Author Archives: Christopher

NYS BIKE SUMMIT 2011

   APRIL 28, 2011   9-11 AM    

West Capital Park, Albany

(next to the State Capitol Building)

 REMINDER NOTICE:

Each year the NYS Bike Summit brings together bicycle advocates, coalition partners and allies to gather in the State Capital.  We demonstrate that bicycling is important for human health, for the environment for our economy and our communities!  We want investments to enable people of all ages and skill levels to ride safely on the road.   We will recognize Bike Champions – legislators and others.   We will be calling for passage of the crucial “Complete Streets Bill”.  If it rains we will gather in The Well of the Legislative Office Building (across the street from West Capital Park).

Much more information about the NYS Bike Summit is available at  www.nybc.net including;

1. the EVENT AGENDA
2. a PRESS RELEASE
3. NYBC’s LEGISLATIVE PLATFORM

Contact Brian Kehoe    brian@nybc.net   518-436-0889

Albany Bicycle Coalition ~ Bike Month 2011
May 2011 (Runs from 4/29/11 to 6/12/11)

April 29 Fri 5:15 PM – 9:00 PM
Critical Mass/Comm. Ride (Apr) “Albany Soldiers and Sailors Memorial, Washington Park at State St. & Henry Johnson Blvd., Albany”

May 1 Sun 9:00 AM  – 4:00 PM
“Bike Expo 2011 (Three rides – 10, 25, and 50 mile and events)” Corning Preserve – Boat Launch

May 2 Mon 8:00 PM – 10:00 PM
Movie #1 – AMERICA ON TWO WHEELS – Cross-Country Bicycle Trip (Slide Show) “Upstate Artists Guild, 247 Lark St., Donation”

May 3 Tue 5:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Tune Up Your Bike Night 15 Trinity Place

May 4 Wed 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM
ABC Community Bicycle Ride #1 “Albany Soldiers and Sailors Memorial, Washington Park at State St. & Henry Johnson Blvd.”

May 6 Fri 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM
1st Friday Gallery Spin “Albany Soldiers and Sailors Memorial, Washington Park at State St. & Henry Johnson Blvd.”

May 7 Sat 2:00 PM – 5:00 PM
Blessing of Bicycles and Ride “Our Lady of the Americas, Central & Lake”

May 9 Mon 7:00 PM – 10:00 PM
“Movie #2 – “”Ride The Divide””” “Upstate Artists Guild, 247 Lark St., Donation”

May 10 Tue 5:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Tune Up Your Bike Night 15 Trinity Place

May 11 Wed 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM
ABC Community Bicycle Ride #2 “Albany Soldiers and Sailors Memorial, Washington Park at State St. & Henry Johnson Blvd.”

May 15 Sun 10:30 AM – 3:00 PM
Historic Mansion Tour Albany Heritage Area Visitors Center

May 16 Mon 7:00 PM – 10:00 PM
Movie Night #3 “Upstate Artists Guild, 247 Lark St., Donation”

May 17 Tue 8:30 PM – 11:00 PM
Moonlight Ride (Full moon – 5/17) “Albany Soldiers and Sailors Memorial, Washington Park at State St. & Henry Johnson Blvd. and Corning Preserve Launch”

May 17 Tue 5:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Tune Up Your Bike Night 15 Trinity Place

May 18 Wed 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Ride of Silence (National) Corning Preserve Launch and NYSED

May 20 Fri 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM
ABC Community Bicycle Ride #3 (also National Bike-to-Work Day) “Albany Soldiers and Sailors Memorial, Washington Park at State St. & Henry Johnson Blvd.”

May 21 Sat 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM
PAL Bike Rodeo Corning Preserve – Boat Launch

May 24 Tue 5:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Tune Up Your Bike Night 15 Trinity Place

May 25 Wed 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM
ABC Community Bicycle Ride #4 “Albany Soldiers and Sailors Memorial, Washington Park at State St. & Henry Johnson Blvd. ”

May 27 Fri 5:15 PM – 9:00 PM
Critical Mass/Comm. Ride (May) “Albany Soldiers and Sailors Memorial, Washington Park at State St. & Henry Johnson Blvd.”

