RCA Cycling Forum With Chief Sheppard of the Rochester Police Department
Monday, December 12, 6:00 PM to 7:30 PM
Bausch and Lomb Library
Kate Gleason Auditorium
This is an opportunity for members of the Rochester cycling community to ask the Chief questions about cycling topics such as:
-Bike Theft
-RPD response to bike/car crashes
-RPD officer training in bicycle law
The Bicycle Infrastructure is Growing in the City of Rochester
The City of Rochester Bicycle Master Plan was completed in January 2011. The plan’s recommendations serve as a framework for the city’s future investment in bicycle infrastructure; http://www.cityofrochester.gov/article.aspx?id=8589943115.
And here is a list of the bicycle infrastructure that has been implemented since the plan was completed in January 2011.
Sharrows, a Share the Road Symbol, painted on roadways–approximately 5 lane miles
Bicycle Shelter – Court Street
Bicycle Lanes – approximately 6 lane miles
Bicycle Work Station – Sisters Cities Parking Garage, Fitzhugh St.
Bicycle Parking Racks – more added throughout the City
Portable Bicycle Parking Racks – used at Greentopia Festival in September
More Sharrow and Bicycle Lane miles are planned for 2012.
Now is a good time to send your Hoorays to the City.
Bicyclist assaulted on Erie Canal Trail near Clover St. Friday October 7, 2011
The D&C reported that Douglas Brown was assaulted and left unconscious. This is the text from the D&C:
The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office is investigating an attack on the Erie Canal path in Pittsford on Monday. Douglas Brown, 58, of Rochester was riding his bicycle on the path near Clover Street around 12:30 p.m. when another man on a bicycle kicked Brown’s tire, which caused him to fall.The suspect then kicked and punched Brown in the head and caused him to lose consciousness, said Cpl. John Helfer.Brown was taken to a hospital for treatment.
Update 10/14/2011 Suspect apprehended
Critical Mass Transit Day October 20, 2011
Critical Mass Transit Day
RIDE THE BUS FOR FREE ON CRITICAL MASS TRANSIT DAY (OCT. 20)
Reconnect Rochester, RTS Partner to Stop the Exodus of $1.5 Million Vanishing from the Local Economy Daily
Riders with a “UFO” pin, available at local retailers and by mail, will be able to ride local buses for free all day on October 20, the first Critical Mass Transit Day. The UFO promotion is part of an ongoing effort to raise awareness of the $1.5 million in gasoline money that is abducted from local economy every day. Critical Mass Transit is a joint effort by RTS and Reconnect Rochester, a transit advocacy group. By using bus transit as an alternative to driving a car, Rochesterians have the power to reinvest those dollars back into Rochester’s economy. Learn more at http://RochesterVanishing.info
All RTS buses have bicycle racks that hold two bicycle. Take your bicycle for a ride on a bus. No extra charge.
Bicycle Lane open on St. Paul St.
The striping is completed on the repaving project on St. Paul St. from Lowell St. to Riverbank Pl ( two blocks south of Driving Park Ave.). Some sections have a parking lane added.
Urban Trail Linkages Public Informational Meeting Notice – TIME 6 – 8 P.M. 10/4/2011
Urban Trail Linkages Public Informational Meeting Notice
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
TIME OF MEETING IS 6 – 8P.M.
Urban Trail Linkages Public Informational Meeting Notice
Urban Trail Linkages Public Informational Meeting Notice
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
210 Maplewood Drive
City’s Maplewood Training Center – use entrance on Bridge View Drive
Rochester, NY
Proposed Eastman Park Trail – Kings Landing Cemetery to NYS Route 390
Genesee Riverway Trail (GRT) – Relining the GRT from
Kings Landing Cemetery to Turning Point Park
For details of the project: http://www.cityofrochester.gov/UrbanTrailLinkages/
RCA meeting Tuesday September 20 at U of R
RCA Meeting – All welcome
Date: Tuesday September 20, 2011
Time: 7:00 – 9p.m.
Location: U of R Meliora Hall, Room 209 (new location)
Map Link: http://www.rochester.edu/maps/ (River Campus)
Think Bicycling as Transportation
Bicycle Lane on Atlantic Ave.
Today the bicycle lane on Atlantic Ave. from Russel St. to east of the CSX RR underpass is done.
The RCA Greentopia Bike the Bridges Ride Saturday September 17
On Saturday September 17 the RCA is organizing a self-guided Bike the Bridges ride to the Greentopia Festival site at High Falls from Genesee Valley Park (GVP), six miles one-way.
