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Mind the Gap, Season Four!

The problem isn’t that Rochester is failing to build bike infrastructure. It’s been building bike lanes steadily for almost 15 years. The problem is that our bike lanes don’t connect and that bike infrastructure outside the city is rare. We don’t have a network yet. No community on the planet grows ridership with scattered, disconnected bike lanes. Reconnect Rochester’s radical idea: Let’s connect what we’ve got.

Welcome to Reconnect Rochester’s fourth annual Mind the Gap campaign, wherein we ask you what the most important bike network gap is to fill. Each year, we go to the winning entity with evidence in hand that they’re in position for a huge win next time they do work on this segment of road. 

Past winners include:

  • Elmwood Ave, which got a road diet and bike lanes in 2023
  • Empire Boulevard around Irondequoit Bay, which NYSDOT is currently doing a study for
  • Culver Rd traversing 104, which County DOT is doing work on this year, but it appears their designs won’t fix the gap under 104  – we’ll keep advocating for it! 

Without further ado, we present to you the nominees for the 2025 Mind the Gap award:

VOTE NOW

1. Main Street through downtown

Our audience knows well by now: Reconnect Rochester’s highest bike aspiration in the near term is for the City to attain a “minimum grid” of protected bikeways in and through downtown from all four directions. If Rochester does receive the federal SS4A funding for protected bike infrastructure on Chili Ave and East Main (between Union & Goodman), that only leaves downtown for the grid’s east-west axis! The stretch from Union Street to West Broad/490 is 1.5-miles and will require some serious political will.

Jurisdiction: City of Rochester

2. St Paul from downtown to Middle Falls (Brewer Street)

Via ROC The Riverway, the Genesee Riverway Trail is being extended gradually through downtown. There’s also a study underway this year to determine the best way to fill the Trail’s gap north of downtown to where it resumes at Middle Falls (Brewer Street). To us, the most straightforward way of filling the Trail’s gap would simply be installing protected bike lanes on St Paul Street. Our dream would be a two-way protected bike lane along the west side of St. Paul. Rochester’s never done this before but the time is ripe and this is the perfect location.

Note: an added benefit of two-way protected bike lanes like this is that a F-150 can fit in it for plowing. No special equipment needed!

Additional note: How awesome would it be for the two-way protected bike lane to go from the Skate Park all the way up to Lower Falls?

Jurisdiction: City of Rochester

Screenshot

3. Eastman Trail extension through Eastman Business Park

If you haven’t checked them out yet, ride the new(ish) Eastman Trail and extension for the 390 Trail along Ridgeway and Latona Roads respectively. There always was a phase 2 envisioned for the Eastman Trail through or alongside Eastman Business Park. If this gap was filled, residents would have a wonderful 17-mile-rectangle of trails to enjoy. We raised this gap to Eastman Business Park management earlier this year, and we’re still waiting to hear back. 

Jurisdiction: City of Rochester/ Eastman Business Park

4. Irondequoit Bay Outlet

For five months of the year, motorists and cyclists can cross the Irondequoit Bay Outlet Bridge (IBOB). But the rest of the year (April 1st to October 31st), the bridge is taken away and road users have no choice but to veer around south. While motorists get to use 104, bike riders must go around the entire Bay and use Empire Blvd (our 2023 Mind the Gap winner). This voting campaign is about quicker, cheaper solutions and a bike/ped bridge is a heavy lift (this one in Alabama came in at $24 million). But there are cheaper solutions in the meantime. How about a bike/ped ferry? Other creative options below for fun. 😋

Jurisdiction: Monroe County and the United States Coast Guard

5. Connecting Buckland Park to Senator Keating Blvd

Brighton residents understandably want easy bike access to the Erie Canal. 590, of course, stands in the way. Great Bike Boulevards and the Brickyard Trail get riders to Westfall and Buckland Park. Riding on Westfall could be avoided if there was access, if only for cyclists & pedestrians, to Buckland Park from Senator Keating Boulevard, which is very low traffic. It’s just a short hop on South Clinton (use the sidewalk if you want) to the Canal.

Jurisdiction: Town of Brighton

6. Lehigh Valley Trail north branch

We are big fans of the Lehigh Valley Trail’s north branch. It’s a bicycle superhighway between U of R and RIT. Once past Jefferson Rd in Henrietta, there is a nice “side path” alongside John Street that protects you from traffic all the way down to Bailey Road. Once there, on-street traffic negotiating is required along Bailey, West Henrietta Road (yikes!), and Calkins until the trail resumes. Though manageable by bolder, more experienced cyclists, this 2.4-mile stretch of road riding should be made as comfortable as possible.

Jurisdiction: NYSDOT (W Henrietta Rd) and Monroe County DOT (Bailey and Calkins)

7. Lee Road connecting Erie Canal Trail to 390 Trail

Rochester’s west side is bereft of comfortable biking connections. It’s crucial that the 390 Trail and Erie Canal Trail be connected. A great start was made in 2022 with the new 390 Trail extension and Eastman Trail. Unfortunately, a NYSDOT project to construct a trail along Lee Rd from Ridgeway Ave to Trolley Blvd fell through. In the not too distant future, hopefully County DOT can give Lee Road a road diet and protect cyclists from that intimidating semi truck traffic. This stretch is 1.4 miles.

