Might want to avoid the Northway, this from another list...
Not confirmed though...
May 30 2008
LOUDONVILLE, N.Y.
State police plan to stop bikers heading up the Adirondack Northway on
Friday afternoon, a couple of days before the start of the Americade
motorcycle rally at Lake George.
The mandatory checkpoint will be in place for about two hours at the
I-87 rest area about 40 miles north of Albany in Queensbury. Troopers
will inspect tires, exhaust pipes, licensing and helmets. They'll issue
tickets for so-called "novelty helmets" that provide little protection.
Major William Sprague says motorcycle fatalities rose 29 percent from
2004 to 2006 in New York. Meanwhile, registrations rose, especially
among older riders. More than 50,000 people are expected at Americade,
which runs Monday through Saturday. A checkpoint for southbound traffic
is planned as the rally ends.
May 31 2008
COLONIE -- As next week's Lake George Americade approaches -- and with
motorcycle fatalities on the rise -- State Police are putting the brakes
on bikers who break rules.
Starting Friday afternoon with a Northway checkpoint, an electronic
billboard was directing motorcyclists to enter the rest area just before
Exit 18 in Glens Falls. There, troopers inspected helmets, tires,
exhausts, inspection stickers, lighting and a biker's motorcycle
license. A helicopter circled overhead and troop cars were at the
entrance to discourage bikers who might consider making a run for it,
officials said. Of 123 motorcycles inspected, 48 summonses were issued.
The checkpoint was the first such thorough one conducted by Troop G,
which has 10 counties in its jurisdiction. It will be repeated next
weekend as those attending the bikers' extravaganza leave for home, said
Maj. William Sprague of Troop G's headquarters in Loudonville.
The crackdown was in response to what Sprague called an "alarming trend"
in fatalities. In New York, deaths from motorcycle accidents jumped 29
percent from 2004 to 2006 "at a time when we were experiencing record
low fatalities in other motor vehicle accidents," Sprague told a morning
news conference.
In 2005, motor vehicle fatalities totaled 1,410 statewide, a record low,
the major said. The following year, they increased to 1,433. Had it not
been for motorcycle fatalities included in that 2006 tally, the state
would have had another record low, he said.
Sgt. Daniel Larkin of the State Police Traffic Services Section at
division headquarters said the "increasing trend of fatalities is so
pronounced it offsets the gain in seatbelt use" that has cut down on
automobile deaths.
Factors contributing to motorcycle fatalities include increased engine
size and speed capability as well as lack of driver training and
awareness, and an increase in the use of substandard and illegal
helmets, along with "brazen and stunt driving," Sprague said.
More and more motorcycles are on the road, partly due to high gasoline
prices, Sprague said. Checkpoints are geared to identifying faulty
equipment and unlicensed operation.
Over Memorial Day weekend, troopers conducted a checkpoint at the annual
AmJam motorcycle rally in Cobleskill. Troop G spokeswoman Trooper
Maureen Tuffey said 165 tickets were issued; 44 were for illegal
helmets.
At the Lake George event that starts Monday, troopers will set up a
motorcycle education and awareness station.
Larkin encourages those who ride, regardless of their experience, to
sign up for the state Department of Motor Vehicles training course.
Sgt. James Halvorsen, a motorcycle trooper, showed a good helmet with
1-inch-to-1-inch thickness to help absorb impact, compared to a bad --
and illegal -- helmet, known as a skid lid or hard baseball cap,
providing no protection.
Clothing with "retro reflective material" also is recommended, Halvorsen
said.
