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Public Invited To 'Complete Streets' Meeting

The Linda

Albany residents have a chance tonight to weigh in on a manual being drafted to make city streets safer.

The City of Albany and the Capital District Transportation Committee (CDTC) are presenting the first of two public meetings to gather input into a policy and design manual that will lay down guidelines for the creation and installation of sidewalks, cycling infrastructure, crosswalks, road diets, traffic calming measures, bus pullouts and more.

Albany’s Complete Streets policy requires that city roadways accommodate all users regardless of age or ability.    Mayor Kathy Sheehan is excited about being able to talk to the public about the project.    "This is something that was really started by the Common Council back in 2013, and it recognizes that if we want to have a healthy, vibrant city, we've gotta make sure that we accommodate everybody who uses our streets, regardless of their age, their ability. We're really looking at engaging with people to talk about how we can ensure that our seniors, our pedestrians, the disabled, cyclists, everyone who is using our streets is safe."

The manual will act as a guide for all future construction, reconstruction and resurfacing projects within the city.   CDTC Executive Director Michael Franchini:    "This project is a big step toward achieving the goals set forth in the Albany Comprehensive Plan. You know the project will have a wide impact on the neighborhoods and the communities and hopefully they'll be applied, you know, objectively throughout the entire city."

The mayor says the manual will help push the 2030 plan agenda, and the result: Albany will thrive.  "When you look around, not just the country but the world, as liveable walkable cities, they've gotten this right. They have the balance between cars and pedestrians and  cyclists in good balance, and I believe and those who are proponents of this believe that it drives more business to the city (no pun intended there) but that it creates more opportunity in a city when you have streets that take into account all of the users."

WHAT: Public Meeting to Provide Input Into the City-wide Complete Streets Policy and Design Manual

WHEN: Tonight, Monday, October 5th, 5-7:30 p.m.

  • 5-6 p.m.—Open House
  • 6-6:30 p.m.—Project Presentation
  • 6:30-7 p.m.—Input about Complete Streets in Your Neighborhood

WHERE: The Linda, 339 Central Avenue, Albany 12206

Dave Lucas is WAMC’s Capital Region Bureau Chief. Born and raised in Albany, he’s been involved in nearly every aspect of local radio since 1981. Before joining WAMC, Dave was a reporter and anchor at WGY in Schenectady. Prior to that he hosted talk shows on WYJB and WROW, including the 1999 series of overnight radio broadcasts tracking the JonBenet Ramsey murder case with a cast of callers and characters from all over the world via the internet. In 2012, Dave received a Communicator Award of Distinction for his WAMC news story "Fail: The NYS Flood Panel," which explores whether the damage from Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee could have been prevented or at least curbed. Dave began his radio career as a “morning personality” at WABY in Albany.
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