This weekend is the annual Tulip Festival in Albany’s Washington Park.  On some level the event celebrates the region’s Dutch heritage (bicycle connection to come?) with true American style overconsumption of high fat, high sugar foods.  Come to think of it, I didn’t see any frites being sold but I’m sure there were plenty of places to buy fries, funnel cake and the like.    You’ll have to forgive the initial rant, I seem to have strayed from the topic.

I was riding through the park on my way to the Downtube yesterday morning when everything was still quiet as the festivities had yet to begin.  Since the park has been blocked off to all traffic for the duration of the event, I had the roads pretty much all to my self save for a few other folks who were wandering around or preparing to set up.  Of course it was a pleasure not to have to deal with the usual stream of car traffic.  (On more than one occasion I have nearly been clipped by motorists making a right turn in front of me as I approached the Madison/Willet intersection.)  Which brings us to the title and the raison d’etre of this post: Sunday Parkways Programs.

The idea behind Sunday Parkways is to close off a stretch of roads one Sunday a month and open it to non-motorized traffic: bicyclists, walkers, joggers, skaters, you name it.  The idea was started in Bogota, Colombia and is called Ciclovia there.  The program has been around for the better part of a decade now and is extremely popular in the Colombian city.  A number of cities in the US have picked up on the program and are calling it Sunday Parkways.  Chicago is one city that is actively promoting the Sunday Program idea: http://www.healthystreets.org/pages/sunday_parkways.htm

For the past few months, the NY Bicycling Program has been advocating for a Sunday Parkway Program in Washington Park.  Ideally, we would have liked to roll out the inaugural Sunday as part of our Capital Bike Month festivities but that doesn’t seem like to happen at this point.  We are still trying to build momentum with the local businesses and neighborhood associations to support such a program.  I think once we get some local support we can get the city to buy into the program, at least on a pilot project level.  We would like to encourage other upstate cities to explore the option as well.  Its a great initiative to support healthy travel options with relatively low cost to the city involved.  We will continue to advocate for the program here in Albany and if anyone would like additional information or support for starting the program in another city, please drop Jenn or myself a line at the NY Bicycling Coalition: nybc@nybc.net or 518.436.0889.

The Albany Times-Union posted a list today of many of the events happening during Capital Bike Month. They also featured an earlier story about the Dream Wheels exhibit. Kudos to the T-U for giving cycling some ink!

This is my first post on the site and it comes hot off of the Common Council Meeting in Albany this evening. I am sure Jason will be posting his comments as well and hopefully some pictures but I was hoping to weigh in before he beat me to it. I am happy to report that the Common Council unanimously approved the resolution proclaiming May as Bike Month. For those of you from more bicycle friendly communities this may seem like small potatoes but we take whatever we can get here in the Capital of NY. What was particularly satisfying about the resolution was that all 15 of the Common Council Members agreed to sign on as co-sponsors. We can only hope that this broad level of support will translate into more bicycle friendly initiatives as the city moves forward with the Comprehensive Plan (and let’s hope a bicycle master plan). Our thanks go out to Councilman Casolaro who introduced the resolution and continues to push for a bicycle and pedestrian and task force and to the handful of cyclists who showed up to support the initiative. Keep up the good work.

Come one, come all! The full events calendar is at NYBC.net.

Friday, May 2

5:30 - 9:00 p.m.: Urban Ride & Grand Opening of “Dream Wheels” exhibit at UAG Gallery, 247 Lark St., Albany. Show runs 5/2-5/23. Proceeds benefit NYBC and the Albany Bicycle Coalition. Urban ride departs at 5:30pm from Civil War Memorial in Washington Park (intersection of Henry Johnson Blvd. & State St.). 12-mile route featuring ABC’s Albany Bike Map and proposed bike routes; returns to UAG gallery for Grand Opening Gala.

Sunday, May 4

10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.: Free “Open House” Day and BBQ at SMBA Trails. Team LUNA Chix of Upstate NY and the Saratoga Mountain Bike Association (SMBA) will be co-hosting several mountain bike rides throughout the day for various ability levels on the SMBA trails in Saratoga Springs. [NOTE: You are not required to be a SMBA member to attend this event.] Beginners, intermediates, and experts all welcome and encouraged to attend. For more information, visit www.saratogamtb.org or contact john@saratogamtb.org or treesawmtb@yahoo.com.

Jason sez: Here’s what’s happening in Albany during Capital Bike Month. More info is at NYBC.net.

DOWNLOADS

• Capital Bike Month flyer (PDF)
• 50 Ways To Celebrate Bike Month (PDF)
• Ride of Silence flyer (PDF)
• Poster Contest Rules (PDF)
• Safe Cycling For Kids flyer (PDF)

EVENTS

May 1st-31st

“Let’s Celebrate Bike Month!” Poster Contest for kids. Submissions accepted 5/1/-5/28; awards ceremony 5/31 during bicycle safety education class at Guilderland Public Library (see 5/31, below). Co-sponsored by the Guilderland Public Library and Altamont Free Library. Free and open to all children ages 4-17 throughout the Capital District. Prizes & giveaways sponsored by Plaine and Son and the Mohawk Hudson Cycling Club.

Friday, May 2

5:30 - 9:00 p.m.: Urban Ride & Grand Opening of “Dream Wheels” exhibit at UAG Gallery, 247 Lark St., Albany. Show runs 5/2-5/23. Proceeds benefit NYBC and the Albany Bicycle Coalition. Urban ride departs at 5:30pm from Civil War Memorial in Washington Park (intersection of Henry Johnson Blvd. & State St.). 12-mile route featuring ABC’s Albany Bike Map and proposed bike routes; returns to UAG gallery for Grand Opening Gala.

