McKownville
Improvement Association
The Proposal for
Western Avenue
May 4, 2002
INTRODUCTION
Western
Avenue is the 'Main Street' of McKownville, from the City line to Church
Road. It is also a major east-west
automobile thoroughfare for the Capital region. Over the years, changes to Western Avenue have been made
almost exclusively in the interest of motorists. Residents of McKownville have seen their Main Street slowly,
but unmistakably, changing into a highway with seeming little regard for how
those changes affect the quality of life in McKownville. This report by the McKownville
Improvement Association represents an attempt to bring the interests of the
people who live in McKownville back in balance with the needs of motorists
while respecting the necessity to support a safe and effective flow of
automobile traffic. This report focuses on Western Avenue while later reports
by the McKownville Improvement Association will focus on other McKownville
planning topics possibly including Church Road, Schoolhouse Road, Fuller Road,
McKown Road, walking paths, the McKown pond, and zoning.
The
focus of this report is to recommend improvements in the Western Avenue
streetscape so that it becomes a place where people take pleasure each time
they pass through, whether on foot, bicycle or car. We want a Western Avenue where we can walk safely to mail a
letter, visit neighbors, or go shopping, and we want the Western Avenue
environment to be such that we will choose to walk rather than drive because it
will be a more pleasurable experience.
We want a Western Avenue that has safe crossing places for pedestrians,
and where motorists understand that they are passing through a residential
area. We believe the key to
achieving these goals is to bring the McKownville stretch of Western Avenue
back to the look of a residential main street, and less like the suburban
highway into which it has been evolving.
This
goal is both realistic and affordable.
There are many examples of major state highways passing through cities where
these very objectives are attained.
We need look no further than Albany to see stretches of Western Avenue,
from Colonial Avenue to Allen Street, for example, that have kept a far more
residential appearance, and the difference is striking. We believe that McKownville can do even
better
PROPOSAL
First,
there is strong agreement among McKownville residents on several fundamental
objectives and guiding principles:
1.
Residential lawns and green strips (the area between the sidewalk and the
street) along Western Avenue need be safeguarded. No more encroachment not even
one inch anywhere in McKownville.
2.
"Bicycle Lanes" need not be any more than three or four feet
wide. Having wider bicycle lanes
wastes valuable space that could be used as a green space buffer to insulate
sidewalks from traffic. There are
many sections on Western Avenue in McKownville where the bicycle lanes are
sufficiently wide for automobile traffic.
This is not only a poor use of space, it is dangerous because motorists
use them as right hand turn lanes, endangering pedestrians and those on
bicycles. In need be noted that
Western Avenue west of McKownville has bicycle lanes that are usually three or
four feet wide and those east of McKownville are quite narrow.
3.
There need be a standard for the Western Avenue roadside in McKownville:
-
a three or four foot bicycle lane next to the outer driving lane, separated
with a painted line
-
a significant granite stone curb and effective and sufficient road drains for
storm water
-
a wide green strip planted with grass and trees
-
a five foot concrete sidewalk
There
will be exceptions to this standard but they need be viewed as exceptions that
require special justification.
The
work recently finished by the city of Albany on Whitehall between Manning and
Delaware provide a good model for a newer sidewalk and other streetscape
improvements.
4.
In the green strips mentioned above, not only need there be extensive tree
planting but more retro or classic streetlights need be installed. The lights
and other improvements will calm the automobile traffic, improve the overall
appearance of Western Avenue and buffer pedestrians from the dangers and noise
of automobile traffic.
5.
Pedestrians crossing Western at the present traffic lights at Church Road, the
Northway entrance and exit, Schoolhouse, Fuller, McKown/Norwood and the
University need be given control and visual comfort over automobile traffic.
This translates into slightly raised walk areas, possibly with offsetting
colored pavement to show motorists that pedestrians use this intersection,
obvious walk-lights with timers displaying the time left to cross, like at
Church Road, and signage to warn motorists that right turns must respect
pedestrian right of way. In
addition, the McKownville Fire Department controlled light at Brookwood/Knowles
need be altered to allow for pedestrian controlled walk lights.
6.
The Town of Guilderland need institute an on-going program that replaces trees
in the green strips on the streets in McKownville in addition to the tree
plantings done as part of the Western Avenue streetscape improvement
project. The Town has been very
responsive about taking down dead trees on the side streets. It is necessary that a program be
created to replace trees. An archway of trees calms traffic.
