Schenectady coalition seeks safer city for cyclists, walkers

More “sensible” steps wanted to avoid many “close calls” on streets

Motorists race down Norwood Avenue so fast that some homeowners along the thoroughfare have dubbed it Lebanon Valley, a reference to the popular local raceway, according to Pat Smith, president of the Mont Pleasant Neighborhood Association.

“They speed through here all the time,” she said recently, adding that Crane Street and Michigan Avenue in Mont Pleasant are also hot spots for speeding. “The city, they do what they can, but it’s the drivers, stop signs are now, I guess, a suggestion.”

Across town, Smith’s counterpart, Suzy Unger in the historic Stockade told city leaders earlier this week during a virtual City Council meeting that some residents pass their summer evenings sitting on their front stoops at Church and Front streets watching the “close calls” resulting from the dangerous combination of speeding drivers, runners and bicyclists all in an area where there is a single stop sign at the three-way intersection.

“Many of these dangerous streets and intersections could be made less so through the addition of stop signs, crosswalks and a more sensible system of traffic management,” Unger said.

The groups the two women represent are part of a newly minted Safe Streets initiative launched by Schenectady United Neighborhoods to push and partner with city leaders to get drivers behind the wheel to slow down so the streets are safer for pedestrians and cyclists.

Cycle Schenectady and the Environmental Clearinghouse of Schenectady are also involved in the movement.

Specifically, the coalition is calling on the city to reduce the speed limit from 30 to 25 mph and implement “complete street policies” citywide, which would need state approval.

Tom Carey, president of SUN, who also addressed the council Monday, contends every neighborhood in Schenectady has unsafe streets in part because of poor design that makes speeding easier and police enforcement more difficult.

“Our goal is a city where the streets are accessible and safe for everyone, not just those in cars,” Carey said, adding that properly designed streets promote good health and increase mobility while having fewer cars on the road is good for the environment.

He also noted that Schenectady has a lot of youngsters, older residents and people with disabilities who rely on public transportation to get around.

“It isn’t fair that age, disability or poverty should put many city residents at a greater risk of being seriously injured or killed by a speeding vehicle,” Carey added.

He told the governing body that the coalition has many ideas of its own to make the city more friendly to walkers and cyclists and about potential funding sources to help pay for them.

City Councilwoman Marion Porterfield, who has been out front in trying to come up with solutions to encourage drivers to slow down, said she’s waiting until February when the board

will hopefully have two new members, to start ironing out details with her colleagues for a pilot program that will feature speed humps she advocated for.

The panel earmarked about $20,000 in this year’s budget to pay for the speed humps, Porterfield said.

“I don’t want to wait until spring comes to make those decisions, “she explained.

Goose Hill Neighborhood Association President Camille Sasinowski said a few intersections along Van Vranken Avenue would benefit from design improvements.

Unger said getting behind the safe streets initiative is a “tangible way for the city to show its support for neighborhoods.”

Meantime, the city announced Tuesday that it plans to hold an online public information session on planned pedestrian safety improvements to eight intersections downtown.

The $1.1 million in federal funds to cover the cost of the project is courtesy of the Capital District Transportation Committee.

Mayor Gary Mccarthy said in a statement that “enhanced walkability not only strengthens pedestrian safety but promotes vibrant and sustainable growth.”