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Walking and Bicycling Resources

We engage in a variety of tasks to improve access via walking and bicycling. This work includes implementing recommendations from Walk Bike Dutchess (our Pedestrian and Bicycle Plan), coordinating a Bicycle-Pedestrian Advisory Committee, promoting Complete Streets, and providing information to improve walking and bicycling in our area.

 

Complete Streets

“Complete Streets” is the concept that streets should be planned, designed, operated and maintained to support safe travel of all kinds: walking, bicycling, riding the bus, and driving, by people of all ages and abilities. Depending on the street’s characteristics and land use context, Complete Streets may include sidewalks, crosswalks, paved shoulders, bicycle lanes, bus pull-outs, traffic calming measures, or other features. Complete Streets support local businesses, promote economic development, improve health and safety, and make our communities more inviting.

In 2016, the Dutchess County Legislature adopted a Complete Streets Policy (.pdf). The policy applies to transportation-related elements of projects involving County property (including roads, parks, and buildings), as well as public and private projects over which the County Department of Public Works has permitting authority. 

Municipalities, counties, and states across the country have adopted Complete Streets policies, including many other counties in New York. Locally, the Town of Fishkill adopted a Complete Streets policy in 2013, the City of Beacon adopted Complete Streets guidelines in 2016, the Town of Pleasant Valley adopted a policy in 2021, and the Town of North East adopted a policy in 2022. New York State passed a Complete Streets Act in 2011.

Why a Complete Streets Committee?

Walk Bike Dutchess, the Pedestrian & Bicycle Plan for Dutchess County, recommended the creation of an inter-departmental Complete Streets Committee to develop a Complete Streets policy for Dutchess County and to promote walking and bicycling. The Committee includes staff from Planning & Development, Public Works, Behavioral and Community Health, Office for the Aging, Division of Public Transit, Traffic Safety Board, and the Sheriff's Office. We coordinate the committee and serve as a liaison between County departments and with local municipalities, NYSDOT, and others. 

The Committee shares resources and ideas to promote walking and bicycling in the county. Our products are listed below.

Complete Streets Vision Statement

Dutchess County shall strive to plan, design, construct, operate, and maintain its streets, bridges, bus system (buses, stops, shelters, etc.), parks, trails, and buildings to promote safe, comfortable, efficient, and convenient travel for people of all ages and abilities, and for all types of transportation, including walking, bicycling, riding the bus, and driving, to the greatest extent possible. Over time, these facilities will be integrated into a countywide network that promotes the health, safety, environment, and economic vitality of Dutchess County and makes it a more desirable place to live, work and visit.

Complete Streets Checklist

The Committee developed a Complete Streets Checklist to assist the County in achieving its vision for complete streets. It should be completed for all projects affecting County roads, either by the County’s project manager or the project applicant.

Complete Streets Checklist - fillable form (.pdf) 
         - for best results, right click, select 'save link as', save, and then open the saved file to fill out
           the form.  
Complete Streets Checklist - printable (.pdf)  

Additional Links

Dutchess County Watch Out For Me: Transportation Safety Campaign
Dutchess County Complete Streets 101 flyer (.pdf)
Introduction to Complete Streets presentation (.pdf)
NYSDOT Complete Streets: links to Complete Streets policies, information about funding, design details, and project examples.
National Complete Streets Coalition: best practices for policy development and implementation.

To learn more about services for persons with special needs, see Dutchess County's Think Differently initiative

If you have questions or concerns about accessibility in your area, please contact your municipality.
For issues on State roads, contact NYSDOT-Region 8

Walk Bike Dutchess

Walk Bike Dutchess is our countywide Pedestrian and Bicycle Plan. The Plan identifies strategies to make walking and bicycling better transportation options for more people. It provides policy and design guidance to municipalities and other agencies to help improve conditions for walking and bicycling, focusing on access to schools, transit, parks, and other activity centers. It also provides design guidelines for walking and bicycling facilities and recommends programs to improve safety and promote walking and bicycling. We adopted the Plan in 2014.

Vision Statement: In Dutchess County, walking and bicycling will be part of daily life, providing safe and convenient transportation and recreation.

Chapters (all files .pdf)

All Chapters - (large file size: 36 MB)
Table of Contents
Executive Summary
Chapter 1 - Introduction
Chapter 2 - Federal, State, and Local Guidance
Chapter 3 - Design Guidelines
Chapter 4 - Dutchess County Overview
Introduction to the Planning Area Chapters
Chapter 5.1 - Lower Hudson Planning Area
Chapter 5.2 - Upper Hudson Planning Area
Chapter 5.3 - Lower Taconic Planning Area
Chapter 5.4 - Upper Taconic Planning Area
Chapter 5.5 - Harlem Valley Planning Area
Chapter 6 - County-Wide Recommendations
Chapter 7 - Implementation and Funding

