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 large image of the Kingston Greenline 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.
To track the impact of complete street projects and direct future work, Kingston is studying how people using micromobility (bikes, scooters, skateboards, etc.) and pedestrians get around town. You can read the City's latest report here:
2026 Micromobility and Pedestrian Count Report
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.
Further, starting the Summer of 2018, the City began installing public Electric Vehicle Charging Stations.
You can read about Kingston's public charging station network in the following report:
2026 Public EV Charging Report
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
|