by No Comments

Making Rochester Streets Safer for All: The 2025 Complete Streets Makeover of Avenue D & Hollenbeck

Photo Credit: De’Jon Washington

Our fifth Complete Streets Makeover project at Avenue D & Hollenbeck Street is now complete! Since 2018, we’ve partnered with Rochester neighbors to transform neighborhood intersections in every quadrant of the city. By listening closely to community voices and focusing on safety over speed, we’ve transformed these intersections into spaces where pedestrians, cyclists, and drivers can all move with greater confidence.

The Selection Process

Located smack dab in the middle of the El Camino neighborhood, Avenue D is often treated as a thruway for traffic connecting larger roads such as St Paul St and N Clinton Ave where driver speeds tend to be higher. From Conkey Ave to N Clinton Ave, a one block distance from either side of the intersection, we saw a total of 16 crashes with pedestrians and cyclists between 2014-2023 with a noticeable cluster occurring right at the intersection of Avenue D & Hollenbeck St. 

These safety concerns raised red flags for vulnerable road users passing through this intersection. The nomination for this location came from an R-Center staff member who had helped move the needle with traffic safety improvements in this area through organizing R-Center youth to lobby for temporary speed humps as a traffic calming measure along Avenue D. 

With the Avenue D R-Center, an attractive third space for neighborhood youth, at one end of the block and senior housing nearby, the Steering Committee saw a need and opportunity to protect vulnerable road users in the area. 

Getting Community Input

At a community workshop in February 2025, we sat down with residents of the El Camino neighborhood to hear firsthand what it’s really like to navigate this intersection every day. After walking everyone through the idea of complete streets and how they can make roads safer and friendlier for everyone, we opened the floor. People shared stories, frustrations, and creative ideas, and we listened closely. A visit to School No. 8 added youth voices and ideas to the mix. Then we got to work turning those hopes and concerns into concrete design features—practical changes that reflect the community’s vision for a safer, smarter intersection.

A unique element to Avenue D & Hollenbeck St is that it is an “offset” intersection as opposed to a conventional t-intersection meaning that Hollenbeck St ends at Avenue D and continues again a few feet down on Avenue D. A recurring comment from the community was that drivers cutting diagonally across the intersection when traveling along Hollenbeck St posed a high risk for pedestrians. 

Based on community input from this session, the Stantec team drafted a conceptual drawing of street design improvements. Their rendering focused on elements that could be brought to life in the temporary, on-street installation and then translated into permanent improvements. For this project, they proposed flex posts in the center of Avenue D to direct vehicles to turn right, then left, giving drivers more time to watch for pedestrians and making their movements easier for pedestrians to anticipate. Flex posts in the middle of the roadway is the first installation of its kind in Rochester. This project will serve as a pilot of this intervention to improve pedestrian safety at offset intersections.

Making the Magic Happen at Avenue D & Hollenbeck

On Saturday, June 7, the street came alive as neighbors, the school community, and community partners* rolled up their sleeves together—painting a vibrant mural (designed by Artist TaQiyya Burrs), setting flex posts in place, and brightening the block with fence art and flower planters in the adjacent empty lot.

We are continually grateful to Floating Home Films, for documenting the transformation and producing a video of the process.

The Impact

The flex posts have helped to guide drivers on how to safely navigate through the intersection. The butterfly mural helps to reinforce the El Camino neighborhood’s identity while serving as a visible reminder that streets are shared spaces. Pre and post-installation data collection showed that the roadway has seen up to 16% reduction in the average speed off vehicles traveling westbound.

Most importantly, testimonials from neighborhood residents indicated a marked improvement in safe vehicle movement, feelings of safety, and added vibrancy in and around the intersection.

The Complete Streets Makeover of Avenue D & Hollenbeck inspired wide local news coverage:

Looking Ahead

In collaboration with the amazing neighborhood team, we will continue taking action on long-term advocacy opportunities, working with community partners for as long as it takes to achieve permanent changes to further improve pedestrian safety on Avenue D.

If you have a spot where you don’t feel safe, keep an eye out for our next project when we ask for nominations from the community. In the meantime, make sure to let the county know by filling out their Traffic Safety Concern Form.

*Community Partners

The Complete Streets Makeover of Avenue D & Hollenbeck was a collaborative venture with the following community partners:

Reconnect Rochester

The Healthi Kids Coalition, convened by Common Ground Health

El Camino Neighbors

Avenue D R-Center

Northeast Neighborhood Service Center

Stantec

City of Rochester

Father Tracy Advocacy Center – FTAC

Genesee Transportation Council

Rochester Latino Rotary Club

Ibero-American Action League, Inc.

Lincoln Branch Library

Eugenio María de Hostos Charter School – Rochester, NY

Conkey Cruisers

Artist TaQiyya (Ty) Burrs

by No Comments

What is NYS Doing to Keep Cyclists Safe on State Roads?

Join Us on Parcel 5, Friday, Aug 22 at 5:30 PM to Find Out!

Join us for a rally on Parcel 5 at 5:30 PM on Friday, Aug 22 to call on New York State to “Keep Cyclists Safe on State Roads!” There’s an optional group ride from Genesee Valley Park Sports Complex (131 Elmwood) that leaves promptly at 5 pm. Pre-registration encouraged!

Register

Some Background:

During Reconnect Rochester’s Ride for the Spine bike rally in 2024, one of our partners at City Hall made a passing remark that left a lasting impression: “It’s great so many cyclists turned out to hear from the Mayor, the County Executive and Congressman Morelle, but where’s New York State? They have authority over so much of this.” 

Of course, they were right: The New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT)’s decision-making authority over a road project can make or break bike infrastructure choices that any local authority – whether it be the City, Towns, Villages or the County – wants to implement. Projects in our region that are building better bike infrastructure use a combination of federal, state and local funding, and the requirements – and often constraints – imposed by these funding streams dictate what is considered as feasible in the design process. While engineering guides from the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD), to the AASHTO and NACTO bike guides have made momentous leaps forward, design standards used by traffic engineers at all levels of government take far too much time to adopt and implement that progressive guidance.

NYSDOT’s decision-making authority over a road project can make or break bike infrastructure choices that any local authority wants to implement.

For suburban towns and villages, the hand of NYSDOT is even heavier: state roads built before the interstate highway system designed to move freight or serve as highway alternatives are now the main streets of local communities. Unfortunately, Smart Growth America’s Dangerous by Design report in 2024 cited that across the U.S., nearly two-thirds of traffic deaths in metro areas happen on state-owned roads—often fast-moving arterials that weren’t designed for people walking, biking, catching the bus, or simply crossing the street to enjoy a coffee or get home. The burden of mortality isn’t evenly spread either: Black and Native Americans, older adults, and people walking in low-income communities die at higher rates and face higher levels of risk of becoming victims of road violence when compared to all Americans.

