Albany Social Cycling and Albany Bike Valet are two incredible additions to Albany. OK, Albany Social Cycling has been around a couple years, but more and more people are just discovering it. ASC started with a small group of riders connected with Matt McGowan and his Freewheel Bike Shop meeting up Thursday evenings in Washington Park. These free Thursday rides have become the place to be for people of all ages and riding abilities, with all kinds of bikes.
Albany Social Cycling meets by the Washington Park Playhouse at 6:30 pm. For the remainder of the season bring well charged bike lights. Its casual. You don’t need to deck out in spandex.The ride routes are well planned. They are leisurely and social. Nobody is racing. Newcomers are made to feel welcome. Many rides visit local businesses, for hot dogs, ice cream and the like.
Albany Bike Valet saw its debut at the Upper Madison Street Fair. It is the brainchild of Albanian Brook Caro. Members of Albany Bicycle Coalition, Walkable Albany and Capital Streets chipped in time to help with this great new free service. The service offers a secure, monitored parking for cyclists at Albany events. Like a coat check service for bikes. Forget about finding a parking space for your car. Enjoy biking to an event and leave your bike with Brook and friends. You won’t even need bike locks and cables.
The Bike Valet’s first gig exceeded expectations, with 47 bikes safely parked. Anne Savage of New York Bicycling Coalition and the folks organizing the Upper Madison Street Fair were a big help making the Bike Valet debut so successful. We heard many folks without bikes say what a great idea it was. Many of them will be looking for the bike valet service when they leave their cars home for the next event.
On October 2nd I joined about 60 other riders on a well planned Park-to-Park Social Cycling route around the City. I was especially glad to see several new Albanians found and joined the ride. A recent arrival from Oklahoma remarked how much she is “enjoying Albany”. City leaders take note of those magic words! If you want to bring and keep people in Albany, support services and activities like the Bike Valet and Albany Social Cycling.
Municipal leaders who try to make our roads safe for pedestrians and bicyclists.
The police and other first responders who attend to crashes involving pedestrians and bicyclists . . . and for their investigations which help prosecute perpetrators and develop safer streets.
Drivers who slow down and are careful when they are near pedestrians or bicyclists.
District attorneys who have the courage and the endurance to prosecute those who cause death or injury on the road.
Pedestrians who, no matter how tedious it is, wait until it is safe to cross the street.
The Town of Bethlehem for its work on the Blessing Road and Cherry Avenue multi-use paths.
Bicyclists who set the example by riding courteously and within the guidance of the law and to say or wave a “thank you” when shown courtesy by a motor vehicle driver.
Departments of public works who are out there every day keeping the roads safe with signage, signalization, plowing, pavement markings, ADA ramps, cleaning, and “pothole” repair.
State, county, and municipal elected and appointed officials who are responsive to the unsafe conditions of our roads and who promote laws and programs to improve them.
Those who come to safety awareness-raising events or to other forums to promote roadway safety such as the World Day of Remembrance.
Our bicycle shops and bike rescuers who do their best to help us keep our bicycles in a safe and roadworthy condition at a fair price.
Those who work many long (unremunerated) hours to organize or continue advocacy organizations.
Engineering and transportation specialists who work with municipalities to develop plans for safety-oriented road designs.
Albany’s Department of General Services for its efforts in keeping the South End Bikeway free of glass.
Motor vehicle drivers who do NOT honk at, tailgate, turn in front of, yell at, or pass too closely to people on bicycles.
Trail “ambassadors” who help on our trails by providing guidance, encouragement, and clean up.
Print and broadcast media for highlighting roadway safety and reporting and analyzing crashes involving pedestrians and people on bicycles.
The Town of Bethlehem for installing and maintaining its network of wayfinding signage for cyclists.
… and, most importantly, to all road users who recognize that, and act as if, the roads are for all to use without fear of injury or death.
This year, ABC and our partners Capital Streets, WalkableAlbany, VocalNY, VocalAlbany, and WeAreRevolutionary are proud to participate in #WeekWithoutDriving from September 30th to October 6th, a challenge that invites us to experience the everyday realities of those who, by circumstance or choice, do not drive.
Nearly a quarter of people in the United States, including individuals with disabilities, young people, seniors, and those who cannot afford the costs associated with car ownership navigate their lives without personal vehicles. Their experiences highlight the importance of connected, accessible, reliable public transit and safe, active transportation options for all.
Your participation is easy and can be done with as little as one trip that you would normally take by car and sharing your experience on social media with the campaign tags (#WeekWithoutDriving, #518WeekWithoutDriving). For details see Week Without Driving.
We’re asking you to become an active participant in #WeekWithoutDriving by taking one trip, one day, or even a whole week without the use of a personal vehicle and sharing your experiences on social media. Our goal is to get people to experience different means of transportation as well as to help highlight the specific challenges involved in active transportation.
How to Participate – Participating is easy and can be done with as little as one trip that you would normally take by car. Examples:
Take the bus to work.
Bike with the kids to school.
Walk to the convenience store.
Use a bikeshare to get to a doctor’s appointment.
Using Public Transportation – Routes can either be planned using Google Maps and Apple Maps by selecting a destination that you want directions to and then selecting the bus icon to find a route by public transit. You can also plan a route in the CDTA Navigator App or plan the route yourself using the schedule and bus routes on the CDTA Navigator App or website.
Once you have your route planned, you can pay your fare in cash in person ($1.50 for regular bus service, and $2.00 for BUSPLUS), using the navigator app ($1.30), or getting a physical navigator card at any of these retailers.
Biking – You can access CDPHP bikes through the CDPHP Cycle app. There you can find bikes and unlock them for use.
Albany Bicycle Coalition 