As part of National Bike to Work Day, Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan cycled her way through her morning commute...
Sheehan was joined by several other cyclists at 8 a.m. Friday at Bethany Reformed Church on New Scotland Avenue. The group's bike-to-work journey to City Hall was briefly interrupted for an 8:30 press conference outside The Downtube bike shop on Madison Avenue. "It is a great way to get to work. First of all I don't have to answer the phone so nobody can call me and bother me. It's a great way to see the city, good for our health and good for our community. I think we had people tootin' their horns at us and most of them were waving their whole hand."
The stop at the Downtube was also apparently a show of support for downtown Albany's popular bike shop: in March the Downtube was nearly destroyed by an accidental fire. Robert Fullem is the shop's founder and president. "We're gonna be alright in the long term. But there's still the roller coaster emotion, the ups and downs, this will take us a few months to get back on our feet. In the meantime, we're operating, doing repairs on an almost immediate basis out of the garage next door to the bike store, we're ordering bikes for people, making sales."
The mayor touted Albany as a "premier walkable city," noting efforts are underway to make it more bike-friendly as well. Tenth ward Common Council member Leah Golby, often seen about the city on two wheels, concedes Albany has a ways to go to please cycling enthusiasts. Madison Avenue figures prominently in city’s plans. "The plan for Madison Avenue will hopefully be to include at least a designated bike lane if not a protected bike lane. There are a number of advocates calling for a protected bike lane on Madison Avenue, so that people riding their bicycles would ride their bicycles between the row of parked cars and the sidewalk. Protected bike lanes tend to bring out a lot more people who are interested in bicycling but are too concerned about riding with traffic. It helps to get more people on the road."
Fullem adds a safety-first approach to biking makes the experience more enjoyable. "You wanna be sure your tires stay inflated. If you've got gears, that the gears work properly. And especially the brakes. We always like to see people with brakes that work. You never know when you're gonna wanna stop short. But the most important thing is, wear a helmet. We see so often people take their kids out, give the kids a helmet, but the parent doesn't wear a helmet. And that's exactly the imprinting that you leave the child with."
Albany police spokesman Steve Smith offers residents some tips to prevent bicycle theft. He says it's a good idea to always keep unattended bikes under lock and key. And if you register your two-wheeler - Smith says you can do that at any police station - your chances of recovering it after a theft are greatly improved: "In the event that it is stolen, we would be able to have the vital information available at our fingertips. Such as the serial number and a photograph of the bicycle. We always encourage people, when they do purchase a bicycle, to take that photograph and to write down the serial number somewhere - the make and if the bike has a model, to write that down as well. The serial number is usually located right between where the pedals are. It's usually a number with some letters in it."
Other city employees joined Mayor Sheehan on the trek to City Hall, as part of an effort to win a friendly bet with Schenectady Mayor Gary McCarthy and Saratoga Springs Mayor Joanne Yepsen to see which would have the greatest percentage of employees participating in Bike to Work Day.