Register

To cite a recent Vision Zero Network analysis, state roads “serve very different purposes today – including local traffic, people walking and biking, school buses and delivery vans – without having been redesigned for these uses.” It is urgent for communities, therefore, that New York State officials, including planners, traffic engineers, municipal public works heads, become more responsive to the way local communities are growing and the ways the roads are used today.

That’s why this year, Reconnect Rochester is asking NYSDOT and other state leaders to speak to us about what they are doing to keep cyclists safe and build the all-ages/all abilities bike infrastructure on all roads, but especially on the state roads that are often the Main Streets of our county’s towns and villages.  We see some glimmers of a culture shift , but it will take much more to turn such a large ship. Good intentions are present throughout the Draft NYSDOT 2050 Strategic Master Plan, signs of newly prioritizing active transportation are present in the agency’s move to update a two-decade old walk/bike plan. Now is the time to reiterate to New York State: safety for your most vulnerable people using the road is safety for everyone, including drivers!

But these intentions aren’t yet fully realized: A recent Brookings Institution analysis concluded that NYSDOT is among the lowest-ranked state DOTs in the United States when measured on evidence that it is shifting its mandate from car-centric infrastructure to building and maintaining multimodal transportation systems that serve all users and responds to environmental change. As articulated in our New York Safe Streets Coalition feedback on the 2050 plan, NYSDOT can show its seriousness about its strategic intentions through more transparency, funding allocations to public and active transportation, and public engagement with local communities.

What’s at stake for Monroe County’s cyclists of all ages and abilities:

Register

To illustrate what’s at stake for cyclists in our community, let’s look at the map. Two years ago, Monroe County hired Toole Design to craft the County’s first Active Transportation Plan. It was very high level  and created a common vision as a starting point for discussion. The question it asked: If there was an ideal countywide bike network someday that connected towns & villages, what lines on a map would make most sense to invest in? The map below is the result.

The red circled roads are owned & maintained by NYSDOT. Thus, if our county is ever going to be bikeable (for more than just the brave and bold), NYSDOT will need to modernize the way they design and maintain roads to prioritize complete streets elements and build with the safety for all users in mind. Monroe County is working on an implementation plan for the CATP (work item 8756) that will make more specific recommendations, and we’ll let you know when there’s a chance to give public input.

Image of Lake Ave

While the City of Rochester has a lot of control over how it designs its roads, NYSDOT owns and operates portions of the most dangerous road in the city and New York State: Lake Avenue. The City has recognized the unacceptable level of road safety problems on Lake Avenue, and has put on the table the idea of reengineering Lake Avenue to be a multimodal corridor equipped with continuous bike infrastructure and bus rapid transit through the ROC Vision Zero initiative. As recent events confirm, NYSDOT’s cooperation on making Lake Avenue a safety corridor is more urgent than ever. 

A local sign of culture shift toward accommodating complete streets and active transportation is NYSDOT Region 4’s project on Route 204 – Brooks Avenue in the Town of Gates, which coincides with New York State Bike Route 5. Reconnect Rochester’s input to the project last year highlighted the opportunity to connect the City of Rochester, the Airport, Gates employers and commercial center on 33A with multimodal investments on this corridor. For this project, NYSDOT coordinated with the Town of Gates and local business partners to close sidewalk gaps, and improve bus shelters. Through a combination of shoulder widening and restriping, the project will provide 5’ minimum shoulder width through corridor (with the exception of the railroad underpass area – which is outside of the NYSDOT jurisdiction) and the installation of a refuge island and other enhancements to provide for a crossing of Rt 204 at the Canal Trail. This is the kind of attention to multimodal needs that we’d like to see on every project. 

What can you do?

The most impactful thing you can do this month is to show up to the rally on Friday, Aug 22 at 5:30 PM at Parcel 5! Even if you can’t bike that day, walk down to the Parcel for the rally! You can also sign up for our Mobility Action Alerts to learn about upcoming state advocacy opportunities in 2025-2026!

What can New York State do?

  • Adopt a “complete streets” design policy for all state road projects if the service life of such resurfacing, maintenance or pavement recycling project is at least ten years. 
  • Implement dedicated bike facilities, sidewalks, enhanced pedestrian crossings, traffic calming or road diets (where appropriate) to create safer places for ALL users of the road.
  • Build safe cycling infrastructure on Empire Boulevard (Penfield) and Monroe Avenue and West Henrietta Road (Brighton) during upcoming road projects!
  • Build a safer, multimodal Lake Avenue as part of ROC Vision Zero!
  • Create a fully connected network of bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure in Monroe County working with towns, villages, the City of Rochester, Monroe County and residents. Improve connectivity across municipal boundaries, between neighborhoods, jobs, and safe routes to schools.
  • Allocate more funding to active transportation enhancements on all road projects.
  • Advocate to the federal government to ensure that the surface transportation reauthorization includes bike infrastructure funding explicitly. 
Image of Empire Blvd
Image of Monroe Ave
Image of W Henrietta Rd

NYSDOT has an important strategic choice to make: Do we maintain the roads and bridges we have and add safety for all users, or do we spend our limited resources expanding highway capacity to save drivers a few minutes of time? Reconnect for one would like to see our local roads maintained and more bike lanes, sidewalks and transit stops added. We know that adding lanes induces new demand for car trips at a time when climate action demands we reduce our vehicle miles traveled, especially for short daily trips that are most appropriate for walking, biking or transit. Let’s make it safer for more cyclists to use state roads!

Take Action!

by No Comments

How The Sprawl Effect Inspired Me To Go Car Lite

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.

My Journey to a Car-Lite Life in Rochester

By Jasmine Burley:

What do you mean, you don’t have a car?!

That’s usually the reaction I get when I tell people I try to rely on public transit and carpooling as much as possible in Rochester. It’s as if I just announced I forage for food in my backyard. But my journey to going car-lite wasn’t exactly straightforward. Let me explain.

Last October, I decided to take a trip to Washington, D.C. (before the political madness of 2024 took over). After attending Reconnect Rochester’s Street Films: The Sprawl Effect program, I was determined to make this trip extra memorable by reducing my carbon footprint as possible, so I set a challenge for myself: no cars, no Ubers—just my feet, the Metro, and the occasional bus. I had no idea if my body could handle it. I also had no idea this little experiment would completely change how I look at transportation back home in Rochester.

