The Parks Department has been working for some time on a plan for the Putnam Trail in Van Cortlandt Park (this is the path that runs on the west side of Van Cortlandt Lake, where the old Putnam Railroad used to run. There’s a lot of conversation taking place about the Parks Department plans for the Putnam Trail — some people see this as a great improvement of the trail, while others see it as the trail’s destruction.
Basically, Parks intends to widen the trail, now approximately 8 feet wide, so that it has an 8-10 foot multi-use paved path and a 3-4 foot earthen path.
http://www.riverdalepress.com/stories/Say-no-to-paving-over-nature-,49675?page=4&content_source=
and here’s a response by Jack Marth:
Paving Putnam won’t destroy beauty – The Riverdale Press.
Let us know what you think!
Paving the Putnam trail through Van Cortlandt Park would allow better bicycle access from and to Westchester and Putnam County trailway systems. Currently, for those traveling from the north, the pavement stops at the Westchester/Bronx line, and for those without mountain bikes heading south, it means leaving the trailway for MacLean/Caryl Avenues (and the steep hills) to get over to Broadway to continue through the Bronx. It would provide an important link for bicycle commuters and recreational riders who don’t have big knobby tires on their bicycles – and it would provide easier access to the Westchester and Putnam trailways for those heading north from the Bronx.
There are birders, naturalists, hikers, the elderly, school children who want to “enjoy nature slowly.” These plans turn the path into a bikeway that removes what draws these special groups to this very special trail. Let’s preserve the trail AND make it accessible. There are ways to do this.