Tag Archives: protected bicycle lanes

by | April 18, 2016 · 10:43 am

Celebrating Trails in the Area – Not Once But Twice in the Same Issue of the Times Union!

South End Bikeway LinkCelebrating Trails in the Area – Not Once But Twice in the Same Issue of the Times Union!

Letters in the Albany Times Union – 4/17/16

#1 – Erin Walsh wrote about the Uncle Sam 3.1-mile paved rail-trail that runs through North Troy and Lansingburgh. She reported renewed interest in the trail, highlighting its value to the immediate community and the greater Capital Region. She noted that Capital Roots, Transport Troy, the National Park Service, Troy Bike Rescue, and Troy city have all taken an interest in the trail’s renewal.

You’ll have a chance to –

  • do trail cleanup on 4/23
  • join a community bike ride on 5/22
  • take a historical and nature walk on 6/4
  • join a community bike ride on 9/24 – the famous “Collar City Ramble”

Erin is an enthusiastic supporter of complete streets and other pro-pedestrian/cyclist initiatives in Troy and the Capital Region. Contact

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#2 – For those who choose not to read the paper paper, you’ll miss the wonderful map of the South End Bikeway Link created by local artist and bon vivant, Frank Smith. I hope that you’ll soon be seeing this map elsewhere in the City of Albany.

In any case, the illustrative map highlights better than words the essence of this second letter – a call for immediate completion of a safe and protected connecting link between the Albany County Helderberg Hudson Rail Trail trailhead on S. Pearl St. and the \southern terminus of the Mohawk-Hudson Bike-Hike Trail at the Slater/Dutch Apple moorings.

Under city contract, Alta Planning + Design is conducting a feasibility/design study of this critical 1.3-mile link. Stay alert for meetings hosted by the city and Alta.

Just think – Voorheesville to Buffalo on an (almost) continuous trail!

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by | March 5, 2016 · 6:47 pm

Protected Bicycle Lanes at Risk on Madison Ave.

Protected Bicycle Lanes at Risk on Madison Ave. – After a 10-year effort by citizen groups, the City of Albany is designing and constructing a “road diet” along Madison Ave. from S. Allen St. to Lark St. While the project reduces the number of motor vehicle travel lanes, while improving to some degree bicycle accommodations, it still maintains Madison Ave. as a car-priority street.

The City of Albany is holding a Public Meeting on Madison Ave. Traffic Calming and Protected Bicycle Lanes on Wednesday, March 9, 6:30-7:30 PM at the College of St. Rose, Lally School of Education, 1009 Madison Ave.

The City of Albany initially proposed three alternative treatments:

  • Shared Motor Vehicle/Bicycle Lanes
  • Shared Motor Vehicle Parking/Bicycle Lanes
  • Conventional Bicycle Lanes
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5-ft lane with buffer

Since no one of these, especially the first two “non-facilities,” were acceptable, the Protected Bicycle Lane Coalition formed to push for a 2-way Protected Bicycle Lane on the north side of Madison Ave. The city studied this proposal and added a fifth option, Buffered Bicycle Lanes. The Protected Bicycle Lane Coalition then offered a second Protected Bicycle Lane option, 1-way Protected Bicycle Lanes on each side of the street.

The City now has two alternatives under consideration. The purpose of the meeting is to review these concepts and trade-offs for the two feasible alternatives. The Allen St.-to-Lark St. project is to be done in three phases, Allen to Partridge Sts. being the first.

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Meeting Details:

  • Wednesday
  • March 9, 2016
    6:30 to 7:30 PM
  • Info/questions? Bill Trudeau Jr., Coordinator of Traffic Engineering, Albany Traffic Engineering Unit, 434-5791, MadisonAveStudy@albany-ny.org
  • The College of Saint Rose – Lally School of Education, 1009 Madison Ave., Touhey Forum
  • March 9, 2016

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by | October 14, 2015 · 11:44 am

Parking Day in the City of Albany ~ PBLs Forever!

Green Lane in Albany – Fri, 9/18/15, 11 AM – 4 PM

The Protected Bicycle Lane Coalition and Albany Bicycle Coalition coordinated on a Protected Bicycle Lanes demonstration project as part of “Parking Day” in the City of Albany. Our exhibit was coordinated with Parks & Trails New York that had a campsite set up just at the end of the PBL green lane. This suggests that acceptable in-city facilities for people on bicycles will enhance there access to parks and trails that surround our urban areas.  PTNY was also promoting its “Close the Gaps” initiative to have all on-road portions of the Erie Canalway Trail replace by trails for by the time of the bicentennial of the beginning of Erie Canal construction – July 4, 2017.

“Parking Day” is to illustrate alternative uses for street space – uses other than as a tax-subsidized, frequently free place for people to store their motor vehicles.