Because, let’s be honest—Rochester isn’t exactly known for its public transit. And yet, after years of feeling chained to my car, I started wondering: Could I make a car-lite life work here?

Growing Up Car-Lite

Though I was born in Rochester, I spent most of my childhood and teenage years in Tacoma, Washington (state, not D.C.), just south of Seattle. And let me tell you—public transportation there is incredible. Buses ran on predictable schedules and connected not just from suburbs to the city, but between suburbs, too. There’s a light rail system downtown that’s completely free to use and is currently being expanded across cities. Most kids walked or biked to school, and school buses picked up kids in groups rather than stopping at every individual house (I think of this often when I’m stuck behind a school bus in traffic). There weren’t lines of cars idling in front of schools like some kind of chaotic drive-thru. Carpooling was second nature. There were trains that took you north to Seattle and beyond or south to Oregon, even down to California. Recycling and composting were the norm. Community and sustainability were built into daily life.

Then in 2013, I moved back to Rochester, and…well. Let’s just say it was an adjustment. Public transportation here felt like an afterthought. When I mentioned the possibility of taking a bus, I got blank stares, or worse, concerned looks.

“It’s not safe.”
“What do you mean, you don’t have a car?!”

It was disheartening, to say the least. But I did what many do here—I got a car. I didn’t have a choice. A 15-minute drive to work would’ve been an hour-long bus ride. And so, like most Rochesterians, I became car-dependent.

My Health Forced a Change

In 2019, life threw me a curveball. I developed a rare autoimmune disease that left me completely paralyzed. Months of therapy helped me relearn how to walk, use silverware, drink out of a cup, even just see straight ahead in front of me. My body was fragile, and at the time, my focus was purely on survival: get to work, pay the bills, and come home.

I wasn’t thinking about how I got to and from places—I was just grateful to be able to go at all. I was given a second chance at life and I wasn’t about to take it for granted. My energy is now limited, so I kissed the opportunity to try to take the bus or walk to work goodbye.

A 15-minute drive to work would’ve been an hour-long bus ride. And so, like most Rochesterians, I became car-dependent.

Testing a Car-Free Life in Washington (D.C. this time)

Fast-forward to 2024. I changed career paths and met Chaz Goodman, who is now the Marketing & Outreach Manager at Reconnect Rochester. He invited me to come to their event “Street Films: The Sprawl Effect”. I was excited to hear how Rochester could be more sustainable with their transportation, so I went with my mother (we carpooled!) and I left feeling ambitious that it could be possible to rely less on a vehicle.

While Rochester’s limited in options, it’s not impossible. I was leaving for a trip soon to Washington D.C., so I made a gameplan: Could I set a no-car challenge during my trip and only rely on public transportation? I was stronger, but still cautious about my limits. I wasn’t sure if my disabled body could handle it. I would be kidding myself if I wasn’t worried.

Walking 20,000 steps a day? It sounded impossible; it was a huge leap from my usual 5,000. But with breaks, I made it work.

And the best part? I felt free.

I wasn’t stressed about parking. I wasn’t sitting in hours-long traffic just to get downtown. I wasn’t paying for gas. I was just…moving. Exploring. Seeing the city in a way you simply can’t from behind a windshield. So, I thought: What if I tried this at home?

The Rochester Experiment

When I got home, I made a goal: To take the bus to work. To put things in perspective, I live in North Greece, and I commute to downtown Rochester for work. I pulled up Google Maps and did some research. I found a possible solution: If I can be dropped off to a bus stop 10 minutes
from home, hop on the bus, and walk 10 minutes to work after I got off, it could be doable.

It sounded reasonable. My husband’s car lease was ending, so we were already considering downsizing to one car. This could actually work.

For about 2 solid months, I strictly relied on taking the bus to and from work. Sure, it took a little longer than it would have if I drove (35 minutes instead of 20), but I didn’t mind.

Pros

  • The morning commute was a breeze. The bus was on time (a minor miracle in public transit).
  • The extra time it took gave me more free time to read. I listened to music. I looked out the window and actually noticed the neighborhoods I was passing through. Rochester’s really beautiful!
  • I never felt unsafe. In fact, I felt completely comfortable and felt as if I’ve done this route my whole life.
  • The ride was comfortable and the people were pleasant.
  • It was only $1 to ride the bus. UM, HELLO?! That’s way better than filling up a tank of gas 2-3x a month and paying a few hundred dollars a month towards a car payment.
  • The 10–15-minute walk to work? Surprisingly lovely. Fresh air, a little movement—it was an easy way to get steps in without even thinking about it.
  • The RTS Transit Center downtown? Super clean and well-designed—it felt like I was in a mini airport. (To put it in perspective, the transit centers back in Washington state were all outdoor, so I wasn’t used to this.)

Every Pros list has a cons list, so here are some of my not-so-favorite things about Rochester’s public transit:

Cons

  • The evening commute? A whole different story. The Transit Center was chaotic. I got lost trying to find my bus a few times, and by the time I spotted it, I had to sprint to catch it (not exactly ideal for someone with mobility concerns.)
  • The bus was PACKED in the evenings. Unlike the mornings, it was almost difficult for me to find a spot, and sometimes I was close to having to stand the whole way home.
  • The stops felt endless. A 35-minute morning commute turned into 50+ minutes going home.
  • The biggest issue? Frequency. But what would we expect differently if the bus only comes every 30 minutes? If it ran every 15 minutes, it would’ve been a game-changer. There’d be less people as we’d be spread out more.
  • I recognize my blessings in having the ability to be dropped off at my bus stop, which is about a 10-minute drive from my house. What if I didn’t have that option? Then, I’d have to walk to my stop, which could take hours given my disabled body. That’s not feasible.

Where I Landed: A Car-Lite Life

I did my bus experiment for about 2 months before my body started to push back. The morning ride was fine, but running through downtown and the Transit Center in the evening and scrambling for a seat? Not sustainable as much for someone like me.

But in the end, this experiment had a lasting impact—My family officially downsized to one car. Now, my husband and I carpool to work. Some weeks, I drive just one day to work. I’m still car- lite—just in a different way. And I still take the bus here and there, but I make sure to give myself enough lead-time to catch the evening bus so I’m not running to catch it.

And honestly? It feels great. I spend WAY less on gas. I walk more than I used to. I feel more connected to my city. And I still dream of the day that Rochester invests in public transit the way Tacoma, Seattle, and D.C. have. Until then, I’ll keep doing what I can—one less car ride at a time.

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. 

