Dear Friends of Albany Bicycle Coalition,
We hope this finds you well and able to be out on your bike. We wanted to give you a quick update on what our activities have been during 2021 and ask for your support to assist us in 2022.
After having to cancel our rides in 2020, this year we bounced back to again sponsor a number of rides and in 2022, we aim to bring back our popular Earth Day ride! This year we were able to gather for our annual Ride of Silence, where we remember and honor cyclists who were killed or injured in collisions with motorists. In August, we instituted the first of our “Slow Roll” rides, through the Arbor Hill/West Hill neighborhoods of Albany. Starting at the Stephen and Harriet Meyers Residence/Underground Railroad House, the ride explored the neighborhood at a leisurely pace, highlighting historic places, the Tivoli Lake Preserve, and the Arbor Hill branch of the Albany Public Library. We then enjoyed ice cream sundaes in the beautiful, shady backyard of the Meyers Residence.
Our second “Slow Roll” was a “Bike the Branches” ride where we explored select branches of the Albany Public Library. We hope to make these “Slow Roll” rides regular events. We will explore different neighborhoods in the City of Albany in a leisurely manner that emphasizes the life of the neighborhood rather than the motor traffic infrastructure. They will be community oriented and open to all levels of riders with families welcome.
We also brought back our popular Albany-Troy Daily Grind ride and capped our riding season with another popular Halloween ride through the Albany Rural Cemetery. Future rides we hope to sponsor in 2022 include a demonstration ride on New Scotland Avenue, a ride focusing on area churches that is part of the annual Hudson Valley Ramble, and a Patroon Creek-Hudson River ride which is a continuation of ABC’s efforts to make the proposed Patroon Greenway Trail a reality.
ABC also continues to take a broader approach to bicycling across the Capital Region by networking with other local bicycle groups to implement a region-wide bicycle infrastructure. As part of this endeavor, we are excited to propose a series of intercity rides in 2022. These will be a series of rides involving ABC, Cycle Schenectady, Transport Troy, and Bikeatoga. This will be one of the biggest projects that ABC has ever undertaken and will require coordination with the other bike groups, non-cycling not-for-profits, as well as private sponsors for each ride.
In addition to sponsoring rides, ABC continues to monitor existing bike infrastructure in the region and make sure it remains safe and useful for bicyclists. This includes the South End Connector, the Helderberg-Hudson Rail Trail, the Mohawk-Hudson Bike Hike Trail (MHBHT), and the Empire State Trail. In fact, our treasurer, David Pisaneschi, practically single-handedly, through years of dogged perseverance, finally got the State DOT to repave unrideable parts of the MHBHT, making for a smooth ride over miles of formerly root damaged trail.
In addition to this work, we’ve also kept a focus on developments on Rapp Road, and Albany’s 2021 Bicycle-Pedestrian Master Plan. We have greatly expanded our renamed CapitalNYBikeMap to include many more routes in Schenectady, Rensselaer, and Saratoga counties, thus encompassing the entire Capital Region. By attending public meetings, meeting with and communicating with local elected and appointed officials, and keeping abreast of transportation issues, we will continue to advocate for safe streets for all users and safe trails for bicyclists and pedestrians. As evidenced by the recent defeat of the proposed Delaware Ave. Complete Streets project in the Town of Bethlehem, organizations like ABC are needed more than ever.
In order to continue this important work, we are asking for your support by contributing what you can at this moment. A voting membership is $25, but any amount is appreciated. As a reminder, ABC is a 501(c) (3) charitable organization, and all donations are tax-deductible. This year we are excited to introduce new levels of membership: $Free: Basic Member, $25: Voting Member, $100: Century Member, and $250: Long Haul Member.
To assist organizations, such as ABC, in 2020 Congress passed the CARES Act. A provision of that Act allows individuals, who do not itemize their tax deductions, an above-the-line credit up to $300 for charitable contributions. This was extended into 2021 through the Consolidated Appropriations Act. The Consolidated Act also expanded the deduction to $600 for married couples who do not itemize their tax deductions and file jointly.
You can donate through our https://albanybicyclecoalition.com/about/donate/ website via PayPal or send a check to Albany Bicycle Coalition, Inc., ATTN: Treasurer, 180 South Main Ave., Albany, NY 12208. If you have any questions or suggestions, you can reach us at albanybicyclecoalition@yahoo.com.
We greatly appreciate any support you can provide and hope to see you soon on a trail and/or street. In the meantime, safe riding.
From your fellow riders at the Albany Bicycle Coalition.
Ed Brennan
President, Albany Bicycle Coalition
Albany Bicycle Coalition 