Politics & Government
Cyclist, Pedestrian Plan Draws Dozens to Community Center to Brainstorm
Parts of the plan, to improve transportation access for those who walk and bike, were on display Tuesday evening.
A huge map taped to the Community Center floor Tuesday provided a canvas for Albany residents to share their concerns about intersections dangerous to folks on foot and bikes, and suggest possible improvements.
More than 45 people visited the center's main hall to point out trouble spots, view large displays showing cyclist and pedestrian accidents, and share comments on a range of issues they felt should be taken into account as the city, along with consultant Fehr & Peers, crafts its Pedestrian & Bicycle Master Plan.
The city and the consultant are working closely with a local walking and biking advocacy group, the Strollers & Rollers, to make Albany more friendly to people who want to leave their cars at home.
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Displays around the room provided many ways for the public to share feedback. By 7:30 p.m., comments filled many of the pages provided, and Post It notes with additional ideas were stuck on maps of all sizes.
Parents stood in a circle on the map, discussing possible improvements and trouble spots, as children crouched on the huge map, with an aerial view of Albany, trying to locate their houses.
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Sheri Spellwoman, a yoga teacher and Albany resident, said a neighbor told her about Tuesday night's meeting. She said she wanted to bring up problems in the 1200 block of Dartmouth Street.
"It's a very active community, there are lots of kids and adults that play in the neighborhood and out front in the street," she said. "It's a pretty dangerous thoroughfare. It's time to find a way to calm the traffic on that block."
Vivian Jacquette, a librarian at the Albany Library, stepped into the community center for several minutes to look at the maps.
"It's good that Albany's a green city," she said. "A lot of us do have a walking lifestyle. We need to make it as green as possible."
She said her family walks as much as they can, and that she's known many people to escape being hit by cars very narrowly. She said the intersection of San Pablo and Solano avenues is one of the main trouble spots.
"I live in Albany and I walk a lot," she said. "Improvements can be made. There can be traffic calming in key areas."
Transportation planner Aleida Andrino-Chavez said people who attended Tuesday's meeting shared concerns about their own neighborhoods and offered a "general vision of Albany. They have a good sense of where the problem is," she said.
Residents talked about the routes cyclists and pedestrians use to get around town, and advocated for better access and ADA compliance. The most common issue people mentioned, she said, was pedestrian access to Target.
"It's not accessible to seniors. There's a path but it's convoluted and dark," she said. "They have ideas about trees, to make it [the path] really nice. And they want more waterfront access."
There will be a design session Oct. 23 to develop more ideas about the plan. If you'd like to attend, RSVP to Aleida Andrino-Chavez at achavez@albanyca.org.
If you couldn't make the workshop, you can still share input by leaving a message here. Or write to albanypedbike@gmail.com; e-mails sent there will be directed to Andrino-Chavez and the consultants developing the plan. You can also respond to the pedestrian and/or bicycle survey. Learn more here.