May 28 Sat 7:00 PM – 11:00 PM
Bike Month Alley Cat – Bike to China Charity “Albany Soldiers and Sailors Memorial, Washington Park at State St. & Henry Johnson Blvd. $5 Entry”

May 30 Mon 7:00 PM – 10:00 PM
Movie Night #4 “Upstate Artists Guild, 247 Lark St., Donation”

May 31 Tue 5:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Tune Up Your Bike Night 15 Trinity Place

June 3 Fri 5:00 PM – 12:00 AM
Camping – Day 1 Camping – Thompsons Lake State Park 1 (Reserve site by 5/1 at – reserveamerica.com)

June 4 Sat 12:01 AM – 12:00 AM
Camping – Day 2

June5 Sun 12:01 AM – 6:00 PM
Camping – Day 3

June 3 Fri 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM
1st Friday Gallery Spin (June) “Albany Soldiers and Sailors Memorial, Washington Park at State St. & Henry Johnson Blvd.”

June 12 Sun 2:00 PM – 5:00 PM
Geocaching Ride “Albany Soldiers and Sailors Memorial, Washington Park at State St. & Henry Johnson Blvd.”

A letter to the abc membership:

In a little less than two weeks ABC will host a region wide bike expo, the first in our
area. It is a great opportunity to begin a process of cooperation with various local
organizations all promoting similar lifestyles. And to have some fun too.

We didnʼt anticipate the permit process would take so long, but it did. We submitted the
permit application on Jan 18 and received the permit by letter on April 7. It wasnʼt until
then that we could begin to secure the insurance policy, solicit sponsors, vendors,
donations, etc and consequently we have to scale back our expectations for the “event”
part of the expo. There are still three excellent rides being offered by the Mohawk
Hudson Cycling Club, the New York Bicycling Coalition and the ABC and we have the
Downtube Bike Shop offering help at the event. That is a TREMENDOUS BEGINNING
to hosting this inaugural bicycle event. I am appealing to anyone that wants to help build
on whatʼs already in place. If you would like to volunteer for any position listed below,
please call me.

WE NEED:
1) To post fliers around town. Call for specifics.
2) Help on the abc ride, “ride guides”, a sweep, rest stop personnel.
3) To come up with ideas for our info booth, membership drive?
4) Merchandise for giveaways or resale.
5) An ABC banner
6) We are also in need of a coffee/ snack vendor for morning, a lunch vendor for
afternoon although “The Barge” is scheduled to be open for business by April 29. Any
ideas would be gratefully accepted.

This is also a learning process, and mistakes and misunderstandings may occur.
Letʼs keep it positive and come out and enjoy an opportunity to ride and to socialize with
like-minded people and as our mission states “to bring together the Albany area
community for a family-friendly celebration of spring, the Hudson River waterfront and
bicycing.

Sincerely,
John Vendetti ABC
hardworkinjohn@aol.com
518-225-4209

Written by John Vendetti

I first heard of this show from this post by the bike snob. Triple Rush is a show on the Travel Channel that focus on bike messengers in NYC. After watching all the clips they had on YouTube I don’t know how to feel about this show or the bike messenger profession in general. On the one hand they are providing a useful service that, let’s face it, in NYC is vital to delivering things on time. On the other hand they are making us all look bad.

The fact is that these people need to get where they are going as fast as they can so the laws are more guidelines to them. Granted they never specifically say on the show, “Yeah, I run red lights,” but in the clips they are doing just that and weaving in and out of cars going both ways. It would be nice if someone saw that and thought to them self that that was just the behavior of bike messengers. Instead the attitude seems to be that that is standard bicycle behavior for everyone in general.

If I get the travel channel will I check out an episode? Maybe.

Written by Chris Belsole