Dear Advocate:
This is a sample letter to elected officials asking them to embrace and implement Protected Bicycle Lanes in the City of Albany.
If you live, work, or do business in the City of Albany, you should write to the mayor. If not, write to your town supervisor or other official. Adjust the letter as you see fit. Use your own arguments or chose from these following benefits: Protected Bicycle Lanes shield people on bicycles with a physical barrier; they are the safest, most inviting way to ride; local business benefit from Protected Bicycle Lanes; they are safer for all – 40-50% fewer crashes for people on bicycles, on foot, or in cars; they protect people on bicycles with a physical barrier; and they lower less pollution and wear and tear on streets.
If you want to review and use other points, go here. (Follow these additional links for info on Protected Bicycle Lanes or on the South End Bikeway Link )
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The Honorable Kathy Sheehan
Office of the Mayor
City Hall, Rm. 102
24 Eagle St.
Albany, NY 12207
Dear Mayor Sheehan:
I am writing to ask that you support installation of Protected Bicycle Lanes as part of the Madison Avenue Traffic Calming project and include them in the design of the proposed South End Bikeway Link.
In studying this issue, I am convinced that installation of protected/separated facilities for people on bicycles will be a great benefit to the City of Albany in terms of economics, livability, and safety. Other cities across the US have installed Protected Bicycle Lanes and report that they have paid off handsomely.
Both of the projects cited simply will not reach their potential without your administration’s aggressive action. Madison Ave. can become a major bikeway linking the downtown with many venues on Madison Ave. and, ultimately, out Western Ave. to Guilderland’s bicycle lanes. The street will be safer for all users – without a reduction in parking, drive time, or expense. The South End Bikeway Link linking the new Albany County Helderberg-Hudson Rail Trail to the revamped Albany Corning Preserve “bike way” and the Mohawk-Hudson Bike-Hike Trail/Erie Canalway Trail can only work if there are facilities to help people work their way through this heavily traveled area. In both cases, we have the space and the need.
I hope that you will give these projects you utmost attention.
Sincerely,
Albany Bicycle Coalition 