7.
Attractive bus shelters need be constructed along the east bound bus stops on
Western and at the west bound bus stop near the University entrance, making
sure that these do not reduce the present green space. Westbound bus shelters are not needed
because persons using the westbound bus stops are exiting the bus and walk
directly to their homes. Few board
the westbound buses in McKownville, except at the university.
8.
Several of the specific recommendations made in this report involve the
construction of raised 'safety islands' in the middle of a traffic flow. The intent of these is (a) to provide a
safe haven for pedestrians, roughly halfway across the pavement area being crossed,
and (b) to improve the appearance of the area by the inclusion of
plantings. These green islands
will remind motorists that they are in, or are entering, a residential area
where excessive speed is inappropriate and where they must be alert to pedestrian
traffic.
ANALYSIS
Western
Avenue, as it travels through McKownville, is currently a patchwork of varying
roadside conditions. In order to
make meaningful and realistic proposals for improving pedestrian access,
aesthetics, and safety around Western Avenue a solid understanding of the
roadside conditions is necessary.
To
organize the description of roadside conditions and to establish a common
vocabulary for the discussions and proposals, the McKownville stretch of
Western Avenue, from Church Road to the Albany City line, has been partitioned
into six sections. The names for
these six sections (moving from west to east) are:
1.
Church Road Transition Section: From Church Road to
Schoolhouse Road, including the overpass and the intersections that serve as
the very beginning (or end) of the Northway (Fuller Road Alternate).
2.
Stuyvesant Plaza Section From Schoolhouse Road to
Fuller Road.
3.
Elmwood Section From Fuller Road to
Parkwood (includes 1450)
4.
Glenwood Section From Parkwood to Norwood /
McKown (includes Holiday Inn)
5.
W2 (Waverly/Westlyn) Section From Norwood / McKown to
Knowles / Brookwood including Waverly and Westlyn
6.
Albany Transition Section From Knowles / Brookwood
including Arcadia and Hillcrest to SUNYA and the Albany city line.
What
follows is, for each of the six sections, a description of current road
conditions, followed by specific recommendations for streetscape improvements
for each section.
1.
Church Road Transition Section
Western
Avenue in this area is much too wide with too many lanes, up to seven
automobile and stripped lanes. The
extra right hand lanes increase the hazards for pedestrians since motorists
behave as if a right hand turning lane has priority over a pedestrian. The extra lanes makes the distance for
pedestrian crossings excessive and therefore more dangerous. Also the extra lanes, including the
stripped lanes, invite motorists to drive too rapidly. (Please note-West of
Crossgates Western Avenue is generally no more than four or five lanes in
Guilderland while Western Avenue in the city, east of McKownville, is usually
four lanes).
On
the north side of Western Avenue, proceeding east from the crosswalk light in
front of the McKownville Methodist Church there is a bike lane, an intermittent
green strip and a sidewalk and seven lanes. At the Northway light, there is a painted crosswalk on the
northside across the four lanes of traffic entering Western Avenue. The sidewalk and bike lanes continue
under the Northway overpass to the east past the entrance to the Northway and into
the Stuyvesant Plaza section.
* Recommendations for improvement along
the north side of the Church Road Transition section:
# Where the southbound lanes of the
Northway enter Western Avenue, there are two lanes to turn right (west) and two
to turn left (east). In the middle
of the four lanes is a triangular stripped or hashed area that need become a
raised safety island for pedestrians when crossing this wide east-west expanse.
# The third westbound lane from the
Northway exit to Crossgates need be shortened (until a little west of Church
Road). Elimination of a portion of
the extra lane from the Northway exit would create the space to widen the
sidewalk, erect a protective barrier for pedestrians crossing the Thruway
Bridge, and permit a wider green strip with trees for the strip west of the
bridge. Pedestrians crossing the
Northway heading west would see that there is greater safety ahead.
On
the south side of Western Avenue in the Church Road Transition section,
proceeding east from Church Road, there is no sidewalk at all in front of the
Great Oaks offices. There is a
sidewalk only on the Thruway Bridge.
There is a bike lane heading east from Church Road that continues across
the Thruway Bridge and under the overpass of the cloverleaf that picks up the
northbound Northway traffic. But
the bike path in this area takes a precarious path in-between the eastbound
through traffic for Western Avenue and the rightmost lane of traffic that leads
to the Northway cloverleaf.
