New attraction for Albany County Rail Trail
Bike-sharing program expands to Albany County property
ALBANY (March 12th, 2018) — With spring just eight days away, the Albany County Legislature voted on Monday to authorize a contract to install permanent bike-sharing stations along the Albany County Helderberg-Hudson Rail Trail, providing users a healthy, alternative mode of transportation from the Port of Albany to Voorheesville.
The three-year contract allows the Capital District Transportation Authority (CDTA) to permanently expand the CDPHP Cycle! program onto Albany County property by placing bikes at four locations on the Rail Trail starting in April. CDTA launched the program last summer with 160 bikes distributed among 41 bike stations in Albany, Schenectady, Troy, and Saratoga Springs. The program included a couple of bike-share racks on the Rail Trail, but those were removed ahead of winter due to the lack of a contract. CDTA will own, operate and maintain the lasting bike stations.
“We’re pleased to approve this contract for the County Executive and introduce another Healthy Albany County initiative,” Chairman Andrew Joyce said Monday. “The Rail Trail has become a heavily used recreational resource in recent years. It provides community linkages, preserves open space and increases property values.”
The Albany County Rail Trail is a nine-mile path that the County purchased in 2009 through funding from the State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation and Scenic Hudson, a non-profit land conservation organization. Legislators worked for years with various partners to convert the former rail corridor into a public recreation trail that takes users along scenic, wooded areas in parts of Albany, Bethlehem and New Scotland. It’s a tremendous asset for those looking to relax, exercise or try a non-motorized form of transportation.
Legislators and the County Executive formally inaugurated a paved stretch of the trail in 2016. The trail was used by an estimated 231,000 persons that year, according to a survey conducted by Capital District Transportation Committee (see survey below). Bicyclists used the trail more than pedestrians, according to the survey.
“This bike-share program is a great opportunity for Albany County,” Deputy Majority Leader Alison McLean Lane said last month, when the Mass Transit Committee passed the bike-sharing contract. Committee Chairman Douglas A. Bullock said the program should be expanded throughout the County.
To learn more about the bike-share program, including rental fees, current rack locations and more, click here.
