumer goods to the North Country reminds me of Ronald Reagan taking the solar panels off the White House.
Mark Swanberry, West Fulton
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