Appendices

All Appendices
A - Public Outreach Summary
B - Moving Dutchess Pedestrian and Bicycle-Related Recommendations
C - Best Practice Bicycle Parking Codes
D - Vehicle and Traffic Law Excerpts
E - Census Data
F - Walk-Bike Dutchess Survey: Paper Form & Overall Results
     Walk-Bike Dutchess Survey Results - Lower Hudson
     Walk-Bike Dutchess Survey Results - Upper Hudson
     Walk-Bike Dutchess Survey Results - Lower Taconic
     Walk-Bike Dutchess Survey Results - Upper Taconic
     Walk-Bike Dutchess Survey Results - Harlem Valley
G - Bicycle Parking Inventory
H - Crash Data
I - Planning Area Recommendations
J - Pedestrian/Bicycle Count Tables & Charts; Ped/Bike Counts, as of September 2014
K - City of Poughkeepsie Bicycle Route Field Data and Bicycle Route Map
L - Project Prioritization Criteria

Links/Resources

1996 Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan
National Bicycle and Pedestrian Documentation Project

Bicycle-Pedestrian Advisory Committee

We coordinate a Bicycle Pedestrian Advisory Committee (BPAC) to assist us with implementing Walk Bike Dutchess, our county-wide Pedestrian & Bicycle Plan, share best practices, and promote walking and bicycling. The BPAC is open to anyone, including representatives from local municipalities, bicycling and walking groups, the public, and staff from other Departments and agencies. It meets quarterly on the last Thursday of January, April, July, and October, and its work is reported to our Planning Committee. 

Click to receive news and announcements about the Bicycle Pedestrian Advisory Committee.

BPAC Meeting Materials (all files .pdf)

2024
October: Agenda; Summary; Recording; Safety Action Plan presentation
July: Agenda; Summary; Recording; City of Ithaca Sidewalk Improvement District Program presentation
April: Agenda; Summary; Recording
January: Agenda; Summary; Recording

2023
October: Agenda; Summary; Recording
July: Agenda: Summary; Recording; Spackenkill Road Sidewalk Feasibility Study presentation
April: Agenda; Summary; Recording, NYSDOT-Region 8 presentation
January: Agenda; Summary; Recording; Dutchess County Public Works presentation

2022
October: Agenda; Summary; Recording; Beacon-Hudson River Trail Presentation
July: Agenda; Summary; Recording; Dover Plains Pedestrian Plan Presentation
April: Agenda; Summary; Recording
January: Agenda; Summary; City of Kingston Broadway Streetscape Presentation 

2021
October: Agenda; Summary; Marist Bicycle Connections Presentation; Recording
July: Agenda; Summary; Hudson Highlands Fjord Trail Presentation
April: Agenda; SummaryParks and Trails App Presentation
January: Agenda; Summary; East Fishkill Rail Tail Connections Presentation

2020
October: Agenda; Summary; Poughkeepsie Urban Trail Presentation
July: Agenda; SummaryHistory of the Walkway Presentation & Outline
April: Agenda; SummaryClimate Smart Communities Presentation
January: Agenda & Summary

2019
October: Agenda & Summary (including Poughkeepsie 9.44.55 and Arlington Main Street presentations)
July: Agenda & Minutes; Town of Red Hook Village to Village Trail presentation
April: Agenda & Minutes; City of Poughkeepsie Bicycle Planning presentation
January: Agenda & Minutes; Vassar College Bike Shop presentation

2018
October: Agenda & Minutes; Town of Hyde Park Sidewalks presentation
July: Agenda & Minutes; Poughkeepsie Pedestrian Assessment presentation
April: Agenda & Minutes
January: Agenda & Minutes

2017
October: Agenda & Minutes (including link to sPOKe presentation)
July: Agenda & Minutes; New York Bicycling Coalition presentation
April: Agenda & Minutes; Planning in Beacon presentation
January: Agenda & Minutes; Watch Out For Me presentation

2016
October: Agenda & Minutes; Market Street Connect presentation
July: Agenda & Minutes; NYS Pedestrian Safety Action Plan presentation
April: Agenda & Minutes, including bridge access discussion with NYS Bridge Authority and Walkway Over the Hudson
January: Agenda & Minutes; Bicycle Friendly Kingston presentation; Kingston Land Trust presentation

2015
October: Agenda & Minutes; Red Hook Trails Plan Map 1 (.pdf) & Map 2
August: Agenda & Minutes; Scenic Hudson- Hudson Highlands Fjord Trail presentation
April: Agenda & Minutes; Pine Plains Pedestrian Plan presentation
January: Agenda & Minutes

Previous Presentations
Winnakee Land Trust presentation (2014)

 

Bicycle Parking

Bicycle parking is critical - people are much more likely to ride to a destination if there is a convenient, secure place to lock their bike. There are two main types of bike parking: short-term and long-term. The DCTC's Bicycle Parking Recommendations (.pdf) outline best practices for bicycle parking. For sample bicycle parking codes, see Walk Bike Dutchess Appendix C. For bicycle parking placement guidelines, see the APBP's Essentials of Bike Parking.

Our Bike Dutchess app includes a searchable map of bicycle parking (along with bike routes, sites of interest, and transit) in Dutchess County. Please call or email us if we are missing a location or if you require further guidance on bicycle parking.

Sample List of Bicycle Parking Manufacturers:
Bicycle Lid (long-term enclosed parking)
Cycle Safe (racks and lockers)
DERO Bicycle Racks (racks and lockers)
Function First Bicycle Security (racks)
Huntco Supply Inc. (racks and lockers)
Jamestown Advanced Products (racks)
Madrax (racks and lockers)
Ground Control Systems (racks and lockers)
Pilot Rock/RJ Thomas (racks)

Additional Walking and Bicycling Links