Category Archives: Bike Lanes

by Lorenz M. Worden | April 29, 2016 · 6:51 pm

A Visit Out West – Bicycle Lanes in Olean

In an on-going search for New York State cities where bicycles are welcome on the “main drag,” a recent review of Union St. in sunny Olean (300 miles west of Albany), reveals a four-lane superhighway with diagonal parking and multiple traffic lights being reduced to two motor vehicle travel lanes, two bicycle lanes, diagonal parking, and several roundabouts. The “under construction” photo tells it all. Traffic calming!

Traffic Calming in Olean

For more on New York State cities who want people on bicycles on their main streets, go here.

What else is there to see? The 6.2-mile “Allegheny River Valley Trail” is a paved route along its eponymous river. It circles around and through the St. Bonaventure University campus and then passes along the north side of town back to the city center.

Allegheny River Valley Trail

For selected trips, this trail – although intended primarily for recreation – would constitute a great commuter route. While the trail does not completely circumnavigate the city, it connects to some attractive low-traffic streets so that a complete circle can be enjoyed.

Regrettably and like many other similar trails, you have to KNOW that it exists and you have to KNOW the entry points. Why spend 1,000s on a trail and not 100s on some simple signage?

Not to be out done by the City of Albany, Olean is proud of its own extensive “tank bomb” marshaling yard where the black tankers stretch as far as one can see. The photos taken while stopping at the Twist and Shake soft ice cream store show nicely how the tankers can be appreciated from the River Valley Trail. Neat! North of Olean, there is an endless stream of tankers (full? empty?) sitting in Haskell Valley along I-86.

Tank Bombs and Ice Cream

More Tank Bombs and Ice Cream

Valley Bomb Train

Heading back toward Metroland, the Village of Waterloo (birthplace of Memorial Day and just west of that of the Women’s Movement in Seneca Falls), sports bicycle lanes on its main street through town – which is also Rts. 5 and 20.

Waterloo Welcomes People on Bicycles!

And where is Albany? With the exception of 0.8 miles of bicycle lanes on Clinton Ave. and another 700-1,00 feet on Northern Blvd, nada. At this rate, the City of Albany will have a whopping 3 or so bicycle-lane miles when its Bicycle Master Plan reaches its planned 20-year completion date.

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by Lorenz M. Worden | July 2, 2015 · 5:16 pm

Weedsport Has ‘Em . . .

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Across the state, towns and cities have bicycle lanes on their main streets – Syracuse, Albion, Medina, Palmyra, Albion, Little Falls, and even Weedsport. And Albany?

“People on Bikes” says:

53% of American adults would like to bike more
34% of adults who want to ride more are dissatisfied with current bike infrastructure
64% of people who would like to bike more want protected bicycle lanes

Source: Momentum May-Jun 2015

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by Lorenz M. Worden | May 28, 2015 · 2:56 pm

“All Cars All the Time” ~ Albany Bike Count, 5/20/15, 3:30-5:30 PM, Delaware & Morton

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OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Even though Delaware, Morton, and Holland Avenues all technically have bicycle “accommodations” (shared lanes), 62 percent of the adults riding through the intersection were on the sidewalk and crosswalks. Perhaps here is why (based on the “Bike Count Location Feedback Form” responses):

Where there an obstacles/negative conditions effecting bicycle travel? – Absence of any bicycle infrastructure.
Were there any incidents or close calls between bicyclists/pedestrians/motorists? –
- Yes, between bicyclists and pedestrians – Due to people on bicycles riding on the sidewalks/crosswalks who were weaving through people walking and waiting for buses.
- Yes, between bicyclists and motorists – Many people on bicycles had difficulty wending their way through the motor vehicle congestion in the intersection without some quick avoidance maneuvers. This was by those riding the correct way in the roadway. For those riding on the sidewalk/crosswalks, they were the source of their own problem.
Were there any cases of bicyclists disobeying traffic laws? – Yes. Adults riding on the sidewalk in conflict with local law – apparently to avoid the heavy motor vehicle traffic on Delaware Ave. and Morton/Holland Aves.
Based on your observations (and experiences), do you have any additional feedback regarding bicycling in Albany? – The City of Albany has to get serious about implementing its 2009 Albany Bicycle Master Plan. Since the plan was approved, only two sections (totaling one mile) of bicycle lanes have been installed. There are no Protected Bicycle Lanes.

People on Bicycles – Welcome to Albany!

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, 12-foot right-hand (inside) lane on the south-east side (11 on the north-west side), and a left (outside) lane of about 11 feet.

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 cause some traffic calming and may encourage more people to commute on bicycles.

