Capital Streets

Hi! Most of you know us already! But if you don’t . . . We are Capital Streets, a nonprofit working to transform our streets in NY's Capital Region. Streets comprise most of the public spaces in our cities and we NEED to recreate them so they serve EVERYONE, not just the people who are in cars. On our streetscapes (streets, sidewalks, paths), it should be easy to - walk/roll ?? ? - bike ?? - bus ?? . . . even if you have short legs or your legs don’t work well (or as well as they used to). Changing who our streets serve isn’t easy. It’s a massive cultural shift. If it's really going to happen, we all need to pitch in. So, join the movement! Follow us, sign up for our newsletter, or come to our next event.

Wide lanes mean more speeding, longer crossing distances for people walking, and underutilizing valuable space in our cities. They encourage drivers to take more risks, while narrower lanes force drivers to use more caution. Wide lanes have their place on highways, but not in our neighborhoods! Every foot of excessive lane width is also a foot taken away from potential sidewalk improvements, bike lanes, or even parking. This results in less comfortable, accessible, and dynamic communities. Without infrastructure, bikes and other micro-mobility devices are pushed onto sidewalks, which can cause hazards for people walking. Narrower vehicle travel lanes free up more space in the roadway for new sidewalks, median crossing refuges, lighting, protected bicycle infrastructure, and even dedicated bus lanes. And restriping is actually one of the most affordable and simple ways to improve our streets by reducing speeding, and creating space for things like bike lanes and parking. For more on our thoughts on why our communities should consider 11’ to be the maximum lane width, check out Right-Size the Lanes on our website: https://lnkd.in/eqGcgPvm

We’re about to complete our second lap around the sun and want to celebrate with YOU!!?? 2 years of building a more vibrant Capital Region for people of all ages and abilities through grassroots action and advocacy. 2 years of prioritizing coalition-building and thoughtful decision-making to make lasting changes towards more resilient, equitable, and livable communities. Join us on Thursday, April 10th at Lark Hall from 6-9 PM to celebrate the work we are doing together to rebuild a more dynamic and walkable transportation system that makes life more enjoyable for everyone who lives in or visits the Capital District. Tickets available on a sliding scale donation ($30 suggested donation — donate what you can, though!). There will be a community happy hour, a brief overview of our work and a special awards ceremony (!) and then we will end the night with live music by Swallowtail Vagabonds ?? — you won’t want to miss this!! ?? All ages welcome. Bring the little ones along before bedtime; kid's corner sponsored by?Bash Birthday Parties & Events. https://lnkd.in/e_75fshT

Very excited for these to be out in the world! James Rath and I came up with this idea almost a year ago. He had interviewed someone about a traumatic street crossing experience, and it reminded me of the oral histories I do as party of my historical work. We started talking about, hey, what if we asked people about their transportation experiences? What's good, what's bad, what's frustrating, what's fun? Wouldn't that be a great way to get everyday issues -- and the beautiful stories, too -- out into the world? Those turned into this series of short interviews, sort of a mini-oral history focused on transportation: "transit oral histories," we're calling them. All are interviews from bus stops in Albany just asking folks about their own experiences (everyone was compensated for their time, in the form of Price Chopper gift cards). And then Casey Allen turned the raw audio into something beautiful, as she is so good at doing. One thing I was a little surprised about is how positive people were. But maybe I shouldn't have been! We have a great bus system in Albany and it was cool to see people recognize the good work being done by the Capital District Transportation Authority. A massive thanks to the Common Roots Foundation for the financial support that turned this daydream into a reality. ?? And we want this to just be the start -- we'll be out and about doing more interviews and looking for additional funding to keep the initiative going and expand it! ?? ??♀? ?? ??

Episode Two of our Transit Oral History series is here! This episode we speak with Elaine Young of Downtown Albany who takes the 905 to Schenectady for work. Back in October we began conducting impromptu interviews at bus stops to capture everyday people’s transit stories. This project was made possible by Common Roots Foundation. We want to hear your transit story! If you’d like to share more about your commute and experiences utilizing public transit in the Capital Region, reach out to Jackie Gonzales at [email protected] to arrange an interview. Catch ya at a bus stop near you! ??????

Really appreciated how, during last night's State of the City address, Mayor Kathy Sheehan highlighted all the good work on traffic safety that her administration and the Common Council have done. We still have a lot of work to do to make our roads work better for Albany's residents, but they have laid a strong foundation to build upon.

Yesterday, members of the Capital Streets team joined advocates from across the state as part of the NYS Safe Streets Coalition. We gathered to use our collective voice to push for common-sense legislation. The SAFE Streets Package includes these four life-saving bills: - Complete Streets Maintenance - Defined Safe Passing - Stop As Yield - Speed Limiters for Repeat Offenders One of the (10!) teams was led by our Executive Director, James Rath. The team met with Patricia Fahy, Assemblymember John McDonald, and several other assembly members from across New York State. Saadia Santos and Sachin Mitra, two CS board members, also met with staff from Assemblymember Gabriella Romero's office. These events are a great way to meet advocates from other parts of the state and are a great reminder as to why our work is so important. For more information on the SAFE Streets Package and to show your support for it, visit: https://lnkd.in/enbUEr9g It was very encouraging to hear yesterday from members that they have been hearing a lot about these issues from their constituents. When people speak up, electeds take notice! Let's continue to use our voices to bring the changes our communities need!?

?? Photo credit (taken yesterday) & repost @wamcradio… “Capital Region state lawmakers are introducing a bill to require housing and retail space on Albany’s Harriman Campus as part of the Wadsworth Labs project. [Patricia Fahy, Assemblyman John MacDonald & Gabriella Romero], want to see part of the Harriman Campus transformed from a 1960s “car culture” era parking lot-dominated area to a mixed-use, walkable, “transit-oriented development.” Fahy, now representing the 46th district, has led a decade-long effort to restore Wadsworth Lab to its former glory as a national epicenter of health, science and technological research. She says it makes sense to factor “mixed use” into the equation. “So fast forward these 10 years,” said Fahy. “Since then, a design has been proposed, and we have worked with a host of colleagues. In fact, I think we did a letter with every single city council member, unanimous support from the Albany city council, to say, ‘let’s take full advantage of the multiplier effect.’ At this point, the design is 27 acres, which is to my left and all behind us. 27 acres and almost half, little over half of those 27 acres would be for the footprint of the labs themselves, with the rest of it going to a parking lot.” Benjamin MacKrell with Capital Streets says developing mixed use, residential, commercial and retail space on the Harriman campus will attract employees to Albany. “Retaining a campus with no transit oriented or walkable development means that the Harriman campus remains a black hole to over 20% of the Albany households who do not have access to a car,” said MacKrell, who adds “today’s talented employees are not excited about a life in which they drive to an office campus surrounded by parking lots only then to drive back to their homes in the suburbs.” [ To read the full WAMC article visit: https://lnkd.in/ew8ViVfy ]

?? Last chance to submit your comments on the draft recommendations for the Capital Region Transportation Council Curry Road and Guilderland Avenue Multi-Modal Transportation Study. The Curry Road and Guilderland Avenue corridors are undergoing redevelopment but currently lack a comprehensive approach towards multi-modal safety improvements. The purpose of this study is to create a plan for a more balanced transportation system along these corridors that includes safe access for users of all ages, abilities, and modes - including pedestrians, bicyclists, transit users, and motor vehicle drivers. Visit https://lnkd.in/e8ncSABE

Hope lots of safe streets advocates can virtually attend and provide strong feedback. Capital Streets, New York Bicycling Coalition, Transportation Alternatives, Streetsblog NYC, PeopleForBikes