Bike-share discussion
Cohoes officials to discuss bikeshare program during Common Council workshop Tuesday night
COHOES, N.Y. >> City officials plan to discuss the possibility of bringing CDPHP Cycle! program to the Spindle City.
During a Common Council workshop on Tuesday night, city officials will discuss the possible option of bringing Capital District Transportation Authority’s regional bikeshare program to the city.
The program made its debut in 2017 in Saratoga Springs, Troy, Schenectady, and Albany. The program offers the community a healthy, affordable, and fun mode of transportation. The popularity of bike- share programs has risen in recent years, thanks to its success with connecting residents and tourists with local businesses. CDPHP Cycle! aims to attract new individuals to the area and showcase the Capital Region as an ideal place to live, work, and be entertained.
Cohoes Mayor Shawn Morse said he has been watching the program operate successfully in other communities and believes that the Spindle City would be a good designation for the program to expand to.
“It looks like everybody who has the program has found it to be successful,” said Morse during an interview Monday morning.
Morse said he believes that the bike- share program would get used a lot by residents and visitors of the city.
“Our city is really a walkable type of city, and a lot of people likes to bike
and use the bike paths, but we also have a lot of people who don’t have the means to a very good bike or don’t want to go buy one if they are only going to use it a few times,” said Morse. “There’s a lot of people in the city of Cohoes that are very health- conscious and because we’re only a few square miles, being able to grab a bike and go from one end of the city to the other as part of this program is really a neat concept.”
“We also have a lot of people that come visit that would like to maybe go down to Peebles Island or Matton Shipyard or ride over to the Van Schaick Mansion and just travel through the city,” added Morse.
Morse noted that he be- lieves it could cost the city roughly $20,000 to have the program expand into the city, but said he believes it would be worth it and that the city wouldn’t have to spend anything else on the program besides that upfront cost.
“CDPHP Cycle! has taken off like wildfire since it launched in 2017. We are looking forward to expanding the number of bikes and stations in season three to accommodate increased customer demand and create a larger mobility network across our region. We are excited to continue conversations with municipalities and organizations that are interested in adding CDPHP Cycle! to their offerings,” said Lauren Bailey, mobility manager at CDTA.
Common Council President Christopher Briggs said he is curious to hear more details about the pro- gram and the logistics of it, but said that he also believes the program could end up being good for the community.
“I’m very in favor of it,” said Briggs. “I think the blueprint of Cohoes is changing, and it’s starting to be a bit more of a pedestrian community and I think biking, whether it’s on the streets or whether on the bike paths, I think is a tremendous idea. I think it’s great for tourism and obviously, it’s a great idea just for basic health.”
Other separate items on the Common Council workshop agenda that will be discussed Tuesday night include a memorandum of understanding with Capital Roots for the city to be a recipient of 15 bike racks, one fix-it station, one air kit, and two pumps through a grant that Capital Roots received from New York State Department of Health.