School bus on an arterial road
by No Comments

School Bus Safety: The Danger Hiding in Plain Sight

Guest Blog: Monroe County Office of Public Safety/Traffic Safety

We trust school buses to keep our kids safe—and for the most part, they do a great job. But what if the real danger isn’t the bus, the driver, or even the road conditions?

What if the biggest threat is… other drivers?

WAIT, PEOPLE ARE REALLY PASSING STOPPED SCHOOL BUSES?

Yep. And way more often than you think.

Even though it’s illegal in all 50 states to pass a school bus when its stop sign arm is out and the lights are flashing, people do it constantly. One national report estimated over 45 million violations every year. That’s 45 million times someone risked a child’s life just to save a few seconds.

LIGHTS, CAMERA, CITATION

Monroe County (NY) Executive Adam Bello decided enough was enough. In 2023, the County rolled out a School Bus Safety Program that added cameras to buses in four local school districts. These cameras automatically record any car that blows past a stopped school bus.

The results? Honestly, kind of terrifying.

Over a 19-month period, those cameras caught over 20,000 potential violations. Almost 12,000 of them were confirmed by safety experts and led to actual traffic tickets. To put it another way: every single day, about 50 drivers in just one county ignored a stopped school bus – and could have hit a kid.

WHICH SCHOOLS WERE HIT HARDEST?

Here’s how it broke down by district:

And this isn’t even the full picture. More schools are signing up, and more cameras are being added.

WHY IT MATTERS (BEYOND THE OBVIOUS)

Sure, a traffic ticket is annoying. But this isn’t about a minor infraction—it’s about keeping kids safe while they get on and off the bus. That’s when they’re most vulnerable. They’re small, they move fast, and they’re not expecting a car to whip past the bus that’s supposed to be protecting them.

This camera program isn’t about punishment—it’s about prevention. It’s waking people up and saying: “Hey, pay attention. That’s someone’s child you’re putting at risk.”

WHAT CAN YOU DO?

  • Slow down near schools and neighborhoods—just assume a bus could stop at any moment.
  • Never pass a bus with its stop arm out, even if you’re “in a hurry.”
  • Spread the word. Most people don’t realize how common this is, and the more people know,
    the better.
  • Talk to your school district about opting into the County’s program – it is free for districts to
    join!

FINAL THOUGHTS

Sometimes, safety improvements come from tech. Sometimes, it’s awareness. This time, it’s both. These bus cameras are shining a light on something we’ve been missing—and they’re helping keep our kids safer in the process.

So next time you see a school bus with its lights flashing and the stop sign out, just stop. It’s not just the law—it’s the right thing to do.

monroecounty.gov/school-bus-safety

by No Comments

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. 

by No Comments

Advocacy Team Key Updates – First Quarter, 2025

We’ve been busy at Reconnect Rochester since the start of the year pursuing our 2025 Plans and Priorities. Below are a few key updates on what’s been going on in advocacy, especially those projects or events we asked you to mobilize around, and what to look forward to in the next few months:

Growing Our Movement:

Our biggest goal as an advocacy team this year is to grow our base of active, informed and engaged advocates throughout Monroe County. We’re always looking for more people to join the movement – get in touch if you are interested! We have opportunities to support multimodal transportation from taking surveys to speaking to elected officials or writing letters. The easiest way to learn about opportunities is to sign up for Mobility Action Alerts and we will send actions and events you can join.

Annual Executive Meetings:

Back in January, we held our annual meetings with Rochester Mayor Evans (City Hopes & Asks) and Monroe County Executive Adam Bello (County Hopes & Asks), setting the stage for our advocacy throughout the year, including budget advocacy that will be ramping up in the City soon. See our 2025 Budget Input submitted to the City.

ROC Vision Zero:

The Beacon’s ROC Vision Zero forum was well attended with a keynote by Mayor Evans, and an expert panel we helped assemble. Reconnect Rochester is serving on the ROC Vision Zero task force and will be participating in committees on education and community traffic safety champions in March and April.

Public Input to Street Projects:

We submitted street project input on the Bull’s Head Street Project Meeting, N. Clinton Project, and Dewey/Emerson this quarter. North Clinton merits a shout-out for being an exemplary design according to the principles outlined by the City Active Transportation Plan. This project is the first design presented of the streets identified in the Federal Safe Streets and Roads for All grant that was announced last year, but as we’ll elaborate more below, we’re concerned this funding could be at risk under current White House-driven reviews of projects.

Transportation Equity and Improving RTS Rider Experience:

Transit has been a big focus. We rallied support for public transit and transportation equity on Rosa Parks’ birthday, Feb. 4, sharing riders’ voices and lobbying with RTS riders in Albany. In addition, we met with RTS Leadership in late February to deliver our 2025 Hopes and Asks of RTS, specifically to urge faster progress on frequent service and address OnDemand service shortcomings in the suburbs. We hope to learn more about the results of the OnDemand survey RTS ran last month. We are also very actively inputting to the Bus Stop Improvement project that aims to put bus stop amenities at most stops in the City. Sign up for the New Yorkers for Transportation Equity local forum on 4/10 to join local advocates!

Zoning and Land Use:

We don’t know when the next version of the Rochester Zoning Alignment Project code will drop, but we have continued our focus on promoting transit-supportive land use that we had last year in our ZAP comments and Sprawl Effect Rochester Street Films Event. We’re continuing our focus on land use in the Transportation Impact Collective and partnering with Our Local History, Empire Justice Center, RMAPI, and the Climate Solutions Accelerator to deliver informational presentations to pro-housing advocates countywide.

Media Engagement:

Through our daily media monitoring, we are identifying problematic news articles covering crashes and sharing timely feedback using our Crash Reporting Toolkit as a guide.

Federal Uncertainty:

Last but certainly not least on our minds (and likely yours too) is the chaos and uncertainty set off by President Trump’s Executive Orders. Throughout the last two months, we have stayed in close contact with national advocacy groups such as the League of American Bicyclists, America Walks, and the National Campaign for Transit Justice. Focusing on just Monroe County, we analyzed USDOT memos and Trump Executive Orders and identified about $150 million of discretionary funding aimed at bike, pedestrian, transit and safer streets projects, already appropriated by Congress, announced, and some already under contract, potentially at risk through these orders. We have shared this information with Senators Schumer and Gillibrand and Congressman Joe Morelle, who will be meeting with Rochester cyclists in Washington during the National Bike Summit next week. Currently, we believe White House-mandated review outcomes will be announced in April 2025. We will continue to fight for resources that were appropriated by Congress and awarded to our community to fund multimodal transportation projects.

Save the Dates!

