This section of First Avenue has been mentioned as a possible “bike boulevard.”
Members of the Albany Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Commission keep talking about possible “bike boulevards” on selected residential streets. And I’m wondering why.
At the most recent meeting of this citizens’ commission this week, two of the streets mentioned as potential cycling boulevards are First and Second avenues between Main and Geary streets. I ride on those streets from time to time and checked them out again on Thursday afternoon, as you can see in the video below.
Albany’s transportation systems plan designates about a dozen streets as potential bike boulevards, where money from the city’s systems development charges can be spent on making improvements. What kind of improvements? Traffic-calming measures, painted lanes, speed humps to slow motor vehicles, and so forth.
But all those potential boulevards are already convenient and safe for cyclists because they generally follow residential side streets with very little traffic. This is especially true of First and Second avenues east of Main Street.
The bike/ped commission has talked about how to get people interested in these projects, because the city won’t start any of them unless neighbors want them. This week the bike/ped members talked about spreading the word at the weekly Saturday farmers’ markets this spring and summer, maybe even handing out maps and asking people to join a group ride along one or more of these routes.
This commission means well. But whatever time and effort are spent on furthering the idea of unnecessary bike boulevards would be better spent on pushing for improvements that would actually make bike transportation in Albany easier than it already is, and maybe a little more convenient too.
Among other things, they might start by encouraging businesses large and small to install functional racks outside so that customers no longer have to park their rides against shop windows and walls. (hh)
Finalizing the Scenic Drive to Hickory Village leg of the Corvallis to Albany multi-modal path would also be a better and more result-driven area of focus that would improve bike transportation within the city and beyond.
This bicycle issue never seems to be resolved, an albatross draped round our necks. Why is two-wheel transport, a nearly invisible form, such a persistent matter? The bicycling populous is statistically insignificant yet their insistence on being treated as a protected class gnaws on the City psyche at a level far beyond anything reasonable. In the grand scheme, bicycling affects almost no one, yet the City seems Hell bent on bowing to this “boulevard solution” in search of a non-existent problem.
It seems insignificant to those who don’t travel by bicycle. The safety issues keep many people from traversing by bicycle. I will not let my daughter bike to her work 4 miles away because there are no safe routes.
This is good news for all. In addition the infrastructure bill should bring bicycle funds to the city of Albany.
Wasted tax money is wasted tax money. Our society is more into get the govt. money or else someone else will. Actual need is not the priority. Green paint on a street is not going to make things safer. OTOH, it may actually irritate drivers when they see their tax money going for stupid stuff. Just SWEEPING the bike lanes on a SOMEWHAT more frequent basis would be more appreciated by people that ACTUALLY RIDE BICYCLES!
Maybe the bigger question is –
Why does Albany feel the need for a bloated system of politically appointed commissions/committees/boards/task forces that are permanent?
It looks there are about 20 or so involving hundreds of political wannabes.
Yeah, yeah….councilor/mayor appointments increase citizen engagement in the political process. This is understood.
But wouldn’t 4 or 5 commissions/committees/boards/task forces be just as effective and provide higher quality input at less cost to the taxpayer?
Wouldn’t 4 or 5 be less demanding on the highly paid city bureaucracy?
Reduce and consolidate.
Who knows, silly stuff like “bike boulevards” and “metal wildflower sculptures” may never show up on an agenda as a result.
Why not put those SDC charges towards repaving some of the streets that really need it.
Because they cannot be used for such:
https://www.cityofalbany.net/pw/engineering/system-development-charges
And WHO decided what they can’t be used for? IF SOMEBODY did it, they can undo it.
I agree with Josh. Scenic Drive to Hickory Village leg needs to be completed.
”Bike Boulevard”. They’ll become the new “Transient Highways”.
Hmmm
Pretty snarky posts for a simple story.
You’d think that the gummint is filled by ghosties, ghoulies, and goblins instead of forward-looking folks.
I’ve found that regressive folks oppose much, but rarely have a proposal.
“Dreams” NEVER live up to the reality.