SCHENECTADY Sch’dy praised as ‘walkable’ city Officials see room for improvement BY KATHLEEN MOORE Gazette Reporter
Schenectady has edged into the top 100 Walkable Cities list, but city officials aren’t satisfi ed. They’re hoping to make the city even more walkable by finally linking the bike-hike path through Schenectady and by redesigning Erie Boulevard, where the width makes it difficult for pedestrians to cross from the Stockade to downtown and back again. New sidewalks and pedestrianfriendly routes are also a priority at major developments near downtown, most notably at the former Big N Plaza on Nott Street and the planned development at Alco on Erie Boulevard. “We’re trying to make everything more walkable,” said Metroplex Development Authority Chairman Ray Gillen. “Even the Erie plan is trying to make it more walkable.” Schenectady ranked No. 94 this week on the Top 100 list published jointly by the American Podiatric Medical Association and Prevention.com, which emphasizes walking for exercise. Walkers were sent to at least 10 cities in every state to evaluate everything from parkland to the amount of window-shopping that could be done by a downtown exerciser. They also considered statistics on crime, pedestrian safety, mass transit users, the percentage of the population that reports walking for exercise and even the number of cars per household to determine the most walkable cities. Schenectady was one of seven New York cities to make the cut. The others were New York City (No. 2), New Rochelle (No. 31), Yonkers (No. 39), Buffalo (No. 51), Mount Vernon (No. 53), and Albany (No. 6. Schenectady was praised for its “high density of parks per square mile” and the number of residents who walk for exercise. The ratings for the other New York cities could indicate what Schenectady could do to improve its walkability. New York City reached second place on the list because it is such an interesting place to walk. “New York rates a perfect Walk Score of 100 out of 100 because its downtown area (essentially, all of Manhattan) is full of shops … restaurants, boutiques and other forms of entertainment — a walker’s paradise,” Prevention.com said. Albany scored above Schenectady because it has more people who walk to work than any other city in the state and has very high percentage of people who use mass transit, according to the Web site. But Schenectady is on the right path, Gillen said. CDTA is creating a rapid-transit bus line along State Street and county officials are working to finish the bike-hike path, which is heavily used at the edge of the city but is very diffi cult to follow in Schenectady. “One of the best resources in the county is the bike-hike trail,” Gillen said. “We’re trying to make the connection that should have been made … at SCCC, it just dumps out. There’s no signs, no nothing. Where do you go?” The path has been extended with a sidewalk under the Western Gateway Bride and along State Street to Washington Avenue. Soon it will go up Washington Avenue to Union Street, leading to North Jay and College Park — the new name for the Big N Plaza. In 2006, survey takers at the trailhead near SCCC saw about 500 users on the average weekend and more than 250 bikers and walkers on a typical weekday. At Nott Street in Schenectady, just 100 bikers and hikers found the trail, according to the survey.
'A walkable city'? Perhaps there are 'places' to walk. But who would feel safe walking them?
When the INSANE are running the ASYLUM In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule. -- Friedrich Nietzsche
“How fortunate for those in power that people never think.” Adolph Hitler
We walk the city almost every week.....not bad but not good....interesting but very little to attract folks with multiple interests.....right now it is liquer, art and food....not much else.....
...you are a product of your environment, your environment is a product of your priorities, your priorities are a product of you......
The replacement of morality and conscience with law produces a deadly paradox.
STOP BEING GOOD DEMOCRATS---STOP BEING GOOD REPUBLICANS--START BEING GOOD AMERICANS
We can’t help but wonder just where those people assigned to judge the walkability of the city of Schenectady went to reach their conclusion that the city is among the most 100 walkable in America. Was this some kind of a joke? While Schenectady has several decent parks and plenty of interesting neighborhoods and commercial areas — some of the key criteria reportedly used by the American Podiatric Medical Association and Prevention.com — the city’s sidewalks are a mess. There’s so much heaved and broken pavement; asphalt spread atop concrete; and, during the (long) winters, snow and ice, that getting anywhere on Schenectady’s sidewalks is almost always a challenge. For someone in a wheelchair, or pushing a baby carriage, it’s hard to imagine its being anything but impossible. Slowly but surely, the city has been redoing its sidewalks — an expensive proposition, to be sure — but this has typically been done in conjunction with the street-paving program rather than according to need. At the rate the city has been progressing, though, it will be decades before there’s a noticeable impact on the problem. While sidewalks are public property, it is the adjacent property owner’s legal obligation to see that they’re passable. The city simply doesn’t bother enforcing this law — few cities do — whether for broken pavement or snow and ice. If it wants to be a truly walkable city — which would be wonderful — it needs to do a better job policing the condition of its sidewalks. Force the owners of the worst offenders to make the necessary repairs or do the necessary shoveling. Assist them, if necessary, with programs that provide labor if the owner pays for materials. Sidewalk improvement should be no less of a priority for the city as finishing the bike-hike path.
It is unfortunate that the city is using smoke and mirrors when it comes to the city. The roads are crappy, the sidewalks are crappy, the crime is crappy, the high taxes are crappy and downtown is doing crappy.
If only they would admit that the roads, sidewalks and police presence is way to costly to remedy without raising taxes even higher. And the two blocks of downtown isn't really doing so great. Just ask some of the business owners.
Between the metroplex and the empire zone, we have yet to see a return on our money. We have yet to see substantial, good paying jobs in the county. And ya can't count the few bars, few resturants and one movie theater. Or Proctors for that matter. Proctors is still Proctors. It clearly can not sustain the city. It never did and it never will. It is just an added attraction that gets way too much hoop-a-la. \
They need to switch gears and try other alternatives if it isn't too late.
When the INSANE are running the ASYLUM In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule. -- Friedrich Nietzsche
“How fortunate for those in power that people never think.” Adolph Hitler
Re the March 31 editorial, “What sidewalks were those people walking on?!,” the author may have misinterpreted Prevention.com’s reasoning for the walking study. Taking a look at the criteria for the list, it seems that actual quality of the sidewalks was not even something the Web site took into account when creating the list. What was more accounted for, however, was the percentage of commuters who walk to work. I don’t personally live in Schenectady, but I know many people who do. I also know that only a handful of them even own a vehicle, and the ones who do usually don’t use it to travel around the city. In addition, while I do admit the sidewalks could be better, Schenectady has certainly made incredible strides in the cleaning and beautification of the city. In the end, it’s my belief that the author is acting a little overblown in regard to bad sidewalks, when the city has made so many strides in the criteria that actually matter. Besides, as you notice, New York City was No. 2 on the list. If the author is so offended by some bad sidewalks in Schenectady placing it in the top 100, I’d hate to see his reaction to their sidewalks. ERIC JONES Ballston Lake
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