A vandal has tagged the wooden sign on Oak Street where the Periwinkle Bikepath starts.
Albany’s Periwinkle Bikepath through the center of town was completed in 1977. Half a century later, the city and state are cooperating to find a safer or more convenient way for people, especially bike riders, to get across the intersection of Queen Avenue and Geary Street.
The northern leg of the path ends at the northwest corner of the intersection, and the southern section takes off at the southeast corner. On the bike, getting across means dismounting and crossing first one street and then the other with the respective green signals.
This isn’t hard or unsafe, just a little inconvenient.
I took a ride on the path from north to south the other day, and if you follow along in the video below, you’ll see that what getting across the intersection involves.
In 2024, Albany applied for state grants or four projects under the Community Paths Grant Program of the Oregon Department of Transportation. Last fall the city was notified that two of the applications were approved, for $420,000 each.
One of the grant awards, City Engineer Staci Belcastro said, is for preliminary engineering to develop safety improvements at Queen and Geary “to provide a safe crossing and link the Periwinkle Path across the intersection.” (More about the second grant some other time.)
Linking the path across the intersection sounds like adding a new set of signals that would allow bike riders and others to push a button and then, with a green light, cross diagonally. But I’m not sure that’s the only solution, or that traffic engineers would go for it.
As for the Periwinkle Path, from Oak Street at the north end to Grand Prairie Road in the south, it’s about 1.7 miles. Extensions to Hill Street and Ninth Avenue in the north, and through Grand Prairie Park in the south, make the path a little longer.
It’s a fine bikeway shared, as the video shows, by people on bikes and on boards, by walkers and joggers, and by ducks and dogs — especially dogs. (hh)
Near the signal at Queen at Geary, you might get wet when the sprinklers are going.
That is a long path!! Thanks for filming it. Dogs as a rule usually do not like bikes and bike riders. Glad you and the dog are ok. The duck on the path, who you did not comment on, seemed “cool” with your riding a bike on the path. I think stopping and waiting for signal at Queen and Geary intersection is the safest thing to do and should be left alone.
Having used that intersection often back when Shop ‘n Kart & Mega Foods were in business, don’t do anything! It’s a waste of money. We’ve dealt with it for 50 YEARS! Why now?
Hasso’s excursion around Montgomery Avenue shows where the money is needed. That rough pavement is a far bigger pain to a cyclist than having to play pedestrian for a couple minutes at a major intersection.
https://hh-today.com/bumpy-ride-bicycling-on-albany-streets/
That’s a very irritating intersection as a cyclist or pedestrian. It’s annoying to have to wait through 2 light cycles while motorists only have to wait on one. That said, I can understand that a true solution might not be super cost effective. One interim solution might be to eliminate the stupid buttons for the pedestrian signal and just have the pedestrian signal cycle automatically. It’s a real middle finger when you get to that crossing just a second or two too late to get the walk signal and have to wait through yet another cycle to cross legally and safely.
I am very familiar with that path, except I walk it. So that would be 3.4 miles round trip for me plus another .75 mile additional from home to trail head off Grand Prairie, total 4.2 miles.
There is lot more to see on foot. A few days back a pair of ospreys were scoping out Periwinkle lake. Once in a while a blue heron parks at the dam on that lake, sitting very still waiting for a fish to come in close. I have also seen green herons near the foot bridge. Then those pesky nutrias seemingly all along the creek. A bike rider needs to be on the lookout for very large cracks in the path where the nutria have undermined the path with their tunnels. A few years back a large section off 21st sloughed off into the creek and it was a year or so to get repaired.
As for the dogs, most folks have trained their dogs to behave and heel. But I have been attacked a couple of times by dogs and if I run things get worse. And the owner will say something like “My dog doesn’t bite”. Something that bike riders need to be aware of.
Thanks, Connie, for the in-depth info. Very interesting and informative.
Hasso, How often do you come across “unsavory” characters that cause you some degree of “stress” on our various MULTIPLE USE PATHS?
There’s so many places that are very difficult for a cyclist (especially our age) to reverse directions in a timely enough manor to avoid potential trouble. Like behind Lowes where there is about a 3-4″ drop of the sides. It appeared there were a lot of spots in your video where the brush should be trimmed back much more to open up hidden spots and improve overall visibility to see other users.
Can’t remember any encounters with anyone that caused me any “stress.”
I think it is pure luck that you haven’t encountered anyone on your outings who caused you stress. It also might have something to do with the speed at which you ride your bike. The parks and trails are frequented by, just like other areas are, people who are dangerous to varying degrees. (You almost had a collision with a dog on your videoed ride through the Periwinkle Path. I think the dog was more in danger, though, than you were.)
I don’t want to be a “Debbie Downer,” though (that saying is probably out of date, just like I am!!), and I’m glad you have never had any encounters that caused you stress when out riding your bike.