Posted by: Daniel Speciale, volunteer at Reconnect Rochester
You may recall reading some time ago that Reconnect Rochester had come up with a temporary solution to the lack of seating at Rochester’s bus stops. Here’s an update…
Rochester Street Films 2015 Kickoff
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Join us at The Little Theatre on November 19, 2015 for the first ever Rochester Street Films event.
Through short film clips and community discussion moderated by Rachel Barnhart (WROC-TV) we will explore “the future of transportation” in and around Rochester—in particular, walking, biking, & public transit.
We’ll see how cities around the world are implementing smart transportation design and policies to create better places to live, work and play. And we’ll also hear from local experts and everyday Rochesterians about the current and future state of transportation in Monroe County…
Rochester Intermodal Station 2015 Construction Update
Posted by: Mike Governale, president and co-founder of Reconnect Rochester
Since ground broke on Rochester’s new intermodal station last October, people have been asking us, “What’s happening with the new station? …When’s it going to be finished?!”
The grounds surrounding Rochester’s current Amtrak station have been swarming with construction activity since the springtime. But with any project of this size and significance, progress may at times appear agonizingly slow. The bottom line is: work is progressing and rail passengers should be using the new station by September 2017.
You can find all of this information on the NYSDOT website 
but so you don’t have to go digging, here’s an overview of what’s been happening…
Monroe County Crash Map
Posted by: Mike Governale, president and co-founder of Reconnect Rochester
Just about every day on the local news we hear about a crime that took place somewhere in our community. And usually after that news you’ll often hear a traffic report… “An accident at the I-590 split has traffic backed up ALL the way to 104. You better give yourself some extra time for your commute this morning!”
What we don’t often hear about—or think about—are the lives that were impacted as a result of that car crash that has inconvenienced our drive.
Now here’s something that might help put your daily traffic report in perspective: between 2010-2014 there were 22,389 car crashes in Monroe County which resulted in at least one injury or fatality. The volunteers at Reconnect Rochester have been hard at work collecting that data. And a new “Crash Map” they’ve created is revealing an enormously high human toll on our local roadways…
Final Call to Put Your Business on Main Street
![The City of Rochester was looking for someone to adaptively reuse, redevelop, and operate five former bus shelters on Main Street in downtown Rochester (similar to this one in Portland, OR. If no one responds by the end of this week, the shelters will likely be removed. [PHOTO: Hennebery Eddy Architects, Inc.]](http://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/portland-bus-shelter-coffee-kiosk.jpg)
Posted by: Mike Governale, president and co-founder of Reconnect Rochester
In case you’ve missed this story, downtown Rochester has 5 large retro-style bus shelters dotting Main Street between the Rochester Riverside Convention Center and East Ave. These shelters are no longer being used by RTS since the opening of the Transit Center. But before the City tears them down, we thought we would try to find someone who might be interested in turning them into something new – such as sidewalk cafes, vendors, newsstands, etc…
ROC Transit Day 2015
ROC Transit Day is next week – Thursday, June 18. Rochester will be going car-free in support of a healthier community and we’ve lined up a fun day to celebrate… bus rides for you and the family, a street dance competition , city-wide treasure hunt , music all afternoon outside Rochester Central Library. Oh, and did someone say flash mob ?
So if you haven’t already, pull together a team of friends or co-workers and hop a bus on June 18. And if you need fare cards, contact us now . See the full event schedule…
City of Rochester Now Seeking Proposals for Main Street Bus Shelters
The City of Rochester has issued a Request For Proposals (RFP) to adaptively reuse, redevelop, and operate five former bus shelters on Main Street in downtown Rochester, NY. The deadline to respond is June 26 and successful proposals are expected to be announced by July 31…
People Matter Most
![Pedestrian Sign Park Ave [PHOTO: Mike Governale]](https://reconnectrochester.org/images/photos/pedestrian-crossing-innerloop.jpg)
Posted by: board member Renee Stetzer, pedestrian safety advocate and blogger at RocVille.com
All over the country, cities are implementing new street design and traffic calming measures to make neighborhoods safer and more accessible for all who use them. This is an effort to reverse some of the negative consequences of policies that for decades have prioritized cars above the people who drive them…
Think Big, Rochester
![[PHOTO: Jimmy Combs]](http://www.reconnectrochester.org/images/photos/rochester-midtown-aerial-01.jpg)
Posted by: Matthew Denker, Advisory Board Member
Pop quiz! How much money does Monroe County contribute directly to the maintenance and operation of its road network each year? If you answered $13,000,0001 you are absolutely correct. If not, guess again.
So let’s imagine, for a moment, a future in which only half this money is spent on roads, and the other half goes towards other ways of getting around. What could we really get from this?
Moving Rochester Forward
![[PHOTO: SM-Caruso, Flickr]](http://www.reconnectrochester.org/images/photos/rochester-skyline-smcaruso.jpg)
Posted by: DeWain Feller, Vice President
For decades, transportation planners were focused on moving and storing cars as efficiently as possible. The result today is that Rochesterians have become dependent on driving for virtually all trips. Homes, stores, offices, and industry have been moved outside of the effective reach of public transit. Our downtown’s dependence on parking has thinned out the core of our community until it has become a shell of its former self.