* Recommendations for improvement along
the south side of the Church Road Transition section:
# In order to create a safer crossing of
Western Avenue at Church Road, a raised safety island need be built in the
middle of Western Avenue, on the western side of the Church Street intersection. This may require the elimination of the
right hand turn lane from just west of Chapman to Church Road.
# A sidewalk need be constructed from the
southeast corner of Western and Church Street along the front of the Great Oaks
property up onto the Thruway Bridge and on the east side of the Thruway Bridge
and under the Northway overpass and through to Schoolhouse Road.
# The bike path along the south side in
this section need be kept, but signs need be posted in the area of the Northway
overpass instructing eastbound motorists planning to turn onto Schoolhouse Road
to yield to bicycles that may be continuing east on Western. The separate lane
for the motorists heading for the overpass onto the Northway need be reduced in
length thereby creating more safety space for a barrier, a green strip and
pedestrian safety along the southside of Western.
# The surface of the overpass bridge need
be made more attractive, e.g., a stone like surface.
# A pedestrian controlled walk light is
needed for pedestrians crossing Schoolhouse (north and south)
# The walk light for those crossing
Western at the Schoolhouse intersection needs to be lengthened to give
pedestrians more time to cross.
The
knee height metal barrier separating the overpass traffic from the Schoolhouse
Road traffic on Schoolhouse Road stops just before Western Avenue. Pedestrians
crossing north and south at Schoolhouse do use this cement and metal barricade
for a pedestrian safety island.
Safety requires that the island be enlarged and the uncontrolled
southbound traffic from Western onto the overpass be controlled by a walk light
and traffic light, along with the other traffic entering or exiting from
Schoolhouse Road. The small safety
island in Western Avenue, separating the traffic entering the Northway from
that proceeding west and passing under the overpass, need be enlarged quite a
bit.
With
walk lights--better timed in the one direction and a new one in the other
direction--a new traffic signal controlling traffic onto the overpass and into
Schoolhouse Road, two enlarged safety islands, and colored pavement marking the
pedestrian walk areas, pedestrians could cross much more safely in both
directions.
2.
Stuyvesant Plaza Section
Along
the north side of Western Avenue, the concrete sidewalk emerging from under the
Northway overpass meets a crosswalk for the on-ramp to the Northway, then
continues east but ends when it meets the parking lots for the businesses at
1535, 1529, & 1525 (Robert's Real Estate and University Counseling Center). A concrete sidewalk begins again after
the parking lots and continues east all the way to Fuller Road.
* Recommendations for improvement along
the north side of the Stuyvesant Plaza section:
# Walking east the sidewalk ends in front
of the businesses at 1535, 1529, & 1525 and it is unclear where people can
walk. There is a curb but cars are
parked where a sidewalk would be.
The Town of Guilderland owns the next building. It was the pumping station for the
McKownville Water District when McKownville had its own water district and is
used presently by the Guilderland Chamber of Commerce and it has a green strip
and a sidewalk. Discussions with
the three businesses at 1525, 1529 and 1535 need sort out how a green strip
with trees and a sidewalk area can be provided and joined with the existing
sidewalks and green strips.
A
concrete sidewalk begins at the southeast corner of Western and Schoolhouse
Road and continues east to Fuller Road, but is only blacktop in front of the
dentist office (#1484) at the Fuller Road light.
* Recommendations for improvement along
the south side of the Stuyvesant Plaza section:
# Work with the property owner of the
dentist office to complete the stretch of green strip and concrete sidewalk
near the Fuller Road light.
# Added signage is needed. For motorists exiting Burger King, they
need be informed that motorists turning right or left from Fuller onto Western
have the right of way. Or,
alternatively, motorists turning right or left from Fuller need be informed
that motorists exiting Burger King have a traffic controlled light and that
Fuller Road motorists need treat the intersection as if it was a four-way
highway intersection. Motorists
not familiar with the intersection presume that the private (Burger King)
driveway does not have a traffic light and therefore Burger King exiting
traffic has no more right of access than vehicles exiting any private
driveway. This is a very dangerous
intersection. Moreover,
pedestrians are crowded by the vehicles turning right and left and the present
walk lights need give pedestrians more time to cross.
3.
Elmwood Section
In
the center of Western Avenue, on the east side of the Fuller Road intersection,
is an area currently outlined in yellow paint that is not a driving lane.
