Bicyclists Bring Business Workshop Lights Up Electric City

On September 15 and 16, Parks & Trails New York and the NYS Canal Corporation held their 10th annual Bicyclists Bring Business event in Schenectady. According to a 2014 Economic Impact Study of the Erie Canalway Trail, conducted by PTNY and funded in part by the NYS Canal Corporation and Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor (ECNHC), the Erie Canalway Trail generates an economic impact of more than $250 million and supports more than 3,400 jobs. Looking to learn more about this growing economic impact, dozens of business owners, community leaders, planners, and interested citizens attended an evening roundtable event at the historic Vaudeville-era Proctors Theatre in Downtown Schenectady.

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The location and venue appropriately demonstrated the interest in marketing the city’s businesses to cyclists arriving from the Erie Canalway Trail/ Mohawk-Hudson Bike-Hike Trail. Bicycle-friendly businesses such as the Stockade Inn complement a vibrant downtown with amenities that include dozens of restaurants and bars, hotels and bed and breakfasts, and entertainment consisting of a live Broadway theatre and a multiplex movie theatre. Schenectady’s compact downtown, historic architecture, and cultural richness make it an ideal stop for cyclists looking for a place to rest after a long day of biking or a short ride from an adjacent town or neighborhood.

Attendees participated in two presentations – an overview of the Erie Canalway Trail by the Canal Corporation’s Trails Director, John DiMura and a look at cycling tourism trends in the United States and Canada by PTNY’s Executive Director, Robin Dropkin. An engaging discussion among the diverse group followed. All attendees received a copy of the PTNY and Canal Corporation handbook, Bicyclists Bring Business: A Guide for Attracting Bicyclists to New York’s Canal Communities.

b3-bikaround-1.gifThe following morning, a small group showed up on their bicycles to participate in a short bike-a-round along a route that highlighted the Erie Canalway Trail’s eastern and western approaches into Schenectady, the historic Stockade District, and connections between the trail and downtown. Using the checklist at the end of the Bicyclists Bring Business handbook, riders discussed signage and ease of navigation into and out of downtown, the presence of trailside businesses, and suggestions for improving trail blaze frequency and wayfinding signage. This discussion occurred over lunch at Bombers Burrito Bar on State Street in Downtown Schenectady.

In the coming months, Parks & Trails New York will be releasing a report summarizing the event and offer suggestions for increasing Schenectady’s marketability to Erie Canalway Trail tourists. Thanks to Proctors Theatre, the City of Schenectady, Schenectady County, the Capital District Transportation Committee, and the Friends of the Mohawk-Hudson Bike-Hike Trail for helping PTNY and the NYS Canal Cororation put on another successful Bicyclists Bring Business event.



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