By Jahasia Esgdaille, Community Engagement Manager at Reconnect Rochester
Author’s note: “Happy New Year! In Fall 2022, I decided to log what a multi-modal week looks like for me and, not so surprisingly, I rely A LOT less on my car than I thought. What does a multi-modal week look like for you?” – Jahasia
Throughout the week I try to leave my car at home as much as possible and use other options of getting around the Flower City, so this was quite a fun experiment to see that I actually rely much less on my car than I thought and really only use it for running errands or to get outside of the city.
I will say that I am privileged to have options to be multi-modal throughout the week. I live in the city on two major bus lines (cheers to the #41 and the #9) so I am very lucky to have these options available to me. But, I do realize that this is something that needs to be improved in our city. In my opinion, everyone should have the option to have a multi-modal week, whether you decide to take the bus, bike or walk to your destination.
Monday
Walk to work (13 mins)
I got very lucky that my commute to work is only a 13 minute walk each way. As long as I have the energy to climb the steep hill that is the Circle Street bridge, I hoof it to work!
Biked to CVS on Park Avenue (7 mins)
I avoid driving anywhere on Park Avenue like the plague. It’s not convenient for driving or parking…which is good. This is what a people-first street design should be like. So, when I need to run to the pharmacy, I ride my bike, and thankfully there’s a bike rack right outside of CVS where I can safely lock my bike. It happened to be a little rainy this day and I completely forgot that my bike doesn’t have fenders, so enjoy the photo of glorious mud splatter on my bag.
Tuesday
Walk to work (13 mins)
Biked to Abundance Co-op to pick up a compost bin for the office (13 mins)
At Reconnect Rochester, we champion transportation choices that have a positive impact on the environment. We encourage people to swap car trips for other modes of transportation whether you decide to take the bus, bike or walk. So, it only made sense for us to continue our sustainability efforts and start composting at the office so that our food scraps and other biodegradable materials don’t make their way into Monroe County Landfills!
Took the 8 bus to Drive2bBetter conference (20 mins)
The Reconnect Rochester staff took a multi-modal trip to the Drive2bBetter Conference. James and I took the 8 and walked 13 minutes the rest of the way. Mary, Monika and Jesse rode their bikes to meet us there.
We were so excited to see that the Drive2bBetter campaign was relaunched thanks to the hard work of the coalition group led by HealthiKids. To show your support for the campaign, you can request a free lawn sign here!
Wednesday
Walked to work (13 mins)
Biked to Full Moon Vista to grab bike lights (10 mins)
It’s getting darker earlier in the day, so my husband and I rode our bikes to Full Moon Vista to grab a snazzy set of lights to see and be seen when biking at night.
Bike to Cobbs Hill Park to swap out my compost bin with Roc City Compost (7 mins)
I am sadly starting to clear out my balcony garden for the season, so I chucked dead plant material in my Roc City Compost bin, sat it in my milk crate and biked to Cobbs Hill to meet the friendly faces at Roc City Compost.
Biked to Price Rite to some groceries for dinner (10 mins)
Once again, I am very lucky to have grocery stores close enough to bike, walk or take the bus to. I decided to bike a straight line down to Price Rite and grab a few groceries for dinner. We decided to make shrimp alfredo that night, yum!
Thursday
Drove to an appointment with my husband in Gates (13 mins)
This was where I broke my streak and drove with my husband to an appointment in Gates. We were tight on time and decided to drive 13 mins from home to the doctor’s office. We thought about taking the bus but that would’ve been 2 hours and 10 mins round trip and after getting off of the bus, we would have to traverse the 6-lane road onto a street with minimal sidewalks, so it was more convenient to drive.
Friday
Drove over to Wegmans to pick up groceries (5 mins)
Something I’ve been considering when I decide to drive over to Wegmans is to carpool with a few friends to make the drive more sustainable and inevitably make the East Avenue Wegmans parking lot less congested. If you know, you know!
Biking along the Erie Canal Trail (1 hour)
Back when we had warm and sunny Fall days, my husband and I biked part of the Erie Canal Trail and stopped at the Genesee River in Corn Hill to enjoy the sun and the view.
Writing this blog, I was hesitant to admit the times in my week where I do jump in my car to run errands or to get to an appointment. But I wanted to be honest about what a multi-modal week looks like in a city that is still very much car-centric. As much as I hate to list that I drove to an appointment, the reality is that a 13-minute drive is a lot more convenient than a 1 hr 8-minute bus ride, and this is just one example among many people in Rochester who experience the same thing. On the other hand, this made me realize that there are so many things you can do around Rochester using alternative modes of transportation, especially by bike within a 20-minute ride!
Happy busing, biking and walking!