This
area provides an opportunity to create another safety island to facilitate
pedestrian crossing of this wide section of roadway and to improve the
aesthetics of the area. This
island need extend east to the end of the Burger King property. It would not prevent left turns into
Elmwood, the Century Buffet or the Burger King (though left turns from the
Century Buffet need be eliminated regardless of the creation of the pedestrian
safety island).
On
the north side of Western Avenue in this section there is a bike lane and a
concrete sidewalk from Fuller to Elmwood, in good condition but narrow and
there is no green strip between the sidewalk and the Roadway.
From
Elmwood to Parkwood the sidewalk is blacktop and in poor condition, often
flooded during rain storms, and a very narrow green strip.
* Recommendations for improvement along
the north side of the Elmwood section:
# In addition to the suggestions above,
the area from Elmwood to Parkwood need be improved following the specifications
for curb, green strip and sidewalk noted in the general recommendations
above.
On
the south side of Western Avenue in the Elmwood section there is a continuous
bike lane, but the conditions of the sidewalk in this section varies. There is sidewalk in front of Burger
King, but not in front of the Century Buffet. Instead there is an 8-foot wide curbed strip covered with
concrete and stones with antique street light poles. This need be changed into a sidewalk, widened and a green
strip area added. Continuing east
is the 1450 Picotte office building.
Again there is no sidewalk but there is a seven-foot wide curbed area
planted with evergreen trees. The
bench here for bus patrons need be upgraded to an attractive bus shelter.
* Recommendations for improvement along
the south side of the Elmwood section:
# In addition to those just mentioned, a
sidewalk needs to be constructed in front of the 1450 Picotte office building
according to the specifications for curb, green strip and sidewalk noted in the
general recommendations above.
This will result in a continuous, consistent, high quality sidewalk from
Church Road to McKown Road on the south side of Western Avenue. The pine trees currently planted in
front of the 1450 office building need be preserved or moved to the green strip
between the new sidewalk and roadway to provide an additional buffer from
traffic. Walk lights need be
installed at the Parkwood intersection.
Presently there is only a pedestrian controlled traffic light at this
intersection.
4.
Glenwood Section
There
is currently a well-defined sidewalk and green strip for the north side of the
Glenwood/Norwood but the sidewalk is blacktop, in poor condition and below
street level. There are
significant drainage problems.
* Recommendations for improvement along
the north side of the Glenwood section:
# A concrete sidewalk need be constructed
on the north side of Western Avenue in the Glenwood section following the
specifications for curb, green strip and sidewalk noted in the general recommendations
above.
There
is currently a good quality concrete sidewalk along the south side of the
Glenwood section in front of the Holiday Inn Express properties, but there is
no curb and the green strip has no plantings. The Passano Paint store parking lot interferes with the
sidewalk area there and there are no walk lights, only pedestrian controlled
traffic lights.
* Recommendations for improvement along
the south side of the Glenwood section:
# The green strip in this section need be
extended into most of the current bicycle lane and curbs installed to leave a
three or four-foot wide bicycle path.
A bus shelter need be constructed near the Passano paint store.
# The current sidewalk needs to be
extended in front of the Passano paint store to McKown Road. The abnormally wide bicycle lane here
is especially dangerous because large numbers of motorists use it to turn into
McKown Road which conflicts with the many people using this intersection to
cross Western at the light and wait for a CDTA bus.
# In addition to an attractive bus
shelter, walk lights need be installed here.
5.
W2 (Waverly/Westlyn) Section
There
is currently a well-defined sidewalk and green strip for the entire length of
the north side of the W2 section all the way to Knowles Terrace but the
sidewalk is blacktop and there are drainage problems in this area.
* Recommendations for improvement along
the north side of the W2 section:
# A concrete sidewalk need be constructed
on the north side of Western Avenue in the W2 section following the
specifications for curb, green strip and sidewalk noted in the general
recommendations above.
Along
the south side of Western Avenue in the W2 section there is currently no
sidewalk, and the front yards of the properties extend not quite to the edge of
the current bicycle lane. There
are four residential properties in this stretch, two between McKown and Westlyn
and two between Westlyn and Brookwood. There are in addition four businesses in
this section, again two in each block.
