Transportation
Kingston on the Move-A strategic transportation planning sub-committee of the Complete Streets Advisory Council is working with the current administration to create a new vision and action plan for transportation in Kingston.
This sub-committee envisions the City of Kingston as a vibrant, bustling community, with a safe and reliable transportation system that moves and connects people to places, with a variety of motorized and non-motorized options working together to provide users with a seamless and stress-free experience.
For full, up to date information on Kingston's Transportation Projects, see: Kingston on the Move
Kingston Greenline – The Kingston Greenline is a vision for a network of urban trails, bikeways, water-trails, walkable sidewalks and complete streets. The project is a partnership initiative of the City of Kingston, Kingston Land Trust and Ulster County. To learn more visit the Kingston Greenline page.
View a PDF of the Kingston Greenline Project Status Map.
Complete Streets - “Complete Streets” is a term used to describe ordinary city streets that are designed to allow people of all ages and abilities to:
- walk
- bike
- take the bus
- and drive less
By “completing the street” to encourage movement, kids, grandparents, adults of all ages can be active, healthy and feel connected to their neighborhoods. To read more about this program, visit the Complete Streets Advisory Council page.
Greening Our Streetlights – Kingston’s street lights consume 1.9 million kWh of energy annually. Kingston retrofitted all of our existing street lights to energy efficient LED street lights, which resulted in a retrofit of over 2,200 municipal street lights to LED.
Street Light FAQ
Project Website
Green Fleet and EV Charging –
Kingston is advancing efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions of municipal vehicles by purchasing hybrid and full electric vehicles, installing electric vehicle (EV) charging stations and hiring an Environmental Asset Manager who will manage the fleet and update the greenhouse gas inventory.
In 2022, City staff and administration developed and adopted the City of Kingston Green Fleet Policy. This policy, which applies to the municipal fleet, sets clear guidelines and goals for purchasing City vehicles. The purpose of this policy is to implement the City’s intent to:
- Give priority to purchasing hybrid, hybrid-electric, battery powered, and other green vehicles when commercially available and practicable.
- Eliminate unnecessary idling of vehicles in order to reduce the community’s exposure to exhaust from gasoline and diesel engines.
- Ensure that a review of each individual vehicle purchase is made so that as the City replaces its aging fleet, the long-term environmental and monetary benefits of purchasing green vehicles are taken into account.
Through this policy Kingston shall purchase the most energy efficient and cost effective vehicles possible that meet the operational needs of the City.
The City has been working towards a goal of retrofitting the municipal fleet to have 20% comprised of alternative fuel vehicles by 2020. In 2016 and in 2017, the City of Kingston purchased two alternate fuel vehicles each year for our fleet, bringing the total to 4: one each in the Building Safety Division, Parks and Recreation, the Police Department, and City
Hall. In 2018, three more EVs were purchased for the Building Safety Division bringing the total up to 7 EV's in the City's fleet. In 2019, three more EVs were purchased, one for the Comptroller's Office and two for the Buildings Safety Division, bringing the total fleet to 10 EV's. In 2020, two more EVs were purchased for KPD, resulting in 12 total EVs. In 2021, one additional EV has been purchased, bringing the total to 13 EVs in the City Fleet.
| Year |
# EVs added to Fleet |
| 2016/2017 |
4 |
| 2018 |
3 |
| 2019 |
3 |
| 2020 |
2 |
| 2021 |
1 |
Further, in the Summer of 2018, the City
installed three new public Electric Vehicle Charging Stations in the following municipal lots: Cornell St, Dock Street, and Lower Broadway.
In 2019, a new EV Charging Station was installed in a city municipal lot: the Building Safety Department's lot off of Garraghan Drive. Additionally, a new EV Charging Station will be installed as part of the DRI investment upgrades at Dietz Stadium and in the Prince Street lot, in 2022.
In January 2022, the City received funding from NYS DEC Municipal Zero-Emission Vehicle (ZEV) program for six additional Level 2 electric vehicle charging ports. With the funding, the City of Kingston will install two new EV charging stations at Block Park, North Front Street and at the City’s Building Safety Office on Garraghan Drive.
As of January, 2023, the Kingston EV Charging Stations have saved 257,828 kg of GHG emissions, cumulatively.
that’s like planting 4,263trees and letting them grow for 10 years
NYSERDA CEC and the City's Electric Vehicle Community Campaign
The City of Kingston prioritizes the transition of from gas powered to electric-powered vehicles in the municipal fleet. To further ramp up private ownership in the City of Kingston, in November 2023, the City launched an Electric Vehicle Community Campaign through the NYSERDA Clean Energy Communities Program! The goal of our campaign is to spread information about the ins and outs of owning an electric vehicle, learn about the variety of makes and models of available EVs, provide opportunities to hear directly from experts on why EVs make sense, all to help residents get ready for your EV purchase. Many new affordable EVs are on the market, and with recent rebates and discounts, it's more possible than ever to find the right EV in your price range.
To participate in the Electric Vehicle Community Campaign, or for more information on makes, models, and local dealerships, please reach out to the Sustainability Office at 845-481-7334.
Smart Mobility Solutions
In the Spring of 2019, the City of Kingston partnered with the Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA) to complete a Capstone project to address sustainability mobility through transportation solutions in the City of Kingston. To arrive at a final recommendation, the team conducted a needs assessment, surveyed emerging smart mobility solutions, and evaluated potential solutions against three core values — sustainability, financial viability, and system-wide synergy.
The final proposal recommends four initiatives — City Fleet, Walk Kingston, Smart Parking, and Signal Priority — and includes implementation plans and financial models to pilot each initiative. In addition, the report considers a range of sustainable mobility enablers that will be essential to implementing the initiatives, including governance strategies, additional financing sources, and regulatory considerations. The combination of initiatives and enablers is designed to improve mobility, lower emissions, and boost economic development.
Final Sustainable Mobility Report
|
SHORT-LISTED SOLUTIONS
|
Realistic in Near-Term
|
| Connected Buses (TSP) |
Yes |
| Integrated smart phone app with public transit info |
Yes |
| Car sharing |
Yes |
| Connected and AV |
No |
| Dockless bike share |
Yes |
| Pedal-assist, E-bikes |
Yes |
| Micromobility SAAS platform |
Yes |
| Countdown clocks at bus stops |
Yes |
| Adaptive signal control system |
No |
| Connected signals (V2I) ; Signal priority for sustainable modes |
Yes |
| Dynamic lanes* (pending research) |
No |
| Dynamic parking pricing |
Yes |
| Parking sensors |
Yes |
| Pedestrian Priority Zone (PPZ) |
No |
|
Gamification to encourage walking
|
Yes
|