We’re excited about several things coming up:

by No Comments

Fighting for Safer Streets on the Federal Level

March 11-13 2025 was the National Bike Summit put on by the League of American Bicyclists. We explored DC’s impressive Capitol Hill bicycle network, heard from Killed By A Traffic Engineer Author Wes Marshall & NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy, and engaged directly with policymakers.

The protected bike lanes surrounding DC’s iconic landmarks highlight the importance of multimodal infrastructure for attracting residents and enhancing livability. Between the three bike share programs, metro trains, and a bus system, DC provides a multitude of options for those looking to get around without a personal vehicle. Pedestrian islands provide refuge for those crossing the street on foot while also providing space for turning bikers. Bus stop islands and shared bus stops allow riders to step out of the flow of traffic while maintaining awareness of cyclists.

We were struck by the decisive action of DDOT and their leadership prioritizing proven safety measures over means-testing and hesitation. Washington DC’s mayor has pushed to add 20 miles of protected bike lanes over three years to meet the demand for bicycle infrastructure for all ages and abilities without worrying about miniscule delays for drivers. Rochester could take inspiration from this approach by installing infrastructure such as two-way protected bike lanes. While this would require coordination with the county and some new traffic signal configurations, the benefits far outweigh the challenges.

We also had the chance to see DC’s Curb Extension Murals (the inspiration for Downtown SmART Streets) up close. As we prepare to break ground on this new program and review artist submissions (due March 22nd) we were eager to take notes on what has worked (and what hasn’t) for these traffic calming elements.

The Asks

The most critical part of the summit was taking our advocacy to Capitol Hill. Thank you to the League of American Bicyclists for the herculean task of organizing these meetings on a national scale. Our first ask? Fighting for Safe Streets for All grant funding—money that has already been approved by Congress but is now threatened in an unprecedented move from the Executive Branch. 

The local projects funded by this grant are designed to meet the needs of each community, understanding that local governments know their streets best. In our meetings with Congressional Representative Joe Morelle, staff from Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer’s office, and Senator Kirsten Gillibrand’s legislative aide, we pressed them to recognize the importance of projects such as completing Rochester’s Bike Spine Network or expanding our Downtown SmART Streets program. These projects will make the streets safer for everyone—cyclists, pedestrians, and drivers alike. Canceling their funding will also harm our communities through the loss of local construction jobs from the projects and the long-term economic benefits these amenities bring.

As traffic dangers increase for everyone on our roads, improving safety isn’t a political issue; it’s a necessity.

Our next ask to the US House of Representatives was to support HR 1668, The Sarah Debbink Langenkamp Active Transportation Safety Act. In 2022, Sarah Lagenkamp was killed while riding her bike after dropping off her son at daycare. Her husband Daniel made it his mission to make our streets safer. 

As the League of American Bicyclists say, this bill highlights the need to fill gaps in biking and walking networks and makes it easier for states and local governments to use Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) dollars as a “local match” to build safe bicycling and pedestrian infrastructure. 

We were proud to have a strong Rochester contingent to mingle with our fellow advocates across the country. If you want to get more involved in our incredible local bicycle community here at home, please make sure you are signed up for our Mobility Action Alerts for weekly emails with local advocacy opportunities for safer, multimodal streets. 

Two immediate actions you can take to support our cause:

  1. Contact your federal representative and senators to make sure they know about the importance of our asks listed above. 
  2. With federal funding for bike lanes and many important transportation projects in danger of being cut off by USDOT we urgently need your support to show the importance of these projects for the entire community. The League of American Bicyclists have put together a petition to show how many people oppose cutting this funding. Please take a moment to sign and send it to 5 of your friends Getting as many signatures as possible is critical to the success of our upcoming projects.
Sign the petition
by No Comments

Announcing the Locations for our new Downtown SmART Streets Project

Announcing the Locations for our new Downtown SmART Streets Project

In November 2024, Reconnect Rochester organized a street walk through downtown Rochester with our Community Advisory Committee (CAC) to select locations for the inaugural year of our Downtown SmART Streets program. There were eight possible locations scheduled which met the criteria of high pedestrian volume, safety concerns, and proximity to busy areas.

From these eight locations, our CAC team looked for the two spots that were good candidates for design improvement potential via curb extension murals. The curb extensions are meant to slow down vehicle turns and shorten crosswalks, ensuring pedestrians spend less time in the road—making every step across the street safer. The murals, inspired by Washington DC’s Arts in the Right of Way program, add a splash of creativity while drawing further focus to pedestrian zones.

Without Further Ado, Our Selections!

East Main Street and Gibbs Street
West Broad Street and Fitzhugh Street

Why East Main & Gibbs?

Due to its immediate proximity to the Eastman School of Music with all its associated student housing, as well as its adjacency to Rochester’s East End neighborhood, not to mention the half mile walk to the RTS Transit Center or Jazz & Fringe festivals, East Main & Gibbs St would certainly qualify as a pedestrian heavy zone. Car speeds and the width of the road itself show strong potential for design improvement for the numerous daily pedestrians. Plus this intersection is no stranger to on-street art installations.

Why West Broad & Fitzhugh?

Just down the road from Blue Cross Arena, the Rochester Riverside Convention Center, the Genesee River, and local government buildings, West Broad and Fitzhugh is a vibrant area of downtown Rochester with heavy pedestrian traffic which would benefit strongly from safer pedestrian infrastructure. This is a large intersection with ample asphalt, offering an opportunity to optimize space for all road users.

Next Steps…

The design team at GPI is creating renderings for E. Main & Gibbs and W. Broad & Fitzhugh featuring curb extensions. Once the plans are ready, Rochester’s Traffic Control Board will conduct a site review to determine if these proposals get the green light.

We’re now accepting local artist submissions in response to our RFQ to design vibrant murals that will breathe life into the curb extensions. Partnering with local artist Shawn Dunwoody, we’ll select mural design concepts and plan for their seamless implementation. After final approvals from both the CAC and the Traffic Control Board, we’ll gather data on vehicle speeds and pedestrian activity to measure the real impact of these changes.

This temporary on-street project will debut this summer. Keep an eye out for updates!

by

Downtown SmART Streets

A Safer & Smarter Downtown Rochester

Read about our latest Downtown SmART Streets Installations. Have you visited on of our installation sites? Let us know what you think!

Take Our Survey!

In the U.S., pedestrian fatalities have skyrocketed, increasing by 75% since 2010. According to our Monroe County Crash Map, on average, thirteen people die walking or biking on our local streets every year. In 2023, this number rose to 20 fatalities. We must do better.

