The Albany Transit System’s central bus stop on Clay Street on April 24, 2025.
A bike ride last week brought me to what has to be the busiest bus stop of the Albany Transit System. And as you can see, buses stopping there take up pretty much the entire bike lane on that side of the street.
The city’s bus system was reorganized in 2022 and now provides between 6,000 and 8,000 rides per month. The city’s website shows 7,091 rides in March. As of Saturday, April numbers had not yet been added.
The buses operate on four routes, reaching just about all sections of Albany, and all four routes meet on S.E. Clay Street, stopping in the middle of the 2200 block.
It’s obvious why that spot was chosen as a central transfer station. It’s near the Heritage Mall, right in front of Target and not far from Fred Meyer across the street. Many other stores and service providers are just a short walk away.
‘This sounds like an ideal destination for people taking the bus to run errands or shop for essentials. The trouble, if you can call it that, is that there’s no place for the buses to pull off the street. So they have to park in the bike lane.
That section of Clay and some neighboring streets were resurfaced last year, and wider markings with chevrons were painted to emphasize the space set aside for people on bikes.
It might have been useful to paint a bike lane around the bus area. Or the sidewalk might have been cut away to provide for stopped buses. There were probably reasons why that could not be done.
So if you happen to go that way on your bike, be aware there may be a slight delay while you wait for a pause in motor traffic so you can go around. (hh)
Sounds like Bike Privilege-ism…or Woke as devotees of the Orange god king are wont to say.
Is this even an issue? What are the daily occurrences where a bike and a stopped bus meet up? My guess is pretty low. They probably didn’t make more drastic physical changes because it’s expensive and not worth it for such a small inconvenience.
And when nothing is blocking the lane the bikes still ride on the road way where cars are supposed to be traveling, or right on the line to the left. Oh also get a light front/back if you don’t have one. Us cars can’t see u..
And cars drive with a wheel in the bike lane. Throttle control E Bikes seem to ride wherever they please. Some of us cyclists actually obey the laws IF it’s safe . Not always the case with THIS CITY.
Notice how the busses block the view of the crosswalk sign? Apparently the City can break the law when it comes to illegal/unsafe parking. It’s quite apparent that the idiots that set up bicycle/bus routes don’t ride either.