The Details:

Thanks to Jim’s inventive genius and Rossana’s artistry with sidewalk chalk, ABC+PBLC had a credible full-scale Protected Bicycle Lane demonstration project on Washington Ave. on Parking Day, 9/18/15.

From 11 AM until around 3:30 PM, Claire, Jim, and Rossana were on duty to greet the visitors and explain how PBLs “work.” We were impressed with the number of positive comments – “way to go,” “I agree with this,” “good idea,” “when are we going to have these in Albany,” and so on from the many passersby.

We also noted several questions about the new Albany County Helderberg-Hudson Rail Trail and how it will be accessed from Delmar, Voorheesville, and Albany.

Photos Below –

Official schedule:

  • Friday
  • September 18
  • Event: 11 am – 4 pm

#1 – Jim demonstrating his “Mark I – Corn Starch Lane Builder.” We experimented with different exit hole sizes in the trough. Several passes were need followed by a gentle brooming to get the material spread evenly and into the surface depressions.

Mark I – Corn Starch Lane Builder

Mark I – Corn Starch Lane Builder

#2 – The full lane covering three parking spaces of about 20 ft each.

5-ft lane with buffer

5-ft lane with buffer

#3 – Rossana tries out the PBL – so secure that she felt no need for a helmet. Note entryway. The lane is “NATCO-regulation” 5 ft wide with a 3 ft buffer consisting of paint (chalk) and PVC delimiters. (As a result, we are just outside the 7 ft. Albany standard parking lane.

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Trail Run!

#4 – After a relaxed, safe ride, Rossana arrives at her camping place, courtesy of Parks & Trails New York and just in time for the ever-vigilant Time Warner Cable News reporter to record this first-time event in Albany.

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Safe Arrival at Camp

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by | August 18, 2015 · 2:35 pm

PBLs Forever!

ABC Logo SMALL 2011

Albany Bicycle Coalition, Inc.
127 S. Pine Ave.
Albany, NY 12208

August 14, 2015

The Honorable Kathy Sheehantumblr_l3fmm8IrTN1qzl4rno1_500
Office of the Mayor
City Hall, Rm. 102
24 Eagle St.
Albany, NY 12207

Dear Mayor Sheehan:

On behalf of people on bicycles (and those who want to be), thank you, the city officials, and the city’s contractors for developing the plans for Madison Avenue Traffic Calming. Your opening words at the July 29 “design meeting” made clear your commitment to the project and the development of a bicycle friendly Albany.

The only sustainable option for bicycle facilities that will get people on bicycles and on the street remains Protected Bicycle Lanes. These lanes on Madison Ave. will propel the City of Albany into the future and hone our competitive edge. Experience of other cities across the USA and the updated Federal design standards support this position.

In resolving the issue of maintenance cost, we urge you to look beyond this immediate cost to what will be the best long term investment through increased business and property values, improved health, reduced traffic and parking congestion, improved safety for all street users, and increased number of people moving (or returning) to Albany. Short term, the City can cover maintenance costs by reallocating DGS services within its current budget. By redirecting cleaning tasks from streets not requiring a 7-day cycle (e.g., many residential streets), we can maintain the new, redesigned Madison Ave.

Mayor Sheehan, we are faced with a decision with a 15 to 20-year future impact. The only option that will get the maximum number of people out of cars and onto bicycles remains Protected Bicycle Lanes. I urge you to embrace Protected Bicycle Lanes as proposed.

Sincerely,

Lorenz M. Worden
President
Albany Bicycle Coalition, Inc.
lorenzworden@gmail.com

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by | August 8, 2015 · 12:10 pm

“Alternative D is the Plan for Me” – Protected (Separated) Bicycle Lanes on Madison Ave.

RE: “Alternative D is the Plan for Me” – Protected (Separated) Bicycle Lanes on Madison Ave.

The City of Albany has presented 5 alternative designs for Madison Ave. The Protected Bicycle Lane Coalition and those who want to ride the streets of Albany need you to weigh in favor of “One-Way Separated Bicycle Lanes – Alternative D.” (Here “separated” means “protected.”)

PBLs in Action

PBLs in Action

One-Way Separated Bicycle Lanes – Alternative D is the safest because

  • Alternative D protects people on bicycles from parked cars pulling out and removes cyclists from riding in the door zone.  The only other option that does that is C (two-way separated bicycle lanes).
  • Alternative C, though modeled after Protected Bicycle Lane Coalition ideas, is not ideal because it will make it difficult for people on bicycles to transition into and out of the Protected Bike Lane at intersections and at the eastern and western entrances. There are also concerns with non-standard lane widths in this alternative.

Let the Mayor know you’re in support of Alternative D by submitting your comments to MadisonAveStudy@albany-ny.org here before August 15.

Just complete this sentence: “I want Protected (Separated) Bicycle Lanes on Madison Ave. because . . . “

To see the alternatives, go to the “road diet” site and click “Madison Ave Road Diet Renderings”

Just remember – “Alternative D is the Plan for Me!”

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