My ride today included this segment along the southern portion of the Uncle Sam Bikeway in Troy, NY. Despite the overcast sky, the trees are just starting to bloom and the temperature was moderate and winds gentle, so it was a pleasant enough ride.

The end of the bikeway can be harrowing though, as you can see. There isn’t a proper end: it just dumps you onto the sidewalk (which then leads nowhere, with no cutouts or anything).

This is one of a number of examples throughout the Capital District of bike infrastructure that’s so incomplete that the engineers simply advise cyclists to dismount, as if that was an acceptable expectation. There are numerous cyclists who ride but are not capable of walking. What are they supposed to do in a situation like this?

The end of the bikeway abuts an area that’s been studied by the local MPO for improvement (the bridge over the Hudson needs to be updated or replaced). I submitted a public comment on the project back in January. Hopefully the project sees some major improvements: they’re desperately needed.