* Recommendations for improvement along
the south side of the W2 section:
# An effort need be made to work with the
property owners to develop a sidewalk plan for this section, wide sidewalks
without green strips or narrow sidewalks with green strips, depending on the
wishes of the property owners. The
wider sidewalks could include trees planted in sidewalk cutout areas. Each property owner may prefer a
different solution and therefore the sidewalk probably would not follow a
simple straight line and likewise for the concrete sidewalks and green strips
in front of the four businesses.
6.
Albany Transition Section
On
the north side of Western Avenue in this section from Knowles to SUNY there is
not a straight-line sidewalk, but there is a recognizable walking area. There are drainage problems. At the eastern end of this section, in
front of SUNYA, there is a wide concrete sidewalk adjacent to an acceleration
lane for traffic leaving the university heading west.
* Recommendations for improvement along
the north side of the Albany Transition section:
# To create a pedestrian island in the
middle of Western Avenue at the university entrance, the acceleration lane near
SUNYA need be eliminated. Walk
lights are needed also. A concrete
sidewalk need be constructed on the north side of Western Avenue from Knowles
to the university following as many of the specifications for curb, green strip
and sidewalk noted in the general recommendations as possible. Its layout will require meetings with
the owners of the properties. A
sidewalk and green strip in front of the two businesses in this section will
require discussions with the businesses about how best to accommadate their
needs and those of pedestrians,
On
the south side of Western Avenue in this section there is a sidewalk that
extends from Brookwood in front of the McKownville Fire House to a point in the
middle of the Across The Street Pub property. There is no sidewalk heading east from that point until the
hair salon at the city line. This
section includes Dunkin Donuts, the Capital Lodge, and the Best Western Hotel.
* Recommendations for improvement along
the south side of the Albany Transition section:
# Install a concrete sidewalk to replace
blacktop, work with the property owners to develop a sidewalk plan, e.g., the
stone and concrete areas in front of the motels could become sidewalks and
green strips with trees and could be extended to the city line.
# There need also be pedestrian
controlled walk lights at Brookwood/Knowles added onto the present fire
department controlled light. At
present there is no pedestrian controlled traffic light along Western for the
five or six blocks heading east from McKown/Norwood to the University/city
line.
# The raised safety island near the
university entrance need be sizable, to remind motorists that this is a
residential zone.
This
concludes the specific section recommendations. There are two general proposals
for Western Avenue in McKownville.
The
speed limit. To calm traffic and reduce accidents improve the residential
appearance of Western Avenue and to make the area more attractive for
pedestrians, the planting of trees, the curbs and sidewalks, the walk lights,
and the pedestrian islands and elimination of lanes will help. While these changes will tend to
encourage motorists to reduce their speeds, a reduced speed limit would also
help. Like that in the City it
should be 30 mph. The actual speed
is much too high, extra police work is needed to calm the traffic in this area,
and a lower speed limit would further aid the process of improving safety.
Improved
appearance. The homes along
Western Avenue in McKownville tend to be better maintained and attractive than
some of the businesses. To improve
the appearance of several of the businesses along Western is important. One or more of the businesses have too
much of their parking in front of their buildings, the buildings are not
attractive or are poorly maintained, customer parking tends to interfere with pedestrians,
too many curb cuts exist thereby increasing the hazards of walking, too few
plantings are provided, and storage of trash or location of dumpsters is in
sight of passing traffic.
CONCLUSION
If it is not possible to provide more and wider green strip area, more and improved sidewalks and more trees along Western Avenue without taking more lawn area, as proposed, then we prefer that Western Avenue remain as it is.
Members of the McKownville
Improvement Association Planning Group
(The three who wrote the drafts of the
report are indicated by #)
Berg, Steve Goergon,
Bill Parsons,
Renee
Blessing, Dot Gutbezahl,
Sue Reeb,
Don#
Bosworth, Eileen Harausz,
Martha# Reid,
David
Brown, Sue Hartzell,
Marjorie Schramm,
Jane
Cameron, Jim Hotchkiss,
Susan Smircich,
John
Chardeen, Rae Knight,
David Smitas,
Daniel
Cleary, Mike LeRoux,
Kathy Smith,
Doug#
Cortese, Jackie Macomber,
Mark Smith,
Mary
Engster, Paul Macri,
Sue Torda,
Alice
Finnigan, Jim Meehan,
Bill Trapasso,
Joe
Gnacik, Marty Messner,
Jill Whalen,
Laura
White, James
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