Meet at GVP anytime between 9:00 -10:30 A.M. and join other cyclists riding to the festival.
Print ride maps off the web site and sign the ride waiver on- line, www.greentopiafestival.com/highlights/bike.
The Rochester Cycling Alliance (RCA) will have a table at the Greentopia Festival on September 17 & 18, 10:00a .m. – 6:00 p.m. Admission to the festival is free. Go to www.greentopiafestival.com for more information.
W. Broad St. Sharrow
The first ‘sharrow’ to appear in the downtown area is on W. Board St. near Main St.
The ‘sharrow’ is a road sharing symbol that will be mainly used where there is no room to strip a bicycle lane. 2011 is the first year this new symbol is being used by the County DOT & the City DOT.
In time motorists will get used to this new sharing the lane symbol which will hopefully increase the safety of cyclists.
The chevron arrow of the symbol is to remind cyclists the direction of travel which will hopefully decrease wrong way cycling, a leading cause of auto and bicycle crashes.
The photo; looking toward Main St. (Nick Tahou’s) from the Brown St. intersection.
Reporting damage catch basins
Report damaged catch basins to Rochester Pure Waters District, 585.753.7600 x1. Reference an address to help pinpoint the location.
RCA at Greentopia
The Rochester Cycling Alliance (RCA) will have a presence at the Greentopia Festival on September 17 & 18, 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. Admission to the festival is free. Go to www.greentopiafestival.com for more information.
On Saturday the 17th, the RCA is organizing a self-guided Bike-the-Bridges ride to the festival fromGeneseeValleyParktoHighFalls(six miles one way). Meet there anytime between 9:00 -10:30 a.m. and join other cyclists riding to the event. Free bicycle parking is available at the event.
Print ride maps off the web site and sign the ride waiver on- line; www.greentopiafestival.com/highlights/bike.
The RCA will also have a table at the festival site. Stop by to get some free educational cycling material, bicycle road & trails map, or just to talk about the bicycle infrastructure in theRochesterregion.
The Cycling Alliance is gratefully accepting volunteers to staff the table. Go to https://spreadsheets.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AjwrTZlKE2FLdGw1bmROdXpjZGV0X19JWS04ZXMyaUE&hl=en_US&pli=1#gid=0 to claim your spot or contact Rochelle Bell at rbell@monroecounty.gov.
Bike Lanes Marked on Two Major Local New York State Roads
Bike Lanes now marked on two major local New York State roads.
The recently completed Jefferson Road project, Route 390 to Hylan Drive, now has an approximate four foot shoulder and marked with the bicycle lane logo.
Monroe Ave. from Clover St. to French road was recently repaved. The shoulder was increased from four to five feet and marked as a bicycle lane.
Both are challenging roads to cycle mainly due to a very high volume of motor vehicle traffic. I have seen many experienced cyclist riding on both roads during commute time periods. For those less experienced or fearful there are sidewalks on both roadways to ease your fears.
Ride safely.
Governor Cuomo Signs “Complete Streets”
![Pedestrians, cyclists, and transit riders in Rochester (and across New York state) will soon benefit from a new Complete Streets law. Thanks to the volunteers at Reconnect Rochester and outspoken citizens like you! [FLICKR PHOTO: _Yoshi]](http://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/monroe-avenue.jpg)
Earlier this year, Reconnect Rochester teamed up with Tri-State Transportation Campaign
and other transportation advocacy groups from around New York state in an effort to mobilize support for, and urge Governor Cuomo to sign New York’s first Complete Streets law. Thousands of you and other New Yorkers signed petitions and wrote and called your representatives. It made all the difference, helping to get this issue onto the agendas of elected officials and making sure it passed during a busy legislative session.
![Pedestrians, cyclists, and transit riders in Rochester (and across New York state) will soon benefit from a new Complete Streets law. Thanks to the volunteers at Reconnect Rochester and outspoken citizens like you! [IMAGE: Reconnect Rochester]](http://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/mode-prioritization.gif)
Earlier this week Governor Andrew Cuomo signed the bill that will make streets safer for everyone. The law will ensure that major road projects take into account the needs of pedestrians, cyclists, and people of all ages and abilities.
Whether young or old; on foot, in a wheelchair, on a bike, or in a car, everyone is safer when roads are designed so everyone can use them. Roads designed according to complete streets principles are safer and encourage walking and cycling, leading to healthier neighborhoods and better quality of life. This is an extremely important reform that will save lives.
