Streetfilms Mini-Festival at The Madison
A "mini-festival" of films from the influential Streetfilms project -- which is focused on urban planning, cycling, and transit -- is queued up for the Madison Theater in Albany on April 13. Event blurbage:
These short films show how smart transportation design and policy can result in better places to live, work and play. The event will include a Q and A with Streetfilms' own Clarence Eckerson following the screening. Mr. Eckerson, a UAlbany alum, is often called, "the hardest working man in transportation show biz" for his dedication to making difficult, wonky concepts more accessible and entertaining to the general public. He's been documenting transportation advocacy for 15 years and has produced over 600 Streetfilms.
The short video embedded above -- Gronigen: The World's Cycling City -- is an example of the sort of film Streetfilms produces.
The Streetfilms Mini-Festival is being organized by the Albany Protected Bike Lane Coalition, which (as the name would imply) is working to get protected bike lanes built in the city. We hear that about eight short films will be screened, with a total runtime of about 45 minutes.
The screening at the Madison on Monday, April 13 is at 7 pm. (Information tables will be set up at 6:15 pm.) Admission is free.
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Comments
This is very, very cool. Our winters are horrible, so we would have to have some sort of contingency plan, but this would be very doable in Albany, with some sort of bike elevator between broadway and the Capitol area, since those hills are super steep.
... said Joe A on Mar 18, 2015 at 4:40 PM | link
Really looking forward to this!
... said Jason on Mar 18, 2015 at 4:52 PM | link
I'm looking forward to the event too!
Protected Bike Lanes are popping up all across North America -- even in areas that get more snow than Albany. I see PBLs as a win for competition w/ other municipalities, and resource equity.
Sure, our winters can be treacherous and often filled with lots of snow. Figuring out a snow plan may take time for the city. I'm willing to cut the city some slack for a few years if we can actually start to build safer bicycle infrastructure that will make riding a bicycle appealing for more people than currently dare to ride. I'd be ok with closing PBLs during heavy snow months and working in winter use of Protected Bike Lanes gradually over time as the city gains tools and experience dealing with snow removal on PBLs. I think the fact that PBLs would be a tremendous asset for the 8 months of the year that we don't usually have any snow on the ground outweighs the inconvenience of not being able to use them during the snow -- at least for the first few years that they are in place.
A bike elevator would be nice for the hills between Broadway and Eagle-ish, but there are workarounds. I sometimes cheat and use the CDTA bus -- other times, I'll just walk up the hills with my bike. So, yeah -- *most times I do "cheat" on the hills. Rarely actually ride up them.
... said Leah Golby on Mar 18, 2015 at 6:23 PM | link
I studied abroad in Groningen a few years ago! It was amazing! I loved being able to bike everywhere and you were more scared of other bikers than cars. I really hope Albany can make the move to protected bike lanes, I would definitely use them.
... said Kerry on Mar 18, 2015 at 6:32 PM | link
Yup, the hills are killers, but we have quite a few barely used streets between Broadway or Pearl and the Capitol area that it would be easy to close one to traffic and install a bike elevator (maybe solar powered, or is that asking too much?). The snow could definitely be dealt with. Maybe the most popular BPLs could be covered? Or just plain shut them down in the winter, as Leah suggests. Lots of good stuff going on. Let's make it happen.
... said Joe A on Mar 19, 2015 at 11:13 AM | link