Ok. I wrote about this months ago, but nothing has changed so I’m writing about it again. This design, of this new exit to the dog park onto the White Rock Lake Trail, is an absolute disaster waiting to happen.

Let me tell you exactly what is going to happen. A cyclist is going to hit a dog or a person, because the dogs and the people exiting the park will still be gathering themselves together at the moment they enounter cyclists on the trail.

Or, on beautiful, sunny days, there will be a traffic jam of dogs and people that’ll extend out on to the trail…again, causing accidents between trail users and dog owners.

People will blame the cyclist. Others might blame the dog owner. Heck, somebody might even blame the dog.

But as a dog owner and cyclist, however, I can say unequivocally: the blame will rest squarely on the DESIGN.

THIS IS A TERRIBLE DESIGN.

It seems to me that there are easy fixes for this.

First, put a fence up between the existing trail, and the newly poured concrete…make it about as long as the newly poured concrete is now. The fence can be the same color and design as the dog park fence.
This will prevent dogs and their owners from mindlessly walking out on to the trail.
I believe the designers of the dog park assume that this is what will happen in the circular “holding area.”
Trust me. It won’t I’ve seen how this works at other dog parks. (North Dallas, for example…) People will still not have control of their dogs once they exit. Dogs and people will casually and innocently walk onto the trail without a dividing fence.

Second, extend the new concrete out to either side of this new fence, so that there is a small pathway…the size of the trail (one half of the trail, not the whole thing…) so that dog owners realize that they are continuing on to an active trail…not just at some place where you are free to stand around with your dog.

Third, WARNING SIGNS. Big ones. Warning signs facing the dog park…urging owners to exercise caution when entering the trail. Warning signs on the TRAIL, urging cyclists to watch carefully. (Remember: cyclists are accustomed to riding this trail, and there not being an entrance here…this is new…)

My fear is that somebody will just put up warning signs. That won’t be enough. Without a physical barrier that dog owners must heed, the signs will be read, far too often, after the fact.

Please, please…somebody fix this.

Somebody’s gonna get hurt. Maybe quite seriously.

And when I happens, trust me, in wont be gloating. I’ll be crying.