So what are the solutions to change this trajectory and reduce the harm? On-street demonstration projects are one way to highlight the importance of improving safety by designing our streets for people (not just cars). That’s why in 2025, Reconnect Rochester launched a new on-street project centered in downtown Rochester, complementing our Complete Streets Makeover where we transform intersections in Rochester’s neighborhoods.

Downtown SmART Streets, inspired by Washington DC’s Arts in the Right of Way program, implements complete street design in the form of seasonal curb extension murals to improve pedestrian safety and beautify the streetscape. 

What Are Curb Extensions?

Curb extensions, also known as bulb-outs, are sidewalk widenings that extend into the roadway at intersections. These features help:

  • Slow down vehicle turns by narrowing the space available, encouraging safer and slower driving behavior.
  • Shorten crosswalk distances so pedestrians spend less time in the road, reducing the risk of collisions.

The combination of physical and visual cues promote traffic calming measures and make streets safer for pedestrians, as well as for cyclists and drivers on the road.

Safety doesn’t have to come at the cost of beauty. We enhance curb extensions with vibrant murals designed by local artists to draw attention to pedestrian zones, further encouraging drivers to slow down and stay alert. The artistry beautifies the space with designs that reflect an area’s identity and sense of place.

How Do We Decide Project Locations?

The Downtown SmART Streets project is informed by a Community Advisory Committee (CAC) made up of a diverse set of downtown Rochester stakeholders and community partners.

We facilitate a “Street Walk” whereby CAC members document observations at each of the 8-10 viable locations that have been vetted by City of Rochester staff. An evaluation tool incorporates strategies and checklists informed by the Ground Mural Best Practices Guide.

Following the Street Walk, the CAC convenes for a selection review meeting. The group selects a location(s) based on the results of the Street Walk, as well as the secondary criteria data prepared by the Reconnect team such as crash safety data.

When selecting project locations, we focus on spots with safety concerns that have potential for design improvement. Proximity to busy areas and areas on major RTS lines or the Transit Center are other considerations due to high pedestrian density, and traffic volume. 

A Safer Street Design

Once a location(s) is selected, our awesome design firm partner, GPI, gets to work drafting a design rendering to show where street murals could go to make it a safer, more comfortable place for pedestrians to travel. The design is reviewed by the City’s Traffic Control Board to make sure it allows for safe travel for all road users. 

Meanwhile, an RFQ process facilitated by Dunwoode Design, is conducted to select a local artist for the project that will create mural artwork that reflects the character and history of the immediate area. 

There’s much to coordinate for the installation regarding paint requirements and logistics, purchasing equipment and materials, and event permitting via the City of Rochester’s DES department. Our CAC members help out with outreach to area residents, businesses and stakeholders to get their input, address any concerns, and build excitement for the project. 

Finally, speed and pedestrian count data is collected pre- and post-installation to measure project impact. We want to show our intervention is successful in slowing drivers down and encouraging pedestrian activity. 

Over time, our vision is to build a whole network of curb extension murals throughout the downtown area that will improve pedestrian safety for those traveling to and through our center city by slowing down traffic, beautify public spaces and nurture a sense of place, and call attention to street design as one critical factor in creating streets that are safe for everyone.

We are happy to announce the two locations for the 2025 Downtown SmART Streets inaugural year will be East Main St & Gibbs St as well as Broad St & Fitzhugh St. Read about our selection process.

by No Comments

Statewide Advocacy Ramps Up

Reconnect Rochester is back in Albany for a new legislative session!

On Jan 28th, we joined the New Yorkers for Safe Streets Coalition, a group of 150 organizations and dignitaries from across the State to advocate for four priority bills.

Reconnect Rochester has taken the lead on Complete Streets Maintenance, a bill that would require NYSDOT to consider complete streets design features on all types of road projects or when they receive both state and federal funding. Complete streets design features on all road projects would allow the necessary design interventions needed to enable safe access for all road users including pedestrians, people using mobility aids, cyclists, and public transit users.

Thank you to the bill sponsors Senator Sean Ryan and Assembly member Jonathan Rivera for meeting with us!

Simply put, state roads are the main streets of many of our towns and villages in Monroe County, and NYSDOT isn’t currently required to consider complete streets on their most common and most frequent types of projects. Even when towns want to improve safety, the state often doesn’t remove barriers to doing so. With NYS not currently meeting its climate law mandates for transportation, this is a cost-effective way to expand safe walking and biking infrastructure through existing maintenance routines. 

With minimal additional investment, design elements can be considered in projects that will take place in a matter of years not decades. This is how most major cities currently expand active transportation infrastructure.

NYSDOT is in the midst of updating a wildly out-of-date walk/bike strategic plan (2005 was the last update!). That plan will set the goals, but our bill is the way they can implement it. We understand it may require some process changes within NYSDOT to plan for AT infrastructure on each project and we would urge NYSDOT to show leadership on making it a best practice in the country rather than shying away from these urgently needed changes. 

On Transit Equity Day, we called on lawmakers to let us Get Around New York!

The uncertainties around transit funding, federal aid in doubt, wasteful highway spending, and our state DOT’s position at #49 for cost effectiveness did not dampen the enthusiasm of our New Yorkers for Transportation Equity coalition as we celebrated Transit Equity Day on Feb. 4th in Albany! On the 112th anniversary of Rosa Parks’ birth, we urged state lawmakers to embrace transformational policy change leading to more concrete bus, rail, trail, sidewalk, safety and connectivity improvements within and among New York’s rural, suburban and urban communities. On Friday, February, 21st we sent a formal letter to Governor Hochul’s office pushing her to fully fund public transit in New York State.

Thanks so much to Senator Brouk and Assembly Member Bronson’s teams for meeting with us on February 4th to discuss transit equity issues.

The new federal administration has already attacked funding for transit riders, seniors, immigrants, refugees, low-income and disabled New Yorkers. New York State must dramatically alter how federal funding is spent so as not to waste taxpayer dollars. Highway expansions are ineffective. Highways do not solve long-term traffic problems, they entrench archaic land-use, and they create worse traffic and transportation outcomes long-term.

We urge the State to fix roads and bridges first, reduce Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) 20% by 2050, and invest taxpayer dollars in mass public transit, walkability, and density. 

Thank you to Senator Jeremy Cooney, Chair of the NYS Senate Transportation Committee who said, “Following the legacy of civil rights heroes like Rosa Parks, Transit Equity Day is a time to reflect on the ways public transportation fueled the progress of yesterday, while also working towards a better tomorrow. In this year’s budget I’ll be advocating for more sustainable and reliable initiatives to get New Yorkers from Point A to Point B, pushing for more funding for public transit systems, and continuing to use transportation as a means to combat poverty.”

