Consider alternatives to paving

To the editor:

(re: “Vannie nature lovers mourn Putnam Trail paving,” Aug. 15)

On behalf of the Nature Group of Van Cortlandt Park, we wish to thank The Riverdale Press for your coverage of our walk on Saturday, Aug. 10, our last on the earthen Putnam Trail before construction begins to pave it with asphalt.

The history of the Putnam Trail and its biodiversity were celebrated on the Aug. 10 walk with a slideshow. As Catherine O’Brien (Minty) noted, we all have our special memories of the trail. It is the crown jewel of the park.

I want to add that natural, permeable, non-toxic, flexible alternatives such as psyllium-reinforced crushed stone had been proposed. This surface would comply with the requirements for the Americans with Disabilities Act, at comparable cost for materials, installation and maintenance.

As mentioned in the story, we and many stakeholders are concerned about negative environmental impacts and adverse effects on wildlife in the wetlands area, which the Putnam Trail traverses.

A Save the Putnam Trail petition against asphalt pavement currently has 2,650 signatures of Putnam Trail users as of August.

In addition, at the Dec. 18 Community Board 8 parks and recreation committee meeting, the issue of public safety on the Putnam Trail was raised by a number of attendees. We wanted to know who will be responsible for enforcing bicycle speed limits on the Putnam Trail in Van Cortlandt Park if it is paved. Van Cortlandt Park rangers, 50th Precinct officers, parks enforcement patrol officers, of which there are so few?

As of yet, we have heard nothing concrete from anyone responsible for the Putnam Trail construction project about how this public safety and liability issue will be handled.

Parks committee chair Bob Bender stated that the cyclists’ speed would be self-regulated. In addition, Christopher Syrett — who was in charge of the construction project at the time — stated that there were no funds set aside for signage, and the funds secured were only for construction. So public safety is an important concern as well, as speeding cyclists who are not uncommon on the current surface, which is more traffic calming than the proposed speed-inducing asphalt.

As nature walk participant Marje Slavin noted, the other trails in the park aren’t the same. They do not traverse wetlands. They are not flat, nor do they possess the biodiversity found along the Putnam Trail.

A variety of users have enjoyed the Putnam Trail for decades. Many enjoy a slower pace, including families with children and elderly folks with walking issues. If these rights aren’t protected, the entire premise for paving the trail espoused by many pro-pavers to make it “a trail for all users” becomes a fallacy.

Our reasons for concern are not merely theoretical. When entering the Putnam Trail in Van Cortlandt Park from the South County Trail in Westchester, the sign which first appears has no mention of the trail being a shared-use trail. At the meeting, I proposed that the second sign is what is needed, at all entrances to the Putnam Trail.

As work has not yet begun, let us hold onto a hope that changes, which better reflect the needs of nature and the needs of trail visitors, will be honored and implemented.

Thanks again for the opportunity to voice these concerns, and your ongoing interest in this issue.

Debbi Dolan

The author is a member of the Nature Group of Van Cortlandt Park.

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