Jurisdiction: Monroe County DOT

8. South Clinton

In the City, South Clinton has one travel lane & a shoulder in each direction – a tight squeeze for cyclists with all the parked cars. But once you get into Brighton, the roadway expands. Each direction gets two lanes for motor vehicles and the shoulders are very skinny, quite unusable for cyclists. The wide road and travel lanes just invite speeding. In 2027, County DOT is resurfacing South Clinton from the city line down to Westfall, which offers the opportunity to reallocate road space. How about a road diet, or as we like to call it, a Road Buffet, since it gives residents more options? This stretch is 1.5 miles.

Jurisdiction: Monroe County DOT

9. Scio from downtown up to the Public Market

The Union Street cycle track, which was part of the Inner Loop East project, ends abruptly and awkwardly at University. Many folks want the cycle track to extend on Union north of Main Street to the Public Market. We’d love to see that too! The problem is that Union Street is quite skinny north of Main. The houses are positioned quite close to the road and there are beautiful front yard gardens that would disappear to make way for bicycle facilities. Scio, however, is more realistic. How about protected bike lanes on Scio from downtown to the Public Market trail?

10. Chili Ave from Westfield to Hinchey

The 19th Ward has a great network of traffic-calmed Bike Boulevards. But the farthest west those will take you is Westfield Street. At that point, cyclists have no choice but to use Chili Ave going further west into Gates and Chili. Hinchey Road, which is quite bikeable and can get you to Tinseltown, Home Depot and Tops, is only a half-mile away from Westfield. But this half-mile stretch isn’t friendly for riders of all ages and abilities. Eastbound, towards the City, it’s not bad for many folks. But westbound, navigating the turn-off and exit for 390 is uncomfortable. This gateway could be much more pleasant.

So, what do you think?

VOTE NOW

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Sustaining Ourselves, Our City, and Our Future

By Kyle Rosenthal:

Sustainability isn’t just about recycling or reducing emissions – it’s also about how we take care of ourselves and the systems that support us. One powerful, everyday way we can sustain ourselves is through active transportation – walking, biking, or using public transit. But for that to work, our communities need to be built for it.

That’s one reason I started Sustain With Age. The goal was to help people – especially in Rochester – focus on what matters to them, whether it’s running a business or caring for their families, without being burdened by unsustainable costs (like utilities) or limited mobility options. Everyone should be able to access opportunity, healthcare, and connection, no matter their income or physical ability.

And as we age, that becomes even more important.

We often think of aging in terms of healthcare or retirement, but transportation is just as critical. How do we get to the grocery store? To a doctor’s appointment? To see grandchildren? Transportation access is a social determinant of health, and yet too many communities still prioritize cars over people.

To be a truly age-friendly place, Monroe County needs to design for the future – for younger generations, but also those living longer, with changing physical needs. That means:

  • Safer streets with slower traffic and more pedestrian crossings.
  • Accessible sidewalks and bus stops with benches, shelters, and curb cuts.
  • Frequent, reliable transit of all modes.
  • A community design that reduces the need for long car trips altogether.
  • And numerous other measures like coordinated construction planning to allow those in wheelchairs, blind people, and others to continue to safely navigate detours.

The recent Vision Zero commitment in Rochester is a step in the right direction – it shows a recognition that lives are at stake and that we must design for safety, not just speed.

And there are more opportunities ahead. The filling-in of the Inner Loop, the possibility of higher-speed rail, and investments in more frequent bus service could all reshape how people of all ages get around. But we need to make sure accessibility and equity are at the center of that change.

Rochester has a unique role to play: we are a college town, a climate haven, a community for working families, and recently named a top city for aging in place. That mix gives us both an obligation and an opportunity to lead on sustainable, age-friendly design.

Importantly, this conversation extends beyond Rochester and Monroe County. We are a 9-county region with massive towns like Greece that need to be in this conversation and planning too.

I don’t expect a perfect system tomorrow. But as someone who works in the built environment, I see how deeply connected our homes, workplaces, and transit systems are. With smart planning and a shared commitment to sustainability – financially, personally, and environmentally – we can build a community that truly supports people across their lifespan.

Kyle is a climate risk and sustainability professional in Rochester. He is a Board Member of the Climate Solutions Accelerator of the Genesee-Finger Lakes Region and runs his firm, Sustain With Age which has a newsletter you can sign up for here. All views are his own and do not reflect those of any institution or organization.

At Reconnect, we’re always working to improve mobility access in our community. Sign up for Mobility Action Alerts for tangible advocacy and volunteer opportunities involving transportation, safe streets, and bike infrastructure. 