There are proven strategies that New York can implement this year. Our state can fulfill the goals of New York’s Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act and include the Get Around NY Act (S4044/A4230) in the One-House Budget this year.

Public Transportation Investments

As in past years, Reconnect Rochester met with RTS and the New York Public Transit Association’s lobby team and we support their state budget recommendations, highlighting the particular need for upstate state operating assistance to increase 15% per year. Why is this important? State funding is the largest proportion of the RTS operating budget and increases are needed to make routes run more frequently.

Senator Cooney and Assembly Member Bronson have also been highlighting the connection between transit, economic development and job access. Senator Cooney’s January op-ed appeared in statewide publications calling on the state to establish a Workforce Equity Fund of $5 million to connect workers to job opportunities and combat poverty across the state. We’d add that we should incentivize economic development projects in transit-supportive corridors (See the Sprawl Effect for more on land use). 

Supporting Local Coalitions

In addition to Reconnect Rochester’s state priorities, we’re actively participating in supporting other state coalitions:

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. 

by 1 Comment

Car Lite Rochester: My Walking Life

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.

Car Lite Rochester: My Walking Life

By Karen Nozik:

I leave for work around 7:30 each morning. In winter, that’s when the sun clears the horizon, slicing through the trees and spotlighting treasures like my neighbor’s PEACE sign—a gem I would surely have missed if not for its timely glow as I walked by. Stunningly beautiful!

Today’s scene was no less inspiring. The sky displayed every shade of pink and orange against freshly fallen snow. These are the moments that make life worth living! Had I not been outside walking I most certainly would have missed it.

When I think of my walkable life, the gratitude I feel cannot be contained. While reflecting on why I often choose walking over driving, I realized it’s because walking outdoors is the only time I truly feel free. When I am out walking it is my time—precious stretches between hither and yon where no one can find me. I go at my own pace, look at things that catch my eye, see things about my city that can never be seen from inside a car. It’s a time when I truly live—focusing not on what I have to do, but on what I want to (traffic being the only exception, of course!).

Art Everywhere

Once you break free from the shackles of traffic—with its constant demands and occasional mean-spiritedness—you’ll be amazed to discover art all around you. It’s in the gargoyles perched on buildings, staring down from above, and in the vibrant murals bursting with color on their walls. It’s in the historical markers scattered through parks, offering fresh context and appreciation for the struggles of those who came before us, the vision of past civic leaders, and the progress we’ve made in transforming neighborhoods into more livable spaces. You’ll find it in splendid gardens, cascading fountains, and the intricate beauty of stained-glass windows.

Add Time to Your Day

A lot of people wonder how I can be so prompt if I always arrive on foot. They mistakenly believe that driving is always faster than walking. But I am almost never late. I pride myself on arriving on-time, mindful not to “steal other people’s time.”

The truth is— “trip-chaining” errands– the practice of linking multiple walking trips together in a single outing and combining several tasks into one journey is the most efficient way to travel! It minimizes travel time and distance and reduces repeated car starts and stops. Consider that I never have to waste time looking for parking. Or wait for traffic lights to change. I just keep moving by crossing the street in the other direction to get across and continue on my way. If you feel like you don’t have enough time in your day, try walking where you need to go. I promise it will feel like you are gaining time back from everything that has been conspiring to rob it!

Who Needs a Gym? (Or Pharmaceuticals?)

And forget excuses about not having time to work out. Or seasonal affective disorder (SAD). Walking is an antidote to the winter blues. As a bonus, while enjoying surroundings and avoiding road rage, I can also hit my 10,000 steps, listen to music (and even dance along), stay up-to-date on podcasts, reduce stress, breathe fresh air, and reflect on the day’s events. Nothing like a walk through the park to blow off steam, get your Vitamin D on, and forget about work.

Speaking of work, some of the best work meetings happen on a walk. The open air makes it easier to deliver bad news or tackle tough problems head-on. There’s something about walking and talking that sparks creativity, eases tension and builds camaraderie.

It’s All about the Gear (and Planning Ahead!)

Arriving at work after a cold Monday morning walk. Wearing black from head to toe without reflectors isn’t the best idea, but against a snowstorm?! (Take that logic with a grain of salt!)

Of course, walking everywhere sometimes requires a little planning ahead—what shoes will you need once you get there?  (What shoes will you need to walk there?)  It’s all about the right gear to weather the weather and get you where you’re going. The common phrase “use the right tool for the job” fits. I call my closet the convertible wardrobe, because every piece of clothing should do double-time in my walkable life.  Those walking tights pair nicely with my work dress and boots!  

Still, how will you get groceries home? Is it raining? These are trivial obstacles to a walking life, and nothing that a lightweight trusty backpack, sturdy boots, an umbrella, and a warm hat cannot solve.  (My Jan sport is still going strong after 40 years. I wouldn’t call it fashion, but it’s black and fits in anywhere—business meetings, theatrical performances, the public market).  For a middle-aged woman fighting osteoporosis, carrying weight on my back helps keep bones strong and is just what the doctor ordered.   

Get to know your Trees, and your Neighbors

In short, there are dozens of reasons why walking is preferable over driving. Walking offers so much more than just a way to get from point A to point B —it’s a lifestyle choice that enriches every part of my day. It helps to assuage highway anxiety, allows chance meetings with neighbors and friends, and connects me with my community. It supports local businesses, keeps me active and healthy, and allows for notice and appreciation of the art and nature around me. Trees look different 365 days a year, and just by watching them while walking we can learn things. Walking gives back time for simple pleasures while saving money and sparing my car wear and tear. Most importantly, it brings a sense of peace and serenity that driving simply can’t match. That’s why, whenever I can, I choose to walk.  And you can, too.

Get Involved

Reconnect Rochester has been integral to improving transportation options in Rochester and Monroe County. This work is important so that transportation is less of an obstacle for daily living.

Join Reconnect Rochester in making our city and county more livable by expanding transportation options:

Be part of the change happening in Rochester by getting “multi-modal” yourself and riding a bike, taking the bus, walking, or rolling for your next trip!

At Reconnect, we’re inspired by the stories of people in our community, like Steve Roll, Calvin Eaton and Yamini Karandikar, who are passionate about living a car-lite or car-free lifestyle. 

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. 

Rochester Complete Streets Makeover 2019
by No Comments

Announcing the Winners of the 2024-25 Complete Streets Makeover

(Drumroll please…)

Announcing the Winners of the 2024-2025 Complete Streets Makeover

In August, we asked you to help identify the intersections and trouble-spots in your daily travels where you don’t feel comfortable walking or biking, and that could be designed to be safer for everyone.