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by Lorenz M. Worden | March 17, 2015 · 5:44 pm

Breaking the Ice – Ride #1 South End Bikeway Link

PRE-RIDE – We kicked off the monthly series of planned orientation rides on the proposed South End Bikeway on Saturday, March 7, 2015. Nine intrepid riders – with the youngest being 18 months old – met under the (pounding) I-787 at the Boat Launch/Row Center in the Albany Corning Preserve. We started with a League of American Bicyclists mini “Safe Cycling” course sponsored by the Albany Bicycle Coalition. We had several adults and one youth for the class which featured a description of the full course, helmet selection and fit, pre-ride “ABC Quick check of our bicycles,” signaling, “rock dodge,” and scanning (to the rear).

HEADING OUT – Leaving from the start of the Erie Canalway Trail and the Mohawk-Hudson Bike-Hike Trail, we headed along the current multi-use pathway to the central parking area where we learned about the $8-million Albany Corning Preserve project and the proposed South End Bikeway Link. He pointed out the “flyover” – an adaptive re-use of an unneeded I-787 ramp into a multi-use “high line-like” parkway for people on bicycles and on foot. This would connect the waterfront to Clinton Ave. as well as to the bike-hike path over the new Livingston Avenue Bridge that, in turn, would open a water-level route to Rensselaer and to S. Troy.

A LITTLE ICE – With temps in the high teens, we were bound to, and did, encounter a few icy spots but a little walking or a steady had on the bars got us through that so when we arrived at our next orientation spot at the Slater we were all nicely warmed up. At the Slater, we looked at the terminus of the Albany County path and then to the 1.8-mile on-street gap separating us from the Albany County Helderberg-Hudson Rail Trail head on S. Pearl.

TERMINUS – With the sun getting warmer and warmer, we headed south past the choke point at the U-Haul on Broadway toward Island Creek Waterfront Park (with its potential as a spot where people can begin their rides or walks) where we again paused to look at the planned off-street crossing, the Island Creek Waterfront Park, the UA Alumni Row Center, and the proposed full-service marina on Broadway.

A LITTLE HISTORY – Just before the rough-and-tumble railroad crossing, we looked at the reported site of Fort Nassau, the tank bombs, and the off/on ramps for I-787, one of which will be the protected bicycle lanes for the South End Bikeway Link. We swung around to western ramp, noted the super wide shoulder, and went on to S. Pearl. We stopped at Mt. Hope Drive to hear about Ezra Prentiss, Joel Rathbone, and other historical notables who lived in or settled the area. We learned about the now-vanished Kenwood village and gained an appreciation for the powerful history of the immediate area and how it will enrich the SEBL’s value for all. We observed how critical would be enhanced signalization at Mt. Hope and Pearl to facilitate people crossing form the west side of S. Pearl (from the 2-way cycle track) to the I-787 ramp, one lane of which will become the protected bicycle lanes.

CRAZY STREET – While heading toward the end of our tour, even the experienced road riders noted the aggressive, on-your-tail, outta-my-way behavior of the people in cars and trucks and how meaningless the shared lane markings and “share the road” signs were in helping us along. In covering the route, we noted with sadness the loss of life – Jose Perez (2006) and Qazir Sutherland (2013) in the very streets we are trying to bypass on our preferred route. This enhances the urgency for protected bicycle lanes by this fall in time for the Albany County Helderberg-Hudson Rail Trail opening.

START HERE – At the intersection of South and Old South Pearl, we looked at the railroad overpass, the area of the planned 12-car parking lot, and the to-be-closed pedestrian tunnel under the roadbed. Crossing under the railroad overpass, we swung onto Binghamton St., went to the end, and learned about the Mohawk and the Mohicans. While we did not spot the promised bald eagle, we did see a red-tailed hawk.

TANK BOMBS – At this point, we made our way speedily back on our route, using the eastern I-787 ramp. Our plans to return via Broadway were dashed by the stopped fleet of DOT 111s on the crossing. We noted sadly that yet another 103-tanker train had yet another derailment in Illinois. With 34,500 gallons in each car, the explosion/conflagration caused evacuations in a one-mile radius where the Galena River joins the Mississippi. (By the way, if about half of those gallons was converted to gasoline [the rest being waste, heating oil, spillage, plastic bottles, etc.] an Escalade could go 1,326 miles – well worth it Commissioner Martens!) In any case, we returned to our starting point via Quay St.

For info, go to:

https://www.facebook.com/albanybikewaylink

https://www.flickr.com/albanybikewaylink

https://www.twitter.com/albanybikeway

https://www.facebook.com/albanybikewaylink