SpeakUpAlbany

With the addition of all the new parking garages for AMC, the new traffic lights on Holland Avenue, and all the traffic that leaves the vicinity at 4:30 every day, there have been backups from Delaware Avenue through New Scotland Avenue (and further) on both sides of the road due to congestion. Often the traffic lights (such as the one in front of the VA) allow people from the VA and from the Albany Law parking lot to enter onto Holland, but not enough time for those on Holland to continue on their journey. Hackett backs up as well, as people use Clara Barton Road to try to bypass the traffic. It seems when they did the new intersection at Delaware and Morton, they should have added a third lane for right-turn only onto Delaware to help with the traffic.

Since the city of Albany decided to make the first half of Notre Dame drive a one-way street by Albany Law, traffic leaving the university heights area has been a living nightmare ESPECIALLY in inclement weather (which includes snow AND rain). Several times in the last year alone it has taken me more than one hour to go from outside the Law school to Clara Barton Drive (which should also have a light at its exit onto Hackett). This issue has only gotten worse as the pharmacy school has taken over the old transportation building and increased traffic. Why was the change made, and couldn't the city do a traffic study on this area to alleviate the congestion? In gridlocked conditions, people make Notre Dame a two-way street anyway - just to make it out onto Holland without running out of gas waiting in your car for SOMEONE to move. There should also be a left-turning signal and separate lane on Princeton Drive's exit onto Holland Ave, as it is nearly impossible to make a left-hand turn at rush hour especially with the VA traffic.

Owner is destroying historic houses by leaving them empty. Houses should be put up for rent or sold.

The time has come to retire Larkfest. Anyone who walked the area today and tonight saw our streets, sidewalks, tree beds, front yards and stoops destroyed with trash, food, cigarette butts, broken bottles, spilled alcohol, etc. Other than the bars, many of the businesses say Lark Fest actually decreases their business and certainly does not result in increased revenue. On top of that, tax dollars have to be spent on increased police and DGS presence and overtime. The Executive Director of the BID does not live here, so makes decisions without experiencing the ramifications. Larkfest was intended to be a celebration of what we have to offer, but it hasn't been that for a long time. It merely reinforces the stereotype that all this area has to offer is alcohol which further injures the neighborhood economically and otherwise. Then, when the official "Larkfest" ends, even greater problems of noise, drunkenness, public urination, vomiting, fighting, property destruction, etc. go into full swing until after 4:00 AM bar closings. All told this event negatively affects the area for at least 24 hours. The people who live here, and invest in this community every day, are left to manage this mess with no balancing benefit. The BID needs to show the neighborhood, in unequivocal provable data, how this event helps retail businesses and restaurants (whose primary business is not alcohol, pizza, or ice cream), and how the cost for the event (in time, money, effort, manpower, damage, lost parking, lost street access, lost sleep and quality of life etc.) is worth what it does to the neighborhood and its reputation.

Ever since St. Peter's made a policy of "no smoking" on hospital grounds, their employees have been crossing the street to smoke under the canopies of the businesses along New Scotland Avenue. In doing so, they drop their cigarette butts and gum all over the sidewalk. The business owners have complained to Saint Peter's to no avail.

This is not only a health hazard for residents walking along the sidewalk and having to breathe cigarette smoke, but going in and out of any business is also unpleasant. The clouds of smoke hover, and customers should not have to be exposed to this unpleasantness. It wasn't so bad when the policy began but this winter dozens of smokers congregated regularly in front of Subway, and yesterday the sidewalks were a disgrace.

I suggest the city make a NO SMOKING area from the corner of New Scotland at South Manning, to New Scotland at West Lawrence. Punishable by a fine.

Saint Peter's has a responsibility to create a smoking area for their employees. Their problem should not compromise taxpaying businesses.

Zoar Avenue between Lincoln and Central is an absolute mess. So many potholes you can barely drive down it'. There are lots of people who take this road to drop the kids off to school as well as go between central and Lincoln and the roads are so bad that you have to basically drive on the other side of the road to avoid them. This needs to be fixed quickly.

Panhandling is getting out of control on Lark st...especially on weekends. Can't even walk outside or dine at a restaurant sidewalk patio without getting harassed for money.

the number of people sleeping in Washington Park continues to proliferate. There are now multiple encampments of homeless living in tents throughout the park. As you can see in the pictures, they leave refuse all around their encampments and now actually bathing and in the park. it's amazing that these "Sheehan Shantytowns" are allowed to stay in place. The mayor and the APD are allowing this once pristine city resource to fall into neglect.

Many drivers interpret this as a two lane road and speed as a result. There are no lane demarcations as there are going east in the same location. As resident of this area, I would appreciate creating a median to help calm traffic and make this a more pedestrian friendly area.

At what point do the Lark Tavern and Lionheart lose the privilege to operate in a mixed-use area? Neither establishment is willing to control itself or its patrons and both incessantly disturb the surrounding community with their customers too frequently also getting into verbal and physical altercations. It's once again hours past time for outdoor areas to be closed and customers and noise to be inside. Police patrols, however, are driving directly past large loud crowds on the patios and sidewalks in front of both establishments, and doing nothing as is typical. Lark Tavern also has its door open again with music amplified throughout the neighborhood. Yes, residents have already called APD. A supervisor needs to train officers to understand and enforce city ordinances while on their patrols without residents having to call to remind APD of its job. This ordinance is simple: Seven days per week, patios in mixed use areas must close by 11:00 PM with doors closed and music and other noise contained inside. Residents of Dana, Madison, Willett and Lark have our quality of life negatively impacted multiple times weekly when we could co-exist fine if establishments would respect the neighborhood in which they do business and follow city laws and ordinances. If they can't do that, their permits should be suspended or revolked. Instead, they thumb their noses because they are allowed to at the expense of many others. And please stop insulting resident and tax payers with the repetitive pat answer: contact 518-438-4000, Joe Lynch and Supervisor Dolan. Exactly how many times do members of APD (and the BID and Common Council Representative, for that matter) need to be told the same thing for it to be addressed in a way that deters it from continuing? The above groups/individuals are already well aware of this problem and fully capable of resolving it. How many citations and fines, for example, has each establishment received for their violations? I'm betting, none. There aren't many jobs where it's considered an acceptable response to tell victims their only recourse is to keep informing the same people of the same issue in perpetuity. We've done our part. The city needs to do it's.

The intersection at the corner of Homestead St and Hazelhurst Ave is well known as a dangerous intersection. Serious accidents have occurred here, crossing the street with your children is dangerous, and anyone turning left from Homestead to Hazelhurst knows there is a chance for an accident anytime that turn is made. The issue is that the intersection is at the top of a hill so you cannot see if anyone is coming up from the other side until it's too late. The issue has been raised by many local residents through various forums but never addressed, and no acceptable reason has been provided for why a sign cannot be put here.

This new city of Albany website is a great idea to get issues like this more widely recognized and to show support. Thank you to the city for making this service available.

Hello, per a previous report (Dog Waster Station) a garbage can was supposed to be placed on the corner of West Lawrence and Manning last week (on the St Anne's side of the street). I just check and no garbage can has been placed yet.