Madison Avenue could be slimming down this year.
Traffic incidents in the Pine Hills section of Albany have lead public safety officials to study the possibility of narrowing two traffic corridors in this neighborhood, one along Western Avenue, and the other along Madison Avenue. Changes on Western Avenue were ruled out almost immediately due to the sheer traffic volume and delays it would cause.
Narrowing roads, also known as a road diet, is when the road is reduced in the number of travel lanes and/or the effective width. After study of two potential corridors, they have settled on the section of Madison Avenue between Lark Street and South Allen. They are currently studying three different scenarios on Madison, none of which satisfy all stakeholder goals, but do go a long way towards calming traffic, reducing speeds, improving bicycle safety, and reducing crashes. The public is invited to comment on these plans at the upcoming meetings.
The meetings will take place on April 16, 2013 meeting in the Touhey Forum in the Lally School of Education at the College of St. Rose, 1009 Madison Avenue, Albany. The first meeting will take place at 11am and the second at 6:30pm; the content is the same for both meetings, so please attend only one.
If you have any questions, please contact Bill Trudeau, Coordinator of Traffic Engineering, at (518) 434-5791 orMadisonAveStudy@albany-ny.org
