March 9, 2015 by 5 Comments

Finding a Solution for Sidewalk Clearing in Rochester

Posted by: board member Renee Stetzer, pedestrian safety advocate and blogger at RocVille.com

It’s been a tough winter for anyone having to be outside in Rochester. Transit riders have to hike over ice encrusted snow drifts and stand in streets, because their stops are buried. Pedestrians have to wear crampons to trudge across the uneven icy places where sidewalks once were. Those who are less steady, have things to carry or have to walk with assistance, have been forced to use the plowed streets. Cyclists hold on as they brave traffic, since the bike lanes are no longer there. And drivers cautiously turn corners blocked by snowbanks higher than their cars, taking turns on residential streets with only enough room for one car at a time. But the people walking out in the elements have clearly been given the lowest priority of attention.

March 5, 2015 by 4 Comments

You Can Support Increased Transit Funding in NY State

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…

February 26, 2015 by 1 Comment

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…

February 17, 2015 by No Comments

Focus for a More Sustainable Long-Range Transportation Plan

Posted by: Bob Williams, VP of Advocacy

We are often asked at Reconnect Rochester questions regarding who is responsible for prioritizing transportation projects in our region and the process through which that is accomplished. The answer leads back to the 1962 National Highway Act which required all urbanized areas of greater than 50,000 population to form a Metropolitan Planning Organization, or MPO, for the channeling of federal funding to both individual projects and transportation programs.

February 4, 2015 by 1 Comment

Grab your shovel, it’s time to Reconnect your sidewalk…

Posted by: Brenda Massie, Board Member and Secretary, Reconnect Rochester.

Getting around during winter in Rochester is challenging — no matter what mode of transportation you choose. Subzero temperatures, snowy sidewalks, and dangerous street conditions become part of everyday life. As a pedestrian, it is especially hairy…

January 29, 2015 by No Comments

2014 the Safest Year to Be a Pedestrian in NYC Since 1910

Posted by: Renee Stetzer, pedestrian safety advocate and blogger at RocVille.com

This month marks the one year anniversary of New York City’s ambitious Vision Zero campaign external link , a plan to eliminate traffic fatalities by the year 2024.

As part of the effort external link , traffic calming and street design measures were implemented, bike lanes were expanded, speed cameras were installed in school zones, the citywide default speed limit was reduced to 25 mph, arterial slow zones were established, public education and awareness were ramped up and the NYPD significantly stepped up enforcement and ticketing for traffic violations. It’s an effort that requires all people, regardless of how they traverse those streets to rethink how they drive, walk and ride about their daily lives. It requires a shift in the culture of getting about in NYC, which is no easy task.

So, one year later, is the campaign making a difference?

January 27, 2015 by No Comments

Art of Conversation

A new Transit Center began operating, demolition began on the old Inner Loop, and a 1000-bike sharing system may soon launch, along with hundreds of other projects in the region. What should we make of them or of others not planned?

In the early days of Reconnect, we shared more ideas, news, and opinion around a table, but nowadays a tight agenda occupies our meetings. Though smaller workgroups have formed, they’re tasked onto specific projects. In so, we miss larger opportunities to connect from wider ideas and to form new ones, and thus #innovate. Salons let us rejuvenate some of this early energy.

Conversations in a salon need not focus on our projects, or projects around the region, nor even transform into action. They may wander onto tangential topics. This keeps the conversation fresh, and also opens the floor to others who might not otherwise participate in monthly salons about transportation or land-use reform.

Salons practice an art of conversation, of listening and sharing ideas. Convened in a space comfortable for ten to twenty, and hosted historically by educated patronesses of a royal court, they’ve taken form this century convened by inspired hosts. Help us revive the form.

Welcome…

* Or use the form directly and you can revise your response later.

January 26, 2015 by 1 Comment

City Council Approves Additional Red Light Camera Study

Posted by: Renee Stetzer, pedestrian safety advocate and blogger at RocVille.com

Last week, the City Council approved further study of Rochester’s red light camera program. This isn’t a brand new study, but an expansion of the study that was released in November. The results of that study indicated a reduction in the number of accidents at 22 intersections external link that have red light cameras. Two intersections had no changes in the collision rates before and after the cameras were installed. And 8 intersections had an increase in the number of collisions. Those 8 intersections are the subject of the expanded study, as well as whether the cameras could be tied into traffic signals to help reduce operation costs…

January 18, 2015 by 8 Comments

Parking Summit This Wednesday

Posted by: Mike Governale, president and co-founder of Reconnect Rochester

This Wednesday, 5:30 – 7:00pm at the Penthouse (1 East Avenue – 11th Floor) you are invited to attend a Downtown Parking Summit external link hosted by the City of Rochester. But this is not a meeting to discuss how we create more parking. We’ve tried that before, and it nearly killed our city.

Reconnect Rochester recognizes the importance of having an adequate supply of downtown parking. However, we believe parking should be one component to a much larger, diverse plan to improve access to downtown…

January 10, 2015 by No Comments

Join Roc Improvement Society & Reconnect Rochester at Scotland Yard Pub (1/27)

Posted by: Mike Governale, president and co-founder of Reconnect Rochester

On Tuesday, January 27 at 6:30pm, Reconnect Rochester will get together with the Rochester Improvement Society for food, drinks and thoughtful conversation at Scotland Yard Pub. We’d love to see YOU there!

For $5 you’ll get pasta/pizza, a free beer, and entry into an awesome raffle drawing. Raffle prizes include a Hart’s Grocers gift card, a Rochester T-shirt package, framed poster/prints from RochesterSubway.com, and tickets to Landmark Society’s 2015 Inside Downtown Tour. See the prizes here.

