We have confirmation from multiple individual city officials to the homeowners that this will happen in the coming days or next week.
Someone already took an axe and cleared a large path next to the fence that hundreds of people are using so the fence has already been rendered completely and totally worthless. I really hope this fence was not HOA money.
For the few minutes I watched the path tonight on my way home it seemed like more folks were using it than before the fence was put up.
So the only problem now is to the folks who live directly behind the fence and do not want to see it in their backyard (which is a valid concern)... And the bikers who do not want to "off-road it" on the path that was created around the fence.
I will post another construction update (unrelated to the Hiker/Biker debacle) in the next few days.
UPDATE: Mayor finally made his response public on Facebook one hour after I posted this blog:
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Mayor Alan Thompson
I wanted to provide a very quick update on the status of the trolley trail north of Riverdale Park Station (which was closed by the developer a few days ago). This update is based on my impressions from a e-mail and phone calls I participated in today, and is not a commitment from the developer, the Town of Riverdale Park, the City of College Park, or anyone else - it's just what I personally see ahead based on what I heard and read.
There are three issues that, when resolved, will allow the temporary trail (the pathway that has been open for a few months) to reopen.
The first is vehicle (car and or truck) traffic on the trail between Riverdale Park Station and the Calvert Hills neighborhood of College Park. At least a few instances of cars/trucks driving here have been reported. Because almost all of that section of the trail is in College Park, and there are fewer restrictions of what can be changed on that section of the trail, the City will be installing bollards there to block vehicular traffic while allowing pedestrians and bikes. The contractor hired to install the bollards has been given the go-ahead to start and will probably be done sometime on Friday.
The second is to address security/safety concerns raised by a resident about traffic in the alley behind the townhouses at night. This will require installing temporary lighting along that section of the temporary trail (the resident has stated that it would address his concerns). I haven't heard any schedule for that, but could believe that it could be completed by sometime on Friday as well.
The third issue is restoring the trail to its previous state by reinstalling the barrier that was blocking the (future permanent) trail south of the alley. I believe that can probably happen tomorrow (Thursday), but that barrier needs to remain in place for the developer to be comfortable leaving the trail open. Please leave it alone, and please tell anyone who is NOT leaving it alone to leave it alone.
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Seems this will all be a moot point in the coming days... but I am surprised there has not been any news from the normal outlets on this as I know multiple people have reached out to them with this story... (Diamondback, Hyattsville Wire, etc)
Thanks for the update.
ReplyDeleteThe unknown trailblazer should pat themselves on the back. Caifritz allowed people to travel through the property for years before it was developed. I think it is a lot safer walking up a dimly lit, paved alley than an unpaved path though an unlit patch of woods that in some places was bordered by holes leading to an old sewer system.