At Long Last – Bike Lanes on New Scotland Ave. –
The Ride – Sixteen happy riders departed from Martell’s Restaurant off New Scotland Ave. for an ABC-hosted tour of the new bike lanes running from O’Neill Rd. to Manning Blvd. After starting at Martel’s on a fine late autumn day, the group headed to Washington Park over Albany city streets with and without bike lanes. They then returned to Martel’s for a total distance of 8 miles. Many of the riders adjourned to Martell’s for refreshments following the ride. You can see the complete route on google maps: From Martell’s to Washington Park and Washington Park back to Martell’s
The Setting – New Scotland Ave. is a major thoroughfare in the City of Albany for both residents and commuters. Heretofore, it had a strange mix of two- and four-lane segments. There were turn lanes for both right and left turns, but the pavement markings had long ago disappeared. The road surface itself was rough and unpleasant for people in cars and dangerous for bicyclists. The street was also characterized by a number of high-speed, no-holds-barred intersections that presented challenges for both people walking and bicycling as well as those driving cars. For bicyclists, it is only one of two paths into the city from Bethlehem. Neither path is particularly good, but the New Scotland holds a bit more promise. STRAVA data show that many riders used this route perhaps as their only option.
The Study – In 2019, St Peter’s Hospital funded a traffic study of New Scotland Ave. from Manning Blvd. to the Thruway bridge at Whitehall Rd. St Peter’s is a major generator of motor vehicle traffic for both its patients and staff. The area surrounding the hospital presents challenges to residents for parking, and the amount of vehicular traffic presents challenges for all road users. Creighton Manning Engineering firm, a longtime partner of city government conducted the study. The city held several public meetings and there was good support for bicycle lanes to replace the unused parking lanes that were presently installed. The bicycle lanes would calm motor vehicle traffic. Curiously, when the final plan came out, it called for retaining the parking and not adding bicycle lanes. Fortunately, and with our gratitude, Meghan Keegan, Common Council Member, 9th Ward, supported the return of the lanes, and installation is now complete. They run from Manning Blvd. to O’Neill Rd., the entrance to the municipal golf course.
These new lanes connect to Manning Blvd. which is to have protected bike lanes per the Albany City Bicycle Pedestrian Master Plan. Also, the multi-use path on Hackett Blvd. can be accessed from New Scotland Ave. over busy, non-protected streets in just under a mile.
Cyclists can find the new bike lanes, and existing connections, on ABC’s CapitalNYBikeMap.com. Using the map, one can identify “neighborhood routes” to get to favored destinations. The ride might be a bit longer, but the enjoyment will offset that. Nonetheless, the city still needs to create safe connections between these new lanes and existing bicycle infrastructure.
Albany Bicycle Coalition 