The westbound bike lane on Queen Avenue ends in this little cliff at the railroad crossing.
If you point out an unexpected road hazard that could hurt or kill somebody, you would think people in charge would do something to fix it. But you’d be wrong.
At the Queen Avenue railroad crossing in Albany, the westbound bike lane ends in a rocky hole or gap between the pavement and the first rail. A bike rider who didn’t know it was there could hit that hole and break his neck. A rider who knows it’s there must stop or veer into the traffic lane.
This hazard came about after a contractor for the city repaved Queen Avenue on both sides of the tracks in 2024. I have pointed it out two or three times since January 2025.
We happen to have something called the Albany Area Metropolitan Planning Organization. It’s one of the layers of bureaucracy among the local, regional and state agencies that deal with road projects.
AAMPO has a “policy board.” When it held a meeting in March, according to the minutes, “Steve Harvey, member of the public, inquired about the Queen Ave[nue] resurfacing project. There is a section near the rail crossing that has been left without asphalt over the rock. Who would a bicyclist reach out to address that concern.”
The non-answer Mr. Harvey got was: “The city is currently negotiating the project extent with the railroad regarding that crossing.”
In February, I contacted the parent company of the Portland & Western Railroad. A spokesman there told me: “Our general manager has committed to having someone from our MOW/engineering department take a look at the location to see what can be done.”
I pushed my bike round that hole and across the tracks Monday. Apparently, so far it has not yet been possible to find something that can be done. (hh)
Here’s another look at the bike trap left by the paving project in 2024. It now features weeds.
Alright railroad apologists, lets hear your hot takes!
Thanks for your efforts on the Queen Street crossing, Hasso. It is not an ideal rail crossing, especially for bikes. Sorry you got non-answers from the officials you contacted.
Stuck in a beurcratic red tape
Re your first photo – is that a vehicle left front fender and wheel that is apparently airborne after crossing the tracks?
Seems like a wheel chair would get stuck or they to would have to go in the traffic lane.
Point is that it may be an ADA violation.
After reading what google had to say about railroad safety, I believe that residents should be pressing the City to contact our U.S. senators to take action on this.
Government Safety Regulation: The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) sets and enforces safety regulations, including train speeds, track conditions, and safety features like positive train control (PTC).