Transportation improvements in the Preferred Future will balance all modes of transportation through the Corridor, which includes Central Avenue and State Street as well as the neighborhood and regional street networks which connect to it. These improvements will also work with the potential land use improvements described in the Preferred Future to better balance regional and local traffic.
Five street design "treatments" have been developed for the various segments of the Corridor. These treatments are defined further in the NY5 Street Design Manual which has been produced as part of this study. Maps illustrating land use and transportation improvements are presented in the "tour" of the Preferred Future which follows. Notations on the left-hand side of the Corridor segment maps indicate a street design treatment for that portion of the Corridor (see Figure III.28 for an example). Appendix E Transit Alignment and Street Designs summarizes these treatments' characteristics. Plan and section drawings also appear throughout the tour of the Corridor which follows after this description of the transportation system.
The following sections summarize the key improvements which would create a more balanced transportation system in the Corridor.
Traffic calming techniques will be applied to the streets which connect the Corridor with adjacent neighborhoods. Pedestrian amenities such as street trees, benches, waste receptacles, special paving and bollards will improve the pedestrian environment to encourage walking as a legitimate mode of transportation. Pedestrian-friendly infrastructure will also serve to catalyze redevelopment in key areas which in turn will provide a mix of land uses supportive of walking. The pedestrian environment will also be improved in suburban portions of the Corridor by bringing buildings and shop windows up to the sidewalk. In the more urban portions of the Corridor, redevelopment will attempt to recreate a more "fine-grained" pedestrian network with accessways between uses and between Central Avenue/State Street and the adjacent neighborhoods. These accessways will be complemented by mid-block crossings to better connect the "sides" of the Corridor.
Bicycles
Bicycling is an important, but often overlooked, transportation option for many in the Capital Region. In the urban portions of the Corridor, dedicated bicycle lanes are provided for cyclists. In the suburban portions of the Corridor a combination of bicycle lanes, separated bicycle paths, or slower and safer parallel local access lanes provide for bicycle access. Where this is not possible, parallel routes will be created for cyclists to safely travel through the Corridor, such as Clinton Avenue in Albany or Albany Street in Schenectady. Bicycle racks will be provided at key locations in the Corridor, such as transit stops, village and neighborhood retail, schools, and retail centers
Public transportation
A Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system was selected over light rail for its inherent flexibility and more easily justified cost. Bus Rapid Transit uses increased investment in technology, equipment, stations, operations and marketing to rival the quality of service of higher investment light rail systems while remaining more flexible and less costly than rail systems. In addition to the BRT improvements Transit Demand Management programs will continue to be pursued to boost ridership and express bus service serving the downtowns would continue to operate. Bus Rapid Transit is discussed further in the next section.
Mid-block pass throughs can re-connect neighborhoods through the long blocks along Central Avenue.
Automobiles
The automobile will continue to be the dominant mode of transportation in the Corridor. Other transportation system enhancements discussed above should mitigate the effects of intensified land use along the Corridor on traffic accessibility and mobility. Reduced curb-cuts and improved off-street connections between uses and parking lots will improve traffic safety and decrease the amount of local traffic that uses the arterial street. More information and images on street configuration are available in the Street Design section.