Albany Albany City Council Albany council Albany downtown Albany housing Albany parks Albany Planning Commission Albany police Albany Post Office Albany Public Works Albany riverfront Albany schools Albany Station Albany streets Albany traffic Albany urban renewal Amtrak apartments ARA Benton County bicycling bike lanes Bowman Park Bryant Park CARA climate change COVID-19 Cox Creek Crocker Lane cumberland church cycling Dave Clark Path downtown Albany Edgewater Village Ellsworth Street bridge Highway 20 homeless housing Interstate 5 land use Linn County Millersburg Monteith Riverpark North Albany North Albany Road ODOT Oregon legislature Pacific Boulevard Pacific Power Portland & Western Queen Avenue Railroads Republic Services Riverside Drive Santiam Canal Scott Lepman Talking Water Gardens The Banks Tom Cordier Union Pacific urban renewal Water Avenue Waterfront Project Waverly Lake Willamette River
Copyright 2024. All Rights Reserved. Hasso Hering.
Website Serviced by Santiam Communications
Cyclists’ lament: Queen and Geary
Queen and Geary: Stopping is easy, getting across hard.
The “Oregon Drive Less Challenge” is coming up Oct. 21-Nov. 1, which brings me – again –to Albany’s Periwinkle Bike Path and a problem that keeps it from being as useful as it could be.
Built nearly 40 years ago, the path extends from Oak Street in central Albany to Grand Prairie Park in the southeast. It connects to the Albany Boys and Girls Club, and with other new developments along Oak — a park, a new apartment complex and the planned Lowe’s store — it’s likely to become more important as a route for alternative transportation. (No one’s likely to lug a refrigerator from Lowe’s to South Albany on a bike, but for kids and others on the way to and from parks or Periwinkle School, the path is ideal.)
Near its halfway point, though, there lies the intersection of Queen Avenue and Geary Street, and getting across is a challenge. From the north, the path hits Queen far short of the intersection. Cyclists have only bad choices: Cross the four lanes of Queen, which has rarely a gap in traffic; dismount and walk to the intersection; ride there on the narrow sidewalk and frighten the odd pedestrian; or ride on the street against traffic (the worst possible choice because it’s illegal). From the south, it’s almost as bad. You pretty much have to dismount and cross on foot.
Fixing this is possible but complicated. Still, Albany is trying to upgrade its rating as a bike-friendly community. Dealing with that intersection would be a start. (hh) (As for the Drive Less Challenge, look it up at www.DriveLessConnect.com/Challenge.)
Tags: Albany intersection, Oregon Drive Less Challenge, Perwinkle Bike Path, Queen and Geary