State of the Streets
Winter 2026 we saw a new mayor welcomed to Albany, the same unpopular concept for Rt 2 (Congress & Ferry) being double-down on in Troy, and a whole lot of snow dumped onto our streets that stuck around obstructing our crosswalks, sidewalks, bike lanes and pedestrian paths on bridges much longer than acceptable.
These are our thoughts on the state of our streets…
Albany
In her State of the City address on January 27, 2026, Mayor Applyrs spoke on how quality of life issues are what residents feel most, highlighting the need to address transportation and infrastructure inequities as issues related to public health and quality of life.
We were especially excited to hear Mayor Applyrs celebrate the success of implementing 25 mph limits and speed cameras reducing speeding in school zones, specifically stating, “we have to do all that we can to protect our kids,” as we continue to call on The City of Albany to invest in road safety near schools.
We agree! If you support this as a priority for the new administration, sign onto the Albany’s Kids Deserve Safe Streets letter put together by Capital Streets and Walkable Albany in conjunction with Albany-area schools’ Parent Teacher Associations.
Our communities need safe road design standards and traffic calming around Albany’s schools, and we need our elected leaders to know how important this is to residents.
Troy
At Mayor Mantello’s State of the City Address in Troy on February 11, 2026, the Mayor touted repaving streets and making curb ramps ADA compliant as key infrastructure accomplishments and quality of life improvements, but given the state of Troy’s streets and lack of progress on actual safety improvements, we are still left wondering “quality of life for who?”
As streets are repaved and restriped in Troy (ex. Spring Ave) the City continues to ignore its own Complete Streets Ordinance and Bicycle Connections Plan. The pavement might be smoother in some places, but drivers are still speeding, pedestrians are still forced to walk in the roadway, and residents are still dealing with noisy traffic.
During her address, the Mayor doubled-down on her unpopular concept for Rt 2 (Congress & Ferry), which we campaigned extensively against in late October after the draft design report for the project was quietly uploaded and public comment was not announced or encouraged by the City (thank you to everyone who answered the call to action and submitted comments during that narrow window). The lack of transparency and outreach to those who will be most impacted by this project remains extremely concerning, as the City’s design puts drivers speeding through Downtown before our residents and local businesses, without justification or explanation.
The Mayor did not address whether finding a new Commissioner of Planning & Economic Development is a priority, a crucial role that has been vacant since May of last year. We see these blindspots and misdirections as major problems for the City of Troy.
Snow Removal
Weeks after the region’s first major snowstorm of 2026 in January, we observed that many sidewalks, crosswalks, bridges and bike lanes were still unusable and full of snow between Albany and Troy.
And so, this winter we’ve been calling upon our cities to clear obstructions in crosswalks, sidewalks, and bike lanes, and to reprioritize their approach to snow removal to assure our communities are accessible for all PEOPLE (not just motor vehicles).
When cities prioritize plowing roads first and sidewalks last (or never), it demonstrates a commitment to vehicular movement over the safety and access of people walking, biking, and using transit. Snowbanks that trap pedestrians and wheelchair users, and poorly cleared, icy sidewalks demonstrate an inequitable, even discriminatory, approach to snow removal that ignores our most vulnerable residents.
We encourage you to share any story you may have about how the lack of maintenance has impacted your experience getting around by emailing us at info@capitalstreet.org
