The Syracuse Metropolitan Transportation Council will host a public meeting this Thursday, December 3 at 5:30 p.m. to share potential permanent route options for connecting the Erie Canalway Trail between Camillus and DeWitt, as well as conceptual ideas for transforming specific locations along these routes.

The meeting will take place at the Museum of Science & Technology (500 South Franklin Street) in Syracuse (use entrance across from Sound Garden).

Crucial DPW Committee Meeting on Monday

THE CITY OF SYRACUSE COMMON COUNCIL DPW COMMITTEE MEETS MONDAY NOVEMBER 30TH AT 5:00 PM in Common Council Chambers to Discuss the University Bike Plan.

The Council has been asked to approve funds for designing and implementing this project and there are many questions about it and there is also opposition to it.

If you want to have improved bike infrastructure in the University Area, then please come to this meeting and demonstrate and voice your support.

Setting Our Focus for the Coming Year

Our September BikeCNY meeting is scheduled for this coming Tuesday, September 15th, at 5:45 in the upstairs meeting room at Beauchamp Library.  Beauchamp is on E. Colvin Street at the corner of S. Salina.

As a group whose purpose is to advocate for improvements in cycling infrastructure, we see much work to do. The focus of this meeting is to prioritize our activities and set goals for the coming months and, possibly, years. Some of the issues before us are–

• more bicycle infrastructure, including bike lanes for Euclid, connecting existing bike infrastructure, Creek Walk phase 2, Canal Trails
• increased safety through better infrastructure, such as adding bike boxes, bike traffic lights
• education of bicyclists and other road users, including news editorials, bike rodeos, bicycle commuter training
• Bike Month 2016 events
• be an advisory committee to the new city transportation planner and DPW/traffic planning
• assist the city in applying for Bike Friendly City status
• collaborate with other groups who are promoting bike safety, bike infrastructure, etc.

You may have other ideas. Please join us to share your thoughts and concerns.

The Bike Lane Blockade in Syracuse | NYBC

The New York Bicycling Coalition picked up the story on the closed University Ave. cycle track.  Read their article here.

The Bike Lane Blockade in Syracuse | NYBC.

Study shows people favor bicycle lanes on Syracuse’s Euclid Avenue | WRVO Public Media

ESF professor Melissa Fierke was interviewed by WRVO’s Ellen Abbott. It was broadcast tonight.

Study shows people favor bicycle lanes on Syracuse’s Euclid Avenue | WRVO Public Media.

Daily Orange article about Euclid Bike Lanes

Check it out.

Street parking on Euclid Avenue may potentially be replaced with bike lanes

Cyclists, City of Syracuse Want Bike Lane Reopened | WRVO Public Media

This news report on the covered-over cycle track on University Avenue aired on WRVO on March 23rd. (Note that the audio is cut short. There is additional paragraph in the text that was originally aired.)

Cyclists, city of Syracuse want bike lane reopened | WRVO Public Media.

Agenda for March 17 BikeCNY Meeting

Please join us for another rousing meeting. 7:00 – 8:30pm at Mello Velo Cafe, 556 Westcott St. This Tuesday, we will be addressing the following topics: Portable Bike Racks; the University Cycle Track; a recent WRVO Interview; the Lake Front TNT Escrow Project Bike Rack; Onondaga Creek Walk Phase 2; Bike Safety Press Release; Euclid Ave. Bike Lane Press Release; MovingDewitt; how best to include other local cycling, transportation, and advocacy efforts; and more. Come be a part of making Syracuse a better place to get around on your bike.  We look forward to seeing you.

Press Release: Free the Cycle Track

FREE THE CYCLE TRACK

One block of the state-of-the-art cycle track on University Avenue has been covered over and blocked off for nearly a year, creating dangerous conditions for pedestrians, motorists, as well as cyclists. With construction halted and now stalled in litigation, there is little hope for it opening soon.

The first phase of the Connective Corridor was completed in 2012. The new bike infrastructure included a 2-lane cycle track on the East Side of University Avenue from East Genesee Street to Waverly Avenue. This first phase of the Connective Corridor cost millions of mostly-federal dollars.

In the spring of 2014, Cameron Hill Construction LLC, the developer of what was to be the new SU bookstore, covered and fenced off one block of the cycle track between Adams Street and Marshall Street. Orange signs now direct cyclists to dismount their bicycles and walk on the sidewalk on the west side of University Avenue, essentially destroying the functionality of the entire cycle track. It is unsafe, not only for bicyclists and pedestrians, but also for motorists, who must now contend with unexpected and somewhat unpredictable movement by these other users.

In June 2014, SU attempted to end their contract with Cameron due to lack of progress in construction. In July 2014, Cameron sued to block SU from doing so; and in August, the State Supreme Court granted a temporary injunction prohibiting SU from ending the agreement, simultaneously barring the Syracuse Industrial Development Agency from canceling a payment-in-lieu-of-tax agreement with Cameron pending the outcome of Cameron’s lawsuit against the university.

Since then, there has been no obvious progress. Seven months have passed while the cycle track has remained closed. This is unacceptable.

BikeCNY is a newly-resurrected Bicycle Advocacy Group in Greater Syracuse that advocates for the safety of bicyclists and the installation of new bicycle infrastructure.

BikeCNY calls on city leaders to step up and resolve this issue so that the cycle track is functional in time for bicyclists to use it when spring weather arrives.

The developer has a permit from the city to close the cycle track. That permit should be revoked and the developer given a deadline to restore the cycle track and remove the fence.

There are a lot of smart, well-paid people involved with this issue from the City, the developer, and the University. BikeCNY requests that they work together to resolve this issue so the people who helped to pay for the cycle track can again use it.

Agenda for Upcoming BikeCNY Meeting – February 17, 2015

Please join us in one week, on Tuesday February 17th at 7pm for the monthly BikeCNY meeting. 

Topics up for discussion include:

• Review the 1/28/2015 Common Council DPW Committee meeting on the University Hill Bike Network Project.
• Work on press release for public Service regarding bike safety in April or May.
• Progress on Portable temporary bike racks for events?
• Update on opening the University Avenue cycle-track in the bookstore block.
• What can be done to move the Euclid Bike infrastructure forward.
• Report on Moving DeWitt meeting on Feb 11.
• Report on Active Transportation Advocacy Day in Albany on Feb 2.

We will be meeting at Mello Velo Cafe.  Click here for directions to Mello Velo.

We look forward to having you join us.