Bicycle Friendly Community

Albany, OR | Bronze Level

Community Highlights: Through the work of the bicycle advisory committee, the Bicycle and Pedestrian Commission and community members, Albany has incorporated numerous bicycle infrastructure projects and bike education programs into the city.   Albany’s complete streets policy ensures a linked city-wide network of bicycle facilities comprised of on-street bike lanes and multi-use paths.  The City's development regulations promote compact growth and ensure that all new developments are "bike friendly". The Police Department actively engages in enforcement and education activities, and the Bicycle and Pedestrian Commission works hard on bike education and advocacy issues within the community and makes bicycle safety education available to each 5th grade student.  The Albany Police Department works with Oregon Bicycle Racing Association and local bicycle enthusiasts to bring statewide bike races to Albany. The department also works with the local cycling community to co-teach bike safety and provide bike safety inspections. The City's land use policies and regulations encourage compact and dense growth, together with development of a multi-modal transportation system. Together, those policies are intended to over time reduce dependency on the automobile and encourage other modes such as bicycling, walking, and transit.

Most Recent Bicycle-Related Accomplishment: Albany recently created an extension of a collector street with bike lanes to a new elementary school on the east side of the City.   They have also worked on the development of an update to their Transportation System Plan with identification and inclusion of new bicycle system projects.  The recent Transportation System Plan update expands on the City's previous efforts by planning and identifying funding to develop a system of bicycle boulevards and multi-use paths. These 34 bicycle-specific infrastructure projects will link to the City's existing network and also connect Albany to the neighboring communities of Corvallis and Lebanon.