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Car Lite Rochester: A College Student’s Journey On Two Wheels & Transit

Car Lite Rochester is a blog series that highlights the stories of Rochesterians living a car-lite lifestyle. The term “car lite” encompasses a variety of multimodal transportation lifestyles, featuring little dependence (but not NO dependence) on a car.  It typically looks like sharing one car within a household or only using a car when absolutely necessary.

So, we hope you’ll continue to follow along.  Maybe you will be inspired to join our bloggers in living a car-lite lifestyle!

Wanna rep it? Check out the t-shirt in our online shop.

A College Student’s Journey On Two Wheels & Transit

By Una Gogstetter:

As a college student who, like many others my age, doesn’t own my own car, living car lite has been necessary for me. My experience getting around Rochester with limited car access has been both enjoyable and eye-opening. I am a current sophomore at Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts, with a Statistical and Data Sciences major, Urban Studies minor, and Community Engagement and Social Change concentration. Living without a car while away at college has also broadened my perspective on car lite living in Rochester

Car Lite in Rochester

For the past two summers, I biked or took the bus to my jobs (first at Corn Hill Navigation then at Rochester Area Community Foundation). While this was more by necessity than by conscious choice, I did particularly enjoy my experience biking. I would often listen to music through my earbuds on my way, the bike ride integrated exercise into my daily routine, and I was able to observe various people, houses, and businesses along my route.

Some of my favorite areas to bike have been the Railroad Loop Trail or passing by the lovely old houses on Park Avenue. Furthermore, RTS provided a convenient way for me to get to work in rainy weather—my house, near Cobbs Hill, is located in close proximity to a bus stop. I will likely spend much of this summer in Rochester and I intend to continue frequently commuting by bike or by bus.

The turn onto the Railroad Loop Trail.

The bike commute to my internship last summer involved this lovely section of Harvard Street.

While I’m lucky to have worked at locations I can travel to without a car, I am still cognizant of the ways in which access to transportation in Rochester could be expanded and improved. I have had to be mindful of transportation-related concerns when applying and planning my schedule for jobs and internships in Rochester, as I am unable to access many Rochester area locations without a car. Transportation-related logistics have also been a concern for me outside of work-related contexts.

Excursions ranging from dining out with a friend to purchasing a particular item I need to going on a family hike would be much more challenging without my parents and friends having cars. While it is of course possible to live car-free in many parts of Rochester, having zero access to a car would likely come with unavoidable drawbacks.

Although living car-free in any city comes with challenges, such challenges are greater in the absence of extensive public transportation systems as well as in the absence of comprehensive infrastructure supporting pedestrians and bicyclists.

Similarly to many cities, Rochester’s bike lanes are neither physically separated from car lanes nor consistently present even on busy streets. Therefore, the current arrangements force bicyclists to choose between riding beside automobiles or riding on the sidewalk. Furthermore, if someone is seeking to live a car lite lifestyle, and thus potentially biking rather than driving, their commute will likely coincide with rush hour—an especially dangerous time to bike in the road.

Comparisons with Northampton

Northampton is certainly imperfect regarding friendliness toward non-automobile forms of transportation. Its bike lanes are inconsistent, not physically separated from automobile traffic, and its bus system does not reach all areas of the city. Still the city has greater mindfulness of pedestrians in comparison to Rochester.

Crosswalks at locations other than traffic lights are much more common in Northampton. Pedestrians frequently utilize these crosswalks—the downtown area is often busy with people visiting the shops and farmers’ market. Additionally, drivers tend to be more considerate toward pedestrians. They consistently stop at the many crosswalks and, even outside of designated crossing locations, and display an awareness of pedestrians I wasn’t previously used to.

Overall, my experience living car lite in Rochester highlights the importance of Reconnect Rochester’s mission to “champion transportation choice”. Tangible improvements, such as expanding the public transportation system, implementing safer biking infrastructure, and creating more crosswalks, would be undeniably impactful. Such improvements, though, must perhaps be accompanied by a shift in residents’ attitudes. A high level of mindfulness toward pedestrians could become more normalized, as it is in Northampton. Biking, walking, and riding the bus would start to be seen as feasible alternatives to driving—a mindset shift that would be helped along by infrastructural improvements.

Improvements in the physical infrastructure and the public attitudes around car lite living in Rochester would allow residents with limited or no car access to get around more safely and easily. And any resident, car owner or not, could experience enhanced well-being and a deepened sense of connection to the city and its communities as a result of walking or biking more often.

At Reconnect, we’re inspired by the stories of people in our community, like Karen Nozik, Steve Roll, and Calvin Eaton, who are passionate about living a car-lite or car-free lifestyle.  If you want to support our work and make it easier for others to go Car-Lite please donate and sign up for Mobility Action Alerts to stay in the loop with opportunities of how to advocate for safer streets and transportation options.

Let us know if you want to share your mobility story! What’s in it for you? The intrinsic reward of knowing you’ve inspired others, and a free t-shirt from our online shop! Contact Chaz to submit your story.