State Department of Transportation Highlights Bicycle Safety Month and Encourages New Yorkers to Hit the Trails

Contact: Bryan Viggiani, (518) 457-6400
Release Date: May 16, 2023

State Department of Transportation Highlights Bicycle Safety Month and Encourages New Yorkers to Hit the Trails

State Department of Transportation Commissioner Marie Therese Dominguez today announced the importance of bicycle safety during National Bicycle Safety Month and reminded everyone that roadway safety is a shared responsibility. The Greater Capital Region, including Albany, Essex, Greene, Rensselaer, Saratoga, Schenectady, Warren, and Washington counties, has a robust network of approximately 175 miles of state and local trails and bicycle facilities for users to enjoy. As part of its statewide active transportation network, the Department of Transportation has helped design and build thousands of miles of iconic bicycle paths and infrastructure across the state.

"May is National Bicycle Safety Month and New York State is home to some of the most scenic trails in the country," Commissioner Dominguez said. "This is the perfect time of year to get outside, take a bike ride and enjoy the great outdoors in New York. To ensure safety, cyclists should always stay alert, wear a helmet, make sure to wear reflective clothing and use flashing lights, and follow the rules of the road. And for motorists, look out for bikes, never drive distracted, and please share the road."

There were 938 bicyclist fatalities in 2020, which accounted for 2.4% of all traffic fatalities during the year. NHTSA early estimates show a 5% increase in bicyclist fatalities in 2021.

Motorists need to drive attentively, slow down and yield to bicyclists. Be sure to give bicyclists room. Don't pass too closely. Pass them as you would any other vehicle when it is safe to move over into an adjacent lane. In turn, bicyclists need to do their part. Ride with the flow of traffic, obey street signs, signals, and road markings. Stay focused and alert and ride defensively by trying to anticipate what others may do before they do it. Be sure to yield to pedestrians, and always wear a helmet, and visible/reflective clothing so that you can be seen.

The Department uses a complete streets approach to project design that enables safe access for all users - pedestrians, bicyclists, and motorists.

Some popular trails in the region include:

Empire State Trail (Mohawk-Hudson Bike-Hike Trail)
An 11-mile segment of the Empire State Trail that is also known as the Mohawk-Hudson Bike-Hike Trail runs from the Corning Preserve in downtown Albany to Cohoes along the Hudson River.

Empire State Trail (Albany-Hudson Electric Trail)
Eleven miles of the Empire State Trail runs concurrently as part of the 36-mile Albany-Hudson Electric Trail, which runs from the City of Rensselaer to the City of Hudson.

Albany County Helderberg-Hudson Rail Trail
A nine-mile trail that runs between the Port of Albany and Voorheesville along the former Delaware & Hudson (D&H) Railroad line.

Albany South End Multi-Use Trail
A 1.5-mile trail within the City of Albany that connects the Mohawk-Hudson Bike-Hike Trail in downtown Albany with the Albany County Helderberg-Hudson Rail Trail.

Zim Smith Trail
An 11.5-mile Saratoga County trail connecting Ballston Spa to Mechanicville, it is the only trail in New York State to be designated a National Recreation Trail by the U.S. Department of Interior and National Park Service.

Empire State Trail (Champlain Canalway Trail)
A 12-mile segment of the Empire State Trail that follows the Champlain Canalway Trail, connects Fort Ann and Fort Edward in Washington County.

Warren County Bikeway
A 9.4-mile Warren County trail that connects downtown Glens Falls and Lake George.

Recent bicycle projects undertaken by the Department of Transportation in the Capital Region include:

• A new concrete railroad underpass on the Empire State Trail in Schenectady County at the end of Leggiero Lane in Rotterdam Junction and a trail realignment crossing Rynex Corners Road (Schenectady County Route 97) in nearby Pattersonville that were both finished this spring. Signage and new striping at Rynex Corners Road is due to be completed later this spring.
• New pavement placed in 2021 on 2.8 miles of the Mohawk-Hudson Bike-Hike Trail segment of the Empire State Trail along the Hudson River between the Albany city line and the 4th Street trailhead and parking lot in the City of Watervliet in Albany County.
• An innovative effort that constructed a 100-foot-long concrete pedestrian tunnel underneath active railroad tracks in Rotterdam Junction in 2020 as part of the Empire State Trail.
• A new shared-use path for pedestrians and cyclists completed in 2020 that connected the Village of Menands in Albany County to the Empire State Trail (Mohawk-Hudson Hike-Bike Trail) along the Hudson River. The nearly one mile-long path along the side of the Exit 6 entrance ramp to Interstate 787 provides hikers and cyclists with a safe route over the busy highway to reach the Hudson River trail. It also provides easy access for those on the riverside trail to visit Menands for lunch or shopping.

State Parks Commissioner Erik Kulleseid said, "Biking is an amazing recreational activity and something that should be enjoyed safely. Whether exploring a state park or the thousands of miles of scenic trails that New York State provides, it's important to always stay alert and wear a helmet."

Follow New York State DOT on Twitter: @NYSDOT. Find us on Facebook at facebook.com/NYSDOT. For tweets from New York State DOT Region 1 (covering the Capital Region), follow @NYSDOTAlbany.

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