Biking - New York State Bicycling Summit

Today was the NYS Bicycling Summit, sponsored by the New York Bicycling Coalition.



This event was held in Albany, and it seemed like a good place to have a big bicyclist turnout and show of support. It was supposed to be a nice day, so I got on the bike and headed for Albany, about a 17-mile ride each way. I mostly followed my old bike commuting routes from when I worked in Albany, and aside from rush-hour traffic and the cool temperatures, it was a pleasant ride.

We all locked up our bikes in West Capitol Park, where they were attended while we went inside to hear the speakers and talk about the state of bicycling in the state of New York.



Despite the seemingly sparse attendance, and the harsh budgetary realities of the times, I came away with the feeling that not only is bicycling alive and well here, but that various advocacy efforts are actually making themselves heard, and things are on an improvement upswing. It was heartening to say the least.

After the speakers finished, several state legislators and some of the speakers joined us for a mass ride around downtown Albany and through Washington Park. And from there I headed back home, after a somewhat uplifting morning.