Lake Arlington New Safety Changes

I have been following the ongoing feedback about Lake Arlington & the recent safety changes. First & foremost, everyone using the Lake should be made aware that the changes are in fact being made for the safety & wellbeing of all. Bikers, roller bladders, runners, walkers, wheel chairs, baby carriages & everyone else using the paths need to be made as safe as possible. This is the goal of the changes, however the communication of this has been minimal. When folks see change…they normally view at as negative. By explaining the numerous accidents, near misses & ultimately the death at the lake, maybe, just maybe the changes can be viewed as a more positive move. As I have written before, I believe there are volunteer groups who might be willing to help out with this. Cub scouts, boy scouts, girl scouts, church groups & local High Schools have many people looking to help out within their own community. By having 2-3 volunteers set up at each entry to the lake paths, armed with flyers & brief explanations of WHY the changes are happening, I believe a great service will be performed. Needless to say, considering our multi-cultural make up, having a few different language volunteers would probably be most productive. Having this set up for the next several weekends or even weekdays, would enlighten 1,000’s & 1,000’s of Lake Path Users to the true reasons for the changes.

I do applaud the AHPD & all those involved with the changes! It is a difficult situation & impossible to please everyone. However, they acted swiftly & made decisive moves to try & make Lake Arlington a safer place for young & old & all who use it. The negative comments I have been reading & hearing baffle my mind. The changes are needed ones to do something about the paths. If a tragic death is not enough justification or motivation for some, then I just cannot comprehend their logic or thinking. Are these changes optimal or the very best solutions? Probably not, but the AHPD had to do something to get the process started & the paths safer. Kudos for doing something that needed to be done. Most important, they took action before another tragedy took place! Will these changes be the final word? Probably not, but we had to start somewhere. Constructive feedback by AH residents & path users will be very useful if directed to the AHPD so they can hear all our voices & suggestions for improvements. I’m quite sure they would appreciate the feedback as well…..especially the constructive ones & not just the lambasting ones.

That said. Each of us regular path users can also be ambassadors of the lake & discuss the changes, the reasons & the safety concerns with other users, residents, neighbors & friends as well. With all of us on the side of SAFETY, we can & will ultimately have a more pleasant & enjoyable path for all users to appreciate.

Respectfully submitted,

Rob Greenberg

Lake Arlington Towne resident 25+ years