Uncle

Sam Bikeway
The Uncle Sam Bikeway (USB) is a 3.5 mile multiuse path on a former UncleSamBikewayTrailUsersbyZipCode
railroad bed running northsouth in the City of Troy. The trail begins at
Middleburgh Street and ends at Northern Drive in Lansingburgh and
connects neighborhoods with parks, schools, and various commercial and
retail establishments. The corridor formerly served the Troy and Boston
Railroad, the Fitchburg Railroad, and lastly the Boston and Maine Railroad
andwasdismantledinthe1970s.TheUSBwasopenedin1981.

NoontrailsurveyswerecompletedontheUSBand18trailusersreported
using the USB. A total of 85 surveys were mailed to adjacent residential
property owners and 16 were returned. Based on the online trail user
survey responses, users came from 10 different zip codes. The zip codes
with the highest number of trail users were Troy, Niskayuna, Albany, and
Delmar.Trailcountdatacollectedshowedmorebicycliststhanpedestrians
intheGardenCourtareaofthetrailbutmorepedestriansthanbicyclistsin
the114Streetareaofthetrailandmoremaleusersatbothlocations.

Whilethetrailfeelsisolateditconnectsurbanneighborhoodsandproperty
uses.Trailuseslightlyincreasedsince2006.

Uncle Sam Bikeway, Troy

Adjacent Residential Survey Summary
Whichofthefollowingmostaccuratelydescribeshowyouuse
yourpropertyneartheTrail? Whatistheapproximatecurrentvalueofyourproperty?
Lessthan$99,999 4 25.0%
Itismyprimaryresidence 16 100.0%
$100,000199,999 9 56.3%
Irenttoatenant,anddo $200,000299,999 1 6.3%
notoccupytheresidence 0 0.0%
$300,000399,999 1 6.3%
Itismysecondhome 0 0.0%
$400,000$499,999 0 0.0%
Itisunoccupied 0 0.0%
$500,000ormore 0 0.0%
Other 0 0.0%
Noanswer 1 6.3%
Whereisthetrailinrelationtoyourpropertyline?
Howwouldyoudescribethesettingofyourhousenearthe
Thetrailrunsthroughmy trail?
property 0 0.0% Urban 3 18.8%
thetrailrunsalongtheedge Suburban 10 62.5%
ofmyproperty 7 43.8% Rural 2 12.5%
Thetrailisnearmyproperty Noanswer 1 6.3%
butnottouchingit 8 50.0% Whendidyouacquireyourhouse?
Don'tknow 0 0.0% Afterthetrailwasbuilt 11 68.8%
Noanswer 1 6.3% BeforetheTrailwasbuilt 4 25.0%
Approximatelyhowfar(infeet)istherailtrailfromyourhouse? Noanswer 1 6.3%
Lessthan100ft. 6 37.5% Compareyourinitialreactiontotheideaoflivingnearthetrail
100ft.to199ft. 3 18.8% tohowyoufeelaboutlivingnearthetrailtoday.Wouldyousay
200ft.to499ft. 5 31.3% thatlivingnearthetrailisbetterorworsethanyouexpectedit
500ft.ormore 1 6.3% tobe?
Noanswer 1 6.3% Muchbetter 2 12.5%
Approximatelyhowlargeisyourproperty? Better 3 18.8%
Lessthan1/2acre 10 62.5% Same 9 56.3%
Between1/2and1acre 5 31.3% Worse 2 12.5%
Between1and3acres 1 6.3% Muchworse 0 0.0%
3acresormore 0 0.0%
Doyoufeelthetrailposesarisktoyourownoryourfamily's Howdoyoufeelthetrailhasaffectedthequalityofyour
safetyduetotheactivitiesoftrailusers? neighborhood?
Yes 3 18.8% Highlyimproved 3 18.8%
No 9 56.3% Improved 1 6.3%
Noopinion 3 18.8% Noimpact 8 50.0%
Noanswer 1 6.3% Worsened 3 18.8%
Ifyouweretotryandsellyourproperty,doyouthinkbeing Completelydeteriorated 0 0.0%
nearthetrailwillmakeitharderoreasiertosell? Noanswer 1 6.3%
Mucheasier 1 6.3% Doyoufeelyourproximitytothetrailhasimprovedyour
Easier 4 25.0% physicalactivitylevels?
Same 7 43.8% Yes 6 37.5%
Harder 3 18.8% No 8 50.0%
Muchharder 0 0.0% Notsure 0 0.0%
Noanswer 1 6.3% Noanswer 2 12.5%
Howdoyouthinkbeinglocatednearthetrailhasaffectedthe Doyoufeelthatthedevelopmentandmanagementoftrailisa
resalevalueofthisproperty? gooduseofpublicfunds?
Loweredtheresalevalue 2 12.5% Yes 7 43.8%
Increasedtheresalevalue 3 18.8% No 5 31.3%
Noeffectontheresale Noopinion 1 6.3%
value 5 31.3% Noanswer 3 18.8%
Noopinion 4 25.0% Howoftendothemembersofyourhouseholdusethetrail?
Noanswer 2 12.5% Daily 0 0.0%
Overall,howsatisfiedareyouwithhavingthetrailasa Frequently 3 18.8%
neighbor? Occasionally 3 18.8%
Verysatisfied 2 12.5% Rarely 5 31.3%
Satisfied 5 31.3% Never 3 18.8%
Indifferent 5 31.3% Noanswer 2 12.5%
Unsatisfied 3 18.8%
Veryunsatisfied 0 0.0%
Noanswer 1 6.3%
 Towhatextentdoyoufeelthefollowingitemsareproblemsforyourhouseholdasaresultofthetrailanditsusers?

1(Notaproblem) 2 3(Noopinion) 4 5(Majorproblem)

Disruptivenoisefromthetrail
Burglaryofmyproperty
Discourteous,rudeusers
Unleashedandroamingpets
Petwasteon/nearmyproperty
Carsparkingon/nearmyproperty
Vandalismofmyproperty
Usersharassmypets
Trespassingontomyproperty
Loiteringon/nearmyproperty
Litteron/nearmyproperty
Illegalmotorvehicleuse
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16

Towhatextentdoyoufeelthatthetrailisimportantinprovidingthefollowingbenefitstothesurroundingcommunity?

1(Notimportant 2 3(Noopinion) 4 5(Veryimportant)

Locaionforspecialevents

Transportationalternatives

Environmentaleducationopportunities

Openspaceconservation

Waterfrontaccess/revitalization

Toursim&relatedeconomicbenefits

Safeopportunitisforhealthandfitness

Safeopportunitiesforpublicrecreation

0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16