The Capital District is on the right path.
Connecting local municipalities together along with parks, riverfronts and other recreational areas by means of trails, bike paths and pedestrian pathways has become the norm in the area.
Albany, Saratoga and Schenectady counties all have initiatives to provide residents with walkable communities and have even started creating countywide pathway programs and inter-county pathway exchanges.
Pathway proponents say they improve the quality of life and provide affordable recreational opportunities, especially during an economic downturn when recreation often takes a backseat to heating one’s home and putting gas in the car.
However, critics lament who exactly is going to pay for public pathways, especially during the same economic downturn when pedestrian works often take a backseat to paving municipal roadways, water plant upgrades, and other essential infrastructure projects.
Many local officials seek out grants, not-for-profit organization donations, and work with neighboring communities and county government to bring their pathway priorities to fruition.
Public safety has also been a concern with the local trail and bike paths, not only with the pedestrians taking advantage of them, but also with neighboring residents whose properties may border them.
Most of the paths incorporated by individual municipalities focus on recreational uses, but some towns, such as Colonie, Clifton Park and Niskayuna, are aiming to reduce vehicle traffic on busy roadways by creating pedestrian-friendly pathway plans that allow residents to walk to nearby amenities and local businesses.
Town officials contend it improves traffic flow and quality of life, but at the same time supports local businesses and promotes economic development.
Colonie drafted a pathway plan in March, which was prepared by the town’s planning and economic development department and identified multi-use pedestrian paths as an important goal for the town.
According to the report, It very quickly became apparent that sidewalks are only one component of how people move about in the town without the use of a car. Children are bicycling to school, the trails of the Crossings of Colonie have become an important connector between Wolf Road and the neighborhoods to the north, south and east of the park, and workers use the Mohawk Hudson Bike Hike Trail to bicycle to work.
The report concluded, `Multi-use paths, bicycle lanes and striped shoulders, which are all pathways, should be all included in an integrated plan to address alternative modes of transportation.`
In the town of Guilderland, Supervisor Ken Runion said the town created its own Pathways Committee in an attempt to connect its sidewalks and pathways around town.
Runion said it servers areas `across the spectrum in town,` by cutting down on traffic, adding recreation and helping business.
`The original plan was to have a walking path from the Crossgates Mall area to Tawasentha Park,` he said. `Tawasentha has a total of 600 acres and probably 6 miles of trails.`
The park is also linked to the town’s municipal golf course and has small kiosks throughout the park trail system that display color-coded maps for pedestrians. The town keeps the maintained cost down by having `mowed trails.`
However, Runion said, the town is looking to increase its number of `hard paths` for baby strollers and other accommodations. The town also has a network of sidewalks, bike paths and multi-use pathways, he added, and is always looking to expand and interconnect the network. The town recently applied for a grant with the state Department of Parks and Recreation to aid its efforts.
`Everything I’ve heard has been very positive, and a number of people frequently use the trails,` said Runion.
Albany County has been involved with several pathway and bike path projects, most notably the Mohawk-Hudson Bike-Hike Trail between Albany and Schenectady counties, and most recently the Helderberg-Hudson Rail Trail from Albany to Voorheesville.
County Executive Michael Breslin made the announcement in the town of Bethlehem in August that he was asking the county Legislature to enter into an agreement with Canadian Pacific Railway and purchase more than 9 miles of right-of-way in order to build a rail-to-trail path.
The county was given $70,000 to purchase the property from the not-for-profit Scenic Hudson organization and the state’s Department of Parks and Recreation.
`There are a number of rail trails right here in the Capital Region,` said Bethlehem Supervisor Jack Cunningham. `The Corning Preserve path is an old rail bed.`
Cunningham said the proposed Helderberg-Hudson trail would be able to link Bethlehem to various parks, sidewalks and pathways around town and offer a possible commuting options for locals.
`It is my belief the more that we create in terms of safe pathways as an alternative to motor vehicle use, the more likely people are to use them,` Cunningham said. `More people are likely to ride their bikes to work in Albany if they can cruise into the port without hitting any traffic.`
The established Mohawk-Hudson Bike-Hike Trail runs from the Corning Preserve in Albany to Rotterdam Junction in Schenectady County. It is part of the Canalway Trail System that will eventually run nearly 500 miles from Buffalo to Albany when it is completed. It is slated to follow the course of the original Erie Canal.
According to Albany County Public Works Commissioner Michael Franchini, state, county and local cooperation in building and maintaining pedestrian pathways is nothing new, but the details can vary from project to project.
`The Hudson-Mohawk trail starts in Albany and goes west but there’s different entities that actually own it,` Franchini said. `The state purchased the property and has municipalities maintain it. That’s one model we use. That municipal agreement has been in place for 25 years, and it’s worked out pretty well.`
Albany County maintains some of the off-road sections of the path in Menands and Cohoes, he said.
`We haven’t worked it out with the Helderberg-Hudson trail yet,` Franchini said. `We’ll probably be looking for partners to help with maintenance.`
Cunningham said he has a verbal agreement with Breslin that once the Helderberg-Hudson trail is completed, ownership would shift to the town, which would be responsible for maintenance.
Cunningham said nothing is in writing at this point.
In Niskayuna, the Mohawk-Hudson trail covers roughly 10 miles, stretching from the Colonie town line to the Schenectady city line, while offering access to several parks and natural areas along the way.
The town recently took part in a new state pilot program called the Canalway
Trail Ambassador Program, which uses `trail ambassadors` to assist and inform trail users, offer directions and details about the trail, and monitor the trail and the conditions around it and other benefits to the pathway.
Niskayuna Supervisor Joe Landry said he was `very pleased and honored that the town of Niskayuna will be the first community in New York state to have trail ambassadors assisting the users of our bike-hike trail.`
Some communities, like those in Saratoga County, also use economic development to promote open space and pedestrian pathways, citing it as a balance to offset commercial and residential sprawl.
Matthew Veitch, supervisor of Saratoga Springs, announced his intention to push for $250,000 to be included in the 2009 budget for a new trail grant program for Saratoga County.
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Saratoga County has always been about growth. Job creation, new economic development and residential developments, and other economic incentives are a part of what has made Saratoga County a great county,? Veitch said. ?I support these types of initiatives, but believe we need to balance our development with open space preservation and trail building initiatives. A trail program that can assist the City of Saratoga Springs, and the towns within the County with their trail projects, is something that will improve the quality of life for all residents.?
Bethlehem Councilman Sam Messina, an early and vocal advocate of the Hudson-Helderberg Rail Trail and other Capital District pedestrian pathways, said municipal cooperation is key for regional recreation and economic development initiatives.
`Counties working with local municipalities for certain functions works well for meaningful regionalization,` Messina said. `I’m really pleased with Michael Breslin taking the lead in this [regional project] as both a councilmen and a resident.`
Messina said grants and organization donation would continue to be a viable solution to creating such projects as local municipalities constantly struggle with `the competition of our town’s resources.`
In the end, Messina concluded, `This is a win-win for the entire region.“