About Mike Lynch

Mike Lynch is a multimedia reporter for the Adirondack Explorer. He can be reached at mike@adirondackexplorer.org. Sign up for Mike’s newsletter

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Boreas says

    “In Tupper Lake, where a new parking lot is being built, dirt bikers and ATVers did “donuts” in the lot, tearing up the recently completed surface.”

    This is why we can’t have nice things…

    Hidden surveillance and prosecution of offenders near areas under construction may not be a bad idea. If people are going to protest or “make their mark”, they are likely going to do it early-on.

    • Plowboy says

      IMHO there is little quota incentive for necessary enforcement activities as often there are juveniles riding the misbehaving motor vehicles. The Leo’s( law enforcement officials) are typically more concerned about their batting average and as such have minimal desire to possibly ticket underage individuals as those non-license holding folk do not adjudicate productively $ in our over lawyered legal system You see examples of it everywhere some examples being Amish buggies and undocumented quasi-legal immigrants

  2. Andrew Albright says

    This is just the start of what I expect will be regular abuse by motorized vehicles. Sadly, the abuse will likely extend into “off limits” Forest Preserve lands that abut the trail.

    • Brian Woods says

      Because the trail is closed to the public, the only people on the trail are the construction workers, NYSOGS/NYSDEC, or individuals who are trespassing. Once the trail is open and the public uses the trail daily, I anticipate that will see fewer violations and fewer acts of vandalism in places like the Saranac Lake Depot. The sooner we get folks out there on an open trail the better!

      Brian Woods
      Executive Director, Adirondack Rail Trail Association

  3. Lawrence Van Garrett says

    Well, what do you expect when it feels like it’s taking 20 years to complete! Maybe now the park rangers can use those service weapons to keep the motorized idiots off the trails. Here’s hoping the trail is actually policed and rules are enforced. That goes for the aging population on they’re new e-bikes they are riding up and down the Tobie Trail from Old Forge to Raquette Lake obeying no rules and we’ll soon find on the rail trail.

  4. Daniel Bogdan says

    Problems with this trail are just beginning to surface. Put the track back. Dismantling rail service between Tupper and Lake Placid was the biggest joke in the Adirondacks in years.

  5. Richard Bause says

    I agree with Dan. The “We told you so” factor is rearing it snakehead by tearing out the track. It’s only the beginning of the vandalism, wait for winter and say goodbye to those self composting toilets that cost thousands of dollars or the solar lighting for the passenger platform.
    The coexistence olive branch from the Railroad was cutoff ✂️ at the base of the tree . So, Let the chips fall where they may and a BIG WE TOLD YOU SO RING LOAD AND CLEAR IN THE EARS OF THE SO CALLED EXPERTS.!!!
    BTY: What do a bunch of train fans know ???
    We WROTE THE BOOK ON HOW TO RUN TOURIST TRAINS IN THE ADIRONDACKS AND MOHAWK VALLEY!!!

    • Brian Woods says

      Hi Richard. Coexistence is exactly what we’re trying to do. Since my first day on the job, I’ve worked to make sure there’s a peaceful productive relationship where the train and the rail trail coexist and benefit North Country communities. ARTA attended the Junction Function in Tupper Lake, which celebrated the arrival of the train. Once there is a schedule announced for the train coming to Tupper Lake, I look forward to working with the railroad and with Tupper Lake. Part of ARTA’s mission is to support users of the Adirondack Rail Trail with the ultimate goal of improving the communities through which it passes. I welcome your energy to make the entire corridor a success.

    • HES says

      Most likely not, unlike the railroad that they removed… A fully accessible experience has become an inaccessible one!

    • Brian Woods says

      Yes. Construction follows the legal framework in the New York State Environmental Conservation Law, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), along with the Architectural Barriers Act of 1968 (ABA) and the Rehabilitation Act of 1973; Title V, Section 504 to create a trail that is accessible and wheelchair friendly.

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