Historical Marker Celebrating 1898 Union Avenue Bike Path Installed

SARATOGA SPRINGS — A historical marker commemorating the 1898 Union Avenue bike path was installed in front of the Empire State College building at 2 Union Ave. on May 30. 

“The 1890s bicycle boom changed America and it changed Saratoga Springs,” said Bikeatoga Advocacy Chair Ed Lindner. The marker is meant to be celebrated by cyclists and history buffs alike. 

“Working-class families that couldn’t afford a horse and carriage had access to cheap and reliable transportation. For the first time, Saratogians of every social class could easily and quickly make trips around the city and to surrounding towns for commerce, employment, and social interaction,” Lindner said. 

A newspaper account of Saratoga Springs in 1895 declared a “Bicycle Summer,” reporting that 50 to 100 riders headed out to Saratoga Lake each morning, where hotels and roadhouses provided bicycle storage rooms and a hearty meal. Saratoga residents subsequently built a network of bicycle paths around the city that became the envy of neighboring communities. 

The historical marker, funded by a grant from the William G. Pomeroy Foundation to Saratoga nonprofit Bikeatoga, was installed on Union Avenue near the location of the original bike path. 

“Bicycles and bike paths were very much part of the history and culture of Saratoga’s golden age.” Lindner said. “We can honor that history by building the bike lanes envisioned in our present-day Complete Streets plan, here on Union Avenue and throughout the city.” 

Bikeatoga is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation created in 2005 dedicated to making cycling more convenient, accessible, and safer in and around Saratoga Springs.The group operates a bike workshop in the basement of St. Peter’s Church that repairs and recycles used bikes and gets them back out into the community on a free or “pay what you can” basis. In 2023, Saratoga families adopted almost 700 bikes from Bikeatoga.