Press Release: NYS June 7, 2004

Governor George E. Pataki today announced that the New York State Department of Transportation will designate five new bicycle routes across the State -- adding 519 miles of signed bike routes to the State highway system.

The Governor made the announcement as cyclists from across the State celebrated the 10th anniversary of the State’s first numbered bicycle route by participating in a week-long bicycle ride across New York State Bicycle Route 5, which stretches from Buffalo to the Massachusetts state line in Columbia County. The ride, known as the “5 is 10 Challenge,” is sponsored by the State Department of Transportation and the New York Bicycling Coalition.

“New York State already provides a vast network of bike routes for cyclists to enjoy, and the planned expansion of this network will allow these riders to see even more of our great State,” Governor Pataki said. “Bicycle Route 5 represents the central artery in what will become a greater network of interconnecting bicycle routes that will one day span the Northeast, enabling bicycle enthusiasts from across the nation to enjoy the natural beauty and richness of our scenic travel corridors along our safest, most bicycle-friendly highways.”

Jesse Day, Executive Director of the New York Bicycling Coalition said, “We are grateful for Governor Pataki and the Department of Transportation’s continued support of bicycling activities, especially this announcement of plans for even more signed, on-road routes - like Bicycle Route 5 - that enable enthusiasts to travel the far reaches of the Empire State on some of New York’s most scenic highways.”

The week-long 5 is 10 Challenge commenced this morning in a ceremony at Goat Island State Park in Niagara Falls. Bicyclists will ride five individual legs along the route to the Empire State Plaza in Albany on June 11th.

Numbered State bicycle routes facilitate bicycle travel on the main State highway networks along popular travel corridors. The State Department of Transportation works to ensure that only those State highways most palatable for safe bicycle travel are selected to be part of a numbered route.

State Bicycle Route 5, which extends approximately 365 miles along a series of state highways from Niagara Falls to the Massachusetts state line in Columbia County, was designated the first such bicycle route on June 11, 1994 as the first in a series of numbered, on-road, long-distance routes developed as an alternative to off-road trails for experienced bicyclists.

The route was followed by two other numbered Bike routes - State Bicycle Route 9, extending 345 miles along the Hudson River/ Lake Champlain corridor from New York City to the Village of Rouses Point in Clinton County, in 1995 and State Bicycle Route 17, extending 435 miles along the Southern Tier corridor from Chautauqua County to the City of Beacon in Dutchess County in 1997.

Combined, these routes will comprise an interconnecting network of numbered bicycle routes creating the beginnings of a Northeast bicycle network.

The five new routes will include:

• State Bicycle Route 11 - Route will extend 135 miles from the City of Watertown in Jefferson County to the Pennsylvania border in Broome County, where it will link up with Pennsylvania Bicycle Route L. The route will serve as an extension of an existing route between Watertown and the City of Plattsburgh, Clinton County;
• State Bicycle Route 14 - Route will extend 96 miles from the Town of Sodus in Wayne County to the Pennsylvania border in Chemung County, where it will link up with Pennsylvania Bicycle Route G;
• State Bicycle Route 19 - Route will extend 112 miles from the Lake Ontario State Parkway in Monroe County northwest of Rochester to the Town of Angelica in Allegany County;
• State Bicycle Route 20 - Route will extend 93 miles from the City of Lockport in Niagara County to the Pennsylvania border in Chautauqua County, where it will link up with Pennsylvania Bicycle Route Z; and
• State Bicycle Route 25 - Route will extend 83 miles from the Nassau/Suffolk County line to Orient Point on the eastern tip of Long Island in Suffolk County.

Criteria used to evaluate the suitability of a potential bike route include traffic volumes, width of lanes and shoulders, number of driveways and intersections, truck volumes, and average vehicle speeds. The State Department of Transportation is currently in the process of evaluating the best possible highway segments to utilize for these new routes, expected to take several months. New signs should be appearing by this autumn, with all routes expected to be signed by spring 2005.

Aside from its support for the establishment of numbered bicycle routes, New York State has spearheaded efforts to improve facilities for bicyclists, including policies to incorporate bicycling amenities into appropriate construction projects, and supporting bicycle and pedestrian education efforts.

State Department of Transportation Commissioner Joseph H. Boardman said, “Under the leadership of Governor Pataki, New York State has worked to provide amenities and safe routes of travel for bicyclists from the tip of Long Island to the shores of Lake Erie. We will continue to work in support of facilities and infrastructure that will encourage biking as an alternative to driving, and as a means of recreational enjoyment.”