Thank YOU for helping to win positive change!
Mapnificent, Meet Rochester.
Posted by: John Lam
Scoop one for Reconnect Rochester! Several days ago we noticed Mapnificent.net (a new site for visualizing transit reachability) hadn’t included Rochester among its cities. Clicking into its support forum led me to a post also seeking support for Rochester. A quick search told us our bus company had just announced the public availability of their General Transit Feed Specification, so in response we posted the location of this feed and within an hour Rochester debuted in Mapnificent.
Bicycle Day at the Brighton Farmers Market Sunday August 21, 2011
R_Community_Bikes_Photo
Bicycle Day at the Brighton Farmers Market (www.brightonfarmersmarket.org/)
Sunday August 21, 2011
9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Brighton High School parking lot
1150 Winton Road South
Rochester, NY 14618.
R. Community Bikes will be collecting used bicycles at the Brighton Farmers Market. Bike donations are tax deductible.
Please bring your used bicycle to the market to donate to a wonderful community organization.
10:00 a.m. – Brighton Police Dept. bicycle safety talk.
Free helmets kids donated by Brighton Police Patrolman’s Association.
Brooks, Rochester General Hospital Host Wheel Sport Safety Contest Ceremony
Monroe County Executive Maggie Brooks, in collaboration with the Office of Traffic Safety, the Rochester General Hospital Association and the Twigs organization, hosted the 23rd annual Wheel Sport Safety Awareness Contest Awards Ceremony. The event, which took place at Greece Ridge Mall, honored local schoolchildren for their participation in a coloring and writing contest.
“This annual contest is a great opportunity for our children to be advocates and raise awareness of the dangers of riding a bicycle, rollerblading, or skateboarding without proper protection,” said Brooks. “By educating the public on safe wheel sport practices, we will certainly prevent countless injuries to our children and in turn, will save precious lives.”The coloring and writing contests promote all forms of wheel sport safety including bicycle, in-line skates, roller-skates, skateboards and scooters. Fourteen children were awarded first place, earning them new bicycles and helmets, and 357 contest participants received new properly fitted helmets, all of which were donated by Rochester General Hospital and Twigs.
Nearly 2,600 entries were submitted this year from a total of 84 local schools.
“The Twigs of Rochester General Hospital are a proud co-sponsor of the Wheel Sport Safety Contest,” said Trudie Kirshner, Rochester General Hospital Association and TWIGS President. “We invite children in grades K-6 to submit colored pages, drawings and essays addressing safety issues. This important event is a fun and educational way for children in Monroe County Schools to learn about safety as it relates to wheeled vehicles.”
Nearly 2,600 entries were submitted this year from a total of 84 local schools.
“The Twigs of Rochester General Hospital are a proud co-sponsor of the Wheel Sport Safety Contest,” said Trudie Kirshner, Rochester General Hospital Association and TWIGS President. “We invite children in grades K-6 to submit colored pages, drawings and essays addressing safety issues. This important event is a fun and educational way for children in Monroe County Schools to learn about safety as it relates to wheeled vehicles.”
Twigs was founded as a grassroots organization in 1887 and supports Rochester General Hospital through fundraising and donations. There are currently over 600 members of Twigs in the Rochester area.
NYC Biking is Up 14 Percent From 2010; Overall Support Rises
By Andrea Bernstein | July 28, 2011 – 12:31 pm
The Prospect Park West bike lane in Brooklyn (photo by Kate Hinds)Biking is up in New York City by 14 percent from last spring. The NYC Department of Transportation says it recorded 18,809 cyclists per day, up from 16,463 in spring 2010. Word of the increase in cycling comes the same day a poll shows a widening number of New Yorkers support bike lanes.
Read the story.
City of Rochester has portable Event Racks for loan
Event Rack
Move it and stack it
The Event Rack is an innovative design that addresses the needs of any game, festival, or event requiring temporary and secure bike parking. It is easily moveable, stackable and requires no assembly. When your event is over, stack the Event Racks in a pick-up, van, or trailer, and store in a minimal amount of space.
User friendly, too
The Event Rack is the first rack of its kind that is completely user-friendly: it’s fully U-lock compatible and supports the bike frame in two places. This means that volunteer staffing and tickets are not required and your staff can focus on other tasks.
The Event Racks are available for loan by the City of Rochester for City located events.
See – http://www.dero.com/products/event_rack/event_rack.html