Today, many young singles (and empty nesters) are opting to do away with the expense of owning a car, and moving back into city centers. The cities that have shifted their transportation planning toward walking, biking, and public transit, are the ones that will capitalize the most…
National Day of Advocacy Focuses on Transportation Infrastructure Funding
Story via: RTS
Today, RTS will join with the Genesee Transportation Council, and local leaders and transportation partners to participate in the American Public Transportation Association’s (APTA) nationwide Stand Up 4 Transportation Day.
RTS CEO Bill Carpenter will be joined by Monroe County Executive Maggie Brooks, James D. Hoffman, Chairman of the Wayne County Board of Supervisors and Genesee Transportation Council, and representatives from the Rochester Cycling Alliance, Reconnect Rochester, and other organizations for a rally at the RTS Transit Center on Thursday, April 9 at 11 a.m…
Ride It: Art and Bicycles in Rochester
Posted by: Mike Governale, president and co-founder of Reconnect Rochester
Reconnect Rochester is proud to partner with Rochester Contemporary Art Center to bring you an exhibit focusing on bicycle history and culture in Rochester! Ride It: Art and Bicycles in Rochester will open on Friday, April 3…
You Can Support Increased Transit Funding in NY State
![Now would be a good time to contact your State Senator and Assembly member to request that they support increased transit funding in the state budget. [PHOTO: RTS]](http://www.reconnectrochester.org/images/photos/rts-bus-cornhill.jpg)
Story via: NYPTA
The State Senate and Assembly are in final preparation of their one house budget bills. If you’d like to see improved public transit service in NY state, now would be a good time to contact your State Senator and Assembly member to request that they support increased transit funding in the state budget…
Available Positions with Reconnect Rochester
Reconnect Rochester is a young organization with lots of ambition and we’re looking for energetic, self-motivated individuals to help us grow. If you have strong leadership skills and a desire to give back to your community, drop us a line and request a meeting…
Rochester Intermodal Rail Station Update
Posted by: Mike Governale
The City of Rochester, NYSDOT, and Federal Railroad Administration will hold a public meeting to present draft concepts for Rochester’s new intermodal transportation center (NOTE: This is the Amtrak/Greyhound/Trailways station, NOT the RTS Bus Terminal). A presentation will be made at 5:30pm. Some of the key points will be around site selection, the functional requirements of the station, architectural style, and expanded site plan.
Attend the Public Meeting & Presentation:
See which site is being recommended and comment on
the station design, layout, and amenities:
5pm, Wednesday, 5/30/2012, at Rochester Riverside Convention Center
RSVP on Facebook
Some more details & diagrams after the jump…
Roll Up Your Sleeves. Let’s Reconnect Rochester.
Posted by: Mike Governale, co-founder of Reconnect Rochester.
Hopefully by now you’ve read Rochester’s Case for a Streetcar Line. If you haven’t, go read it. Go on, I’ll wait.
…Okay great, now here’s an update. Since that article, traffic to RochesterSubway.com has doubled, our Facebook fan club has grown from 100 to over 400 (and counting), and my inbox hasn’t had a moments rest. This is all very encouraging and a sure sign that the people of Rochester really want to see their city thrive. The big question is; do the people of Rochester care enough to make an effort? All signs point to yes. So far we’ve got 12 people (including myself) who have risen to the challenge. Together we will lead a city wide movement to Reconnect Rochester.
Last Saturday morning, one day after a northeast blizzard moved thru our area, 5 passionate Rochesterians dug there way out of their homes and met me for lunch at Legend’s Bar & Grill. Against the backdrop of a bus-lined Main Street we introduced ourselves and got right down to swapping ideas about how we could help put Rochester back on track—pun intended…
Rochester’s Case for a Streetcar Line
The following article was published at RochesterSubway.com on 2010/02/16. Two weeks later 6 citizens got together and Reconnect Rocheseter was born.
America seems to have taken a renewed interest in mobility. Maybe due to President Obama’s recent commitment to high speed rail—or perhaps the positive results seen in towns like Portland and Denver have caught our collective attention. Whatever the reason, from the top down, people are rethinking our automobile-oriented culture—and getting excited about the possibilities.
There’s also good reason to focus on transportation as a way of jump-starting economic development. Industry requires access to people. And people need to have easy access to centers of employment. Continually improving access makes further development possible. Interrupting access will have the opposite effect. Likewise, doing nothing or simply maintaining existing infrastructure for an extended period of time will also hinder development.
For 30+ years Rochester has relied on the infrastructure choices it made in the 1950’s, 60’s, and 70’s. At that time we made development choices that encouraged our population to emigrate from the downtown core. We scrapped our extensive streetcar system, choked off downtown with the construction of the inner-loop, and paved super highways to take us from the city to the NY State Thruway and beyond. Since then that’s exactly where our money, our workforce, and our future have gone—down I-490 and out of state.
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