The City of Albany recently installed bicycle lanes on Northern Blvd. at Rt. 377/Van Rensselaer Blvd. This is one of the major entries to the city. The new lanes run from Van Rensselaer Blvd. to the Rt. 9 overpass. The understanding from Albany Police Department’s Division of Traffic Safety is that, at some point, the lanes will be extended on into the city passing Memorial Hospital, a couple charter schools, and the (former) Livingston Middle School (being converted into residences).
A closer look shows 5+ foot paved shoulders, 6 foot bicycle lanes, and 11-12-foot lanes for motor vehicles. Unlike the bicycle lanes on Clinton Ave. and the shared lane symbols elsewhere in the city, these on Northern Blvd. are sprayed “epoxy” paint
Installation of the new lanes comes after a long dry spell since lanes were put in on Clinton Ave. (from Ten Brock to Lexington). The Northern Blvd. area has always been a challenging ride. The presence of the bicycle lanes should calm traffic and encourage more people to commute on bicycles.
Albany Bicycle Coalition 