You can pay at the door, however, we have less than 50 spots remaining. Order your tickets online now and don’t miss out!

See event details…

December 10, 2014 by 2 Comments

Help needed this week on restoring the transit commuter benefit

Via: National Alliance of Public Transportation Advocates (NAPTA)

The Commuter Tax Benefit program allows commuters the opportunity to pay for a portion of their commuting expenses with pre-tax dollars. As of January 2014, federal tax law allows commuters to set aside $250 for qualified parking expenses (an increase over the previous year). But workers who use public transit saw their monthly limit shrink from $245 to $130 per month.

This imbalance in the tax code means that transit users could pay as much as $565 in higher taxes annually, while creating a perverse favoritism in the tax code for automobile commuters. As fellow transit advocates, we need you to email your Members of Congress external link and ask that this commuter tax imbalance be fixed…

December 9, 2014 by No Comments

Bus Stop Cubes Are Winning Community Support

Posted by: Mike Governale, president and co-founder of Reconnect Rochester

Last month we unveiled an idea to put seating at area bus stops. Our little CUBE seats have since garnered local external link and national attention, and we’ve also been approached by The Harley School, Rochester Community Design Center, and The Strong National Museum of Play about partnering to make this idea a reality! Today, Rochester Transit Service (RTS) official threw their support behind the cubes as well…

December 6, 2014 by 2 Comments

Welcome Ms. Rachel Barnhart

Posted by: Mike Governale, president and co-founder of Reconnect Rochester

Reconnect Rochester has some terrific news to share. Made official last week with a unanimous vote, Ms. Rachel Barnhart has become the newest member of our Board of Directors!

December 4, 2014 by 2 Comments

Mike Governale Nominated for Strasenburgh Activism Award

Posted by: Renee Stetzer, pedestrian safety advocate and blogger at RocVille.com

The Rochester Community Design Center hosted the fourth annual Reshaping Rochester Awards luncheon this week and we had a table full of Reconnect Rochester board members there to support one of our own – Mike Governale.

Mike was among the nominees for the Betty Strasenburgh Award for Activism external link . He did not win the award, but I’ll get to that in a moment…

November 29, 2014 by

City of Rochester Neighborhood Petition for Speed Limit Reduction

Added to our Cycling Resources page is a PDF containing the City of Rochester Neighborhood Petition for Speed Limit Reduction.
Download Form – Send completed form to Erik Frisch frische@cityofrochester.gov or mail to: Erik Frisch, Dept. of Environment Services, City of Rochester, 30 Church Street, Rochester NY, 14614

November 23, 2014 by 11 Comments

Bus Stop Cubes: a place to rest while you wait

Posted by: Mike Governale, president and co-founder of Reconnect Rochester

Anyone who has ever used public transportation in Rochester is painfully aware of two things: At some point will have to wait for your bus, and when you do, you will probably be standing. But now, Reconnect Rochester is aiming to come up with a solution…

November 22, 2014 by No Comments

NEW Board Members: Welcome Renee Stetzer and Phillip Borrelli

We are super excited to announce the addition of Renee Stetzer and Phillip Borrelli to the Reconnect Rochester Board of Directors!

• • •

Renee Stetzer

Renee Stetzer will serve as head of Reconnect Rochester’s Pedestrian Safety & Complete Streets committee and has already begun to lead community efforts on this front.

Renee is a public relations and branding professional with over 15 years experience in the communications industry. She started her career as an analyst and holds a Masters Degree in Strategic Intelligence from the Joint Military Intelligence College. She worked for Fleishman-Hillard International Communications in Washington DC for many years before relocating to Rochester, where she provides PR, social media and research support for an online marketing firm and a local food organization. She is a pedestrian advocate and co-founder of Rocville.com external link , an online community resource devoted to improving the quality of urban life for Rochesterians by advocating for more walkable, vibrant neighborhoods.

She currently serves on the board for The Horizons Student Enrichment Program, a summer learning program for low income City of Rochester students. She is an avid runner and swimmer. And she’s a big fan of vegetables and front porches.

• • •

Phillip G. Borrelli

As a Rochester NY-based attorney, Phillip Borrelli has served Reconnect Rochester in an advisory role since the group’s inception. He has since successfully guided the organization through the process of establishing its non-profit status.

Phillip focuses his practice on affordable housing, and historic preservation. Phillip is a graduate of SUNY at Buffalo School of Law and is admitted to the New York State bar. In 2012, Phillip opened his own law practice, and in 2014 he partnered with Jason Yots to form Borrelli & Yots PLLC external link .

November 13, 2014 by 3 Comments

Rochester Extends Red Light Camera Program

Posted by: Renee Stetzer, pedestrian safety advocate and blogger at RocVille.com

Last night the City Council approved the extension of Rochester’s red light camera program until December 2019. The 6 to 3 vote was originally scheduled for September, but postponed when the results of the red light camera study were not yet available. The official report was released last week…

November 9, 2014 by No Comments

Help Move Us Into 2015

Posted by: Mike Governale, President, Reconnect Rochester

Have you been following Reconnect Rochester over the past few years? Do you like the idea of increased transit options and walkable, more vibrant neighborhoods? If so, please consider making a year-end contribution and keep us rolling into 2015…

November 7, 2014 by 1 Comment

New Citywide 25MPH Speed Limit in NYC

Posted by: Renee Stetzer, pedestrian safety advocate and blogger at RocVille.com

New York City’s new lower citywide speed limit goes into effect today. In June the NY State legislature passed a bill that allowed NYC to lower its default speed limit to 25mph . Part of the city’s Vision Zero plan to eliminate traffic fatalities, the new lower default speed limit was approved by the City Council in October and signed by Mayor Bill de Blasio last week. And the new 25mph signs are going up today…