Sunday, May 4

10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.: Free “Open House” Day and BBQ at SMBA Trails. Team LUNA Chix of Upstate NY and the Saratoga Mountain Bike Association (SMBA) will be co-hosting several mountain bike rides throughout the day for various ability levels on the SMBA trails in Saratoga Springs. [NOTE: You are not required to be a SMBA member to attend this event.] Beginners, intermediates, and experts all welcome and encouraged to attend. For more information, visit www.saratogamtb.org or contact john@saratogamtb.org or treesawmtb@yahoo.com.

Monday, May 12

5:30 p.m.: MHCC presents “Warm up for Bike to Work Day” Ride. Check your legs and practice your commuting route with the added benefit of increased safety in numbers that fellow cyclists can provide. Meet at 5:30pm at CDTA Delmar Park & Ride (intersection of Route 32 & 52, Delmar) for 13 mile round-trip venture from Delmar to Empire State Plaza in downtown Albany. Ride departs at 5:45pm. See www.webmhcc.org or contact kjempie@earthlink.net for more details.

Tuesday, May 13

9:00 - 10:30 a.m.: Legislative Breakfast. LOB Room 211A. Similar to the League of American Bicyclist’s National Bike Summit, this is an opportunity to learn about the latest state legislation pertaining to bicyclists and pedestrians, voice your concerns, and interact with your local and state representatives. Co-sponsored by CK Cycles. RSVP to nybc@nybc.net by Friday, May 9th.

10:45 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. Ride around the Capital. Following the breakfast, there will be a short ride around the State Capital and downtown Albany area.

5:00 - 8:00 p.m.: “Tune Up Your Bike Night” and Free Repair Clinics at Troy Bike Rescue, 15 Trinity Place, Albany, NY 12202. For more information, call 518.986.2256, email troybikerescue@gmail.com, or visit www.troybikerescue.org.

Wednesday, May 14

5:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.: Bicycle Rodeo for Kids and Families. Free bike safety checks and helmet giveaways for children; one child’s bike will be donated to recipient of “Citizen’s Award,” chosen by Boys & Girls Club (B&GC). Location: Boys & Girls Club, 400 Craig Street, Schenectady. Co-sponsored by Plaine and Son and the Boys & Girls Club of Schenectady.

Thursday, May 15

5:00 p.m.: Commuter Contest: car vs. bus vs. cyclist. Location: Starbucks to Starbucks (downtown Albany to Stuyvesant Plaza). Fabulous prizes & swag courtesy of Steiner’s Sports. For more information, email nybc@nybc.net.

Friday, May 16

Bike to Work Day. 6 staging areas with mapped routes and bicycle escorts to downtown Albany; 3 rally points with designated bicycle parking; and a “commuter buddy” program offered to cyclists who choose not to ride alone. Co-sponsored by Downtown Albany BID, CDTA, O.G.S., Sports Signup, Sandwiches to Go, Steiner’s Sports, The Down Tube, Elevate Cycles, Easern Mountain Sports, Steuben Athletic Club, Capital District YMCA and Bruegger’s Bagels. Register in advance at biketoworkalbany.org.

7:00 p.m.: Film showing of “Contested Streets” at Guilderland Public Library (2228 Western Ave., Guilderland, NY 12084). Brief discussion to follow. Free and open to the public. Co-sponsored by Guilderland Public Library & New York Bicycling Coalition.

Saturday, May 17

10 a.m. - 3 p.m.: “Savvy Cyclist” Road Class. Location: University at Albany, 1400 Washington Ave., Albany, College of Arts & Sciences Bldg. Room 123. This course is offered free of charge and brought to you by NYBC and a grant from the Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee. RSVP to nybc@nybc.net by Thursday, May 15th to reserve a space.

Wednesday, May 21

6 p.m.: Ride of Silence (Albany). Start location: Corning Preserve (downtown Albany). 12-mile route will pass ghost bikes commemorating the deaths of 3 local cyclists. For more details, visit www.rideofsilence.org or email Claire Nolan or Sue Troll.

Saturday, May 31

10:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.: Safe Cycling for Kids (and Their Parents) Workshop. Guilderland Public Library. Winners of Bike Month poster contest announced and prizes distributed. Fun for the whole family! For more information, contact Jennifer Ogrodowski, Guilderland Public Library, at (518) 456-2400, ext. 34 or Judith Wines, Altamont Free Library, (518) 861-7239.

I spent a couple hours today staffing the New York Bicycling Coalition table at the Adirondack Sports & Fitness Expo, held in the Saratoga City Center complex in Saratoga Springs. It was a fun event, featuring rock climbing, kayak demonstrations in an indoor “lake,” plus lots of bikes, cyclists, runners and other outdoor enthusiasts. Jenn Clunie from NYBC was there with me, and we had a lot of fun talking bikes and biking with the attendees. Later in the day I was relieved from my post by Amy and her daughter Lauren, two very cool cyclists who were a delight to chat with. (Lauren even demonstrated the proper use of blinky lights. Not bad for 5 years old!)

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Today I went to the annual meeting of the New York Bicycling Coalition to do a presentation on bike blogging … and I ended up on the board. More on that later, but you can see pictures from the event over at Fort Orange Cycling.