That look at traffic and pedestrian safety along New Scotland Ave is happening, and there's a meeting coming up to talk about it
The city of Albany has a public meeting November 13 to talk about the long-awaited New Scotland/Whitehall/Buckingham Corridor Traffic Study.
You might remember the city announced back in August 2017 that St. Peter's Health Partners was putting up $100k to study what mayor Kathy Sheehan described as "a significant increase in traffic" along the New Scotland Ave corridor, a major channel for the daily influx of commuters into the city. Speeding, pedestrian safety, and congestion have all become common complaints in neighborhoods along the corridor.
The city has hired the engineering firm Creighton Manning to assist with the project. Meeting blurbage:
This meeting will provide a brief overview of the study and draft project objectives. Community members will also have an opportunity to provide comments regarding existing needs and ideas for transportation improvements, and will help shape the future traffic patterns in this
It will be interesting to hear some of the ideas for the corridor. There are certainly some things that could be done with the street itself. Example: The segment of New Scotland from St. Peter's to Buckingham currently has a make-your-own-rules feel because of the (lack of) design and marking.
But it's also probably true that addressing the issues people are concerned about will also mean changing behaviors and other patterns. Is it possible for St. Peter's and Albany Med and other employers along the corridor to get fewer people driving to work alone? Are there ways to encourage development and residential choices so that more people can walk or bike to where they're going along the corridor?
There are a lot of pieces to fit together.
The public meeting is Tuesday, November 13 from 5:30-7:00 pm at the Mercy Auditorium at St. Peter's Hospital's 310 South Manning Blvd building. It's across the street from the main hospital building.
By the way: That's the same night at the South End Connector Trail meeting at the Howe Branch of the APL. That meeting's open house starts at 7 pm.
Earlier and elsewhere
+ Studying one of the channels of the daily commuting tide into and out of Albany
+ Parking as a daily choice
+ CityLab: Durham's Plan to 'Nudge' Drivers Out of Cars
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Comments
New Scotland Ave? people should take 10 minutes to look at Washington ave by SUNY! Every day I drive to the Sunoco across from the campus to get coffee and there are at least 10 people jaywalking across from those private dormitories. someone is going to get hurt soon if a solution for this problem doesn't appear soon!
... said Michael on Oct 31, 2018 at 4:19 PM | link
If the city truly cared about public comment, this meeting would be longer than it is. Only 30 minutes for public feedback? Could be worst, certainly could be better. The quality of life in this neighborhood of the city has been negatively affected by traffic and the terrible plans on the part of the city/regional mgmt. from previous years. Residents have been waiting for news on this study for quite some time now, but, 30 minutes. You'd think they'd accept written comments to compensate. Nope!
Albany, together with the region, has to do a better job in incentivizing people to live closer to work, use alternative methods of transportation and making residents feel safe and comfortable in their own neighborhoods. It's time to step out of the stone age.
The number of stories I've heard about the lack of regard motorists - many from the suburbs - have for pedestrians and cyclists in this area is absurdly high and unacceptable! Where you have a great number of motorists piling up on this nice residential area of the city, you also have a lack of regulation on such motorists who refuse to stop at stop signs, refuse to drive at the speed limit, and refuse to not blare their engines once they come off of the glorious and stunningly beautiful Route 85. It has gotten out of control and the city needs to be held accountable. The police - who may be able to help - have not really done much. The design of the area is flawed too. I have a feeling that the study may also be flawed. Not to discredit the traffic on the New Scotland corridor but has anyone looked at the state of the traffic in the other parts of the neighborhood coming off of Route 85? Horrifying.
Glad the issue has been acknowledged but concerned about the level of quality in the city's scope and analysis of the matter.
... said S. on Oct 31, 2018 at 11:16 PM | link
@Michael: There's a review in progress of the section of Washington Ave that you mentioned. There's a public meeting about it Thursday, November 8 in University Hall on the uptown UAlbany campus. There's an open house at 4:30 pm, presentation at 5 pm, Q&A at 5:30 pm, and feedback at 5:45 pm.
... said Greg on Nov 1, 2018 at 9:26 AM | link
I'm copying this from "-R" from last year's post:
"Keep Friebel a one way as it is now. Restore Tampa to a two way street, but put a stop light at the end with a punitively long left-turn signal. This would allow traffic flowing into the Buckingham Lane area to make a right on red, but 'train' drivers not to cut through on Tampa to get onto 85 because of that long left turn red arrow.
Finally, but a barrier up at the intersection of Buckingham, New Scotland and Lenox, such that traffic would not be allowed to turn off New Scotland onto Buckingham. Make Buckingham a one-way toward New Scotland from Holmes Dale to New Scotland. This would allow Buckingham residents to make a turn onto New Scotland from either direction."
You'd be sacrificing two shorter streets for the benefit of the entire neighborhood, and with a re-design of the Krumkill highway exchange (with money from, let's say, hospitals paying taxes), we might be on to something.
... said Brendan on Nov 1, 2018 at 10:59 AM | link
S. - deeper problem is lack of right of way and strong push against using back streets for traffic. This is something that keeps city from progressing.
Both sides complain about lack of respect - motorists not paying attention, pedestrians jaywalking, so on.
Nothing will change until there is more room for people to move around. And all that "encourage..." goes only that far.. Somehow people believe that isolating from outside world can do some good. Making commute difficult is a great way to make people choose between moving to city and moving to Texas. Numbers do tell what is the popular choice.
I can think of Thruway exit at 85 as a more or less reasonable way to help the flow in the area - but this is not a silver bullet. May be done once Thruway switches to all-electronic toll in a few years.
... said Mike on Nov 1, 2018 at 11:08 AM | link
From S, "You'd think they'd accept written comments to compensate. Nope!.. Heck.. the company doing the study, Creighton Manning won't even respond to an e-mail.
... said Julie on Nov 2, 2018 at 10:13 AM | link
I would love to see some time & discussion given to the potential of St. Peters enrolling in CDTA'S Universal Access program, which Albany Med currently participates in and has helped them a lot with traffic/parking issues
... said Sam on Nov 2, 2018 at 11:27 AM | link