A big shout out to all those who took the time to submit a nomination! We received a total of 64 nominations for 39 locations in Monroe County.

Click here to view the nomination locations in Google Maps

Met with such esteemed and thought-provoking submissions, the Steering Committee employed the utmost levels of consideration to determine the winners for this year! After establishing criteria for both the Complete Streets Makeover Winner and the Design Rendering Winner, we reviewed each and every submission with painstaking care.

Without Further Ado, Our Winners!

  • COMPLETE STREETS MAKEOVER WINNER: Avenue D & Hollenbeck St in the El Camino neighborhood
  • DESIGN RENDERING WINNER: Webster Ave and Bay St in the Beechwood neighborhood

Why Avenue D & Hollenbeck?

  • Street redesign potential
  • High degree of safety concerns showing need for intervention
  • Strong community support from impassioned residents and community organizations to combat the area’s historical marginalization

We will collaborate with organizations such as the Ave D R-Center, the Northeast Neighborhood Service Center, and Ibero-American Action League to help us capture the spirit of El Camino and transform this intersection in the spring of 2025!

Next Steps…

We’ll hold a Community Workshop in February to gain insight from the residents of the El Camino neighborhood about the enhancements they would like in the intersection. No one understands what it’s like to use our streets better than those who walk, bike, roll, and ride along them everyday.

Our friends in the complete streets design team at Stantec will use community input from the workshop to create conceptual design enhancements of an improved streetscape. We’ll then see these concepts transform into reality through a temporary on-street installation in May. This transformation is only possible through the input and support of neighborhood residents coming out to help with the installation. Keep a look out for updates along the way!

Let’s not forget about our Design Rendering Winner (Webster Ave & Bay St)!

The design team at Stantec will create a conceptual drawing of street design improvements that will be given to the communities surrounding Webster & Bay. The neighborhoods can use these illustrations as a launch pad for community discussion, and a tool to help advocate for changes that would make these streets safer for everyone.

Do you have an intersection where you don’t feel safe? Although our Complete Streets Makeover nominations are closed for the year, you can always fill out the Traffic Safety Concern form from Monroe County to ask for special attention for trouble spots in your daily travels!

by 2 Comments

An Open Letter to Greater Rochester Media: Why Language Matters When Reporting on Pedestrian and Cyclist Crashes

Dear Members of the Local Media,

The media plays a critical, leading role in educating and engaging the public.  We appreciate the hard, nonstop work required to provide this essential community service.

As you know, our community struggles with violence, and that violence often leads the news. Yet a particular violence crisis is flying under the radar of the local media and the community – road violence. Tremendous harm is being inflicted on our community as a result of the wildly increasing number of pedestrian and bicycle injuries and deaths on our streets, which disproportionately affects our neighbors of color.

It is becoming more dangerous to walk here in our community and across the country. In the U.S., pedestrian fatalities have skyrocketed, increasing by 62% from 2009-2020, and another 13% in 2021 alone. Bicyclist deaths are also at the highest point since 1975. In Monroe County, 5,498 crashes from 2012-2021 involved bicyclists and pedestrians, with 4,466 resulting in injury or death. On average, 10 people die on our local streets every year as a result of these crashes (a majority of them pedestrians).

Recent incidents include the death of Edgar SantaCruz and his dog Rosie, struck by a driver in the crosswalk at North Goodman and Park Avenue; the death of octogenarian Madeleine Schreiber in Brighton, who was backed over by a driver on Oakdale Street; the death of Ernest Martin, a cyclist hit by two drivers on North Street; the death of pedestrian Khadijah Stanley, hit by a driver while on the sidewalk on Hudson Avenue; and the death of Jarod Jones, a teenager killed by a driver in a hit-and-run on Lake Avenue. These are only a few of the many reported and unreported cases of precious lives lost in our community just the last few years.

We have observed that the media can do more to accurately and adequately report on these incidents of road violence. While driver-pedestrian or driver-bicyclist crashes often receive media coverage, the coverage tends to misattribute the causes and consequences of the crashes. Going forward, we encourage  you to report on these crashes – and the preventability of them – more thoughtfully.

Below is a compilation of ways the media often misrepresents these incidents, and some suggestions for more balanced reporting.

Blaming the victim and absolving the driver.  Media coverage often highlights that the person injured or killed “wasn’t in a crosswalk,”  “was wearing dark clothes,” or “was out walking at 3 a.m.” Meanwhile, drivers are often recognized in a positive light with commentary such as  “the driver stayed at the scene” and “no charges were filed.”

Blaming the vehicle and absolving the driver.  Crashes are often described as pedestrians or cyclists being “hit by a car”, rather than being hit by a driver operating a car. Language matters!

Calling crashes “accidents.”  Again, language matters. The word “accident” implies that the crash couldn’t be avoided, and has the effect of normalizing them as unavoidable and acceptable since “accidents happen”.

These crashes often occur because of driver behavior, as well as poor street design that fails to protect those outside a vehicle. In many cases, the driver could have prevented the crash by paying attention, slowing down, and driving responsibly. While driver behavior is relevant to crash causes and consequences, as important are street design, conditions and policies that enable and encourage dangerous driver behavior, namely:

  • Streets and roads that are too wide, which encourages motorists speeding and distractibility at the expense of pedestrian, cyclist *and* driver/passenger safety. Landscape architect Ian McHarg once said that “if you design a road like a gun barrel, people are going to drive like bullets.”
  • Poorly designed infrastructure and poor maintenance of existing infrastructure: signal crossings that don’t give pedestrians sufficient time to cross, insufficient street lighting, lack of crosswalks or worn out crosswalk paint are some examples. At Reconnect Rochester, we advocate for complete streets design that accommodates and protects ALL users of the road.
  • Unsafe speed limits: The citywide and village 30 mph speed limits seem slow and safe to our speed-desensitized experience, but 30 can easily be a lethal speed for a vehicle, and many people regularly drive at 40 mph or more in those zones. Speed kills. The chance of a pedestrian surviving a hit from a 3,000-7,000-pound machine plummets from 95% if hit at 20 mph, to 55% at 30 mph, to 15 percent at 40 mph.
  • The build-up of snow and ice covering sidewalks and curb cuts, conditions that force pedestrians, cyclists, and transit users into the streets. Compounding this problem:  plows that bury or block sidewalks with the snow they throw aside to ensure the streets and driveways are clear for drivers.

To help with greater mindfulness and accuracy about the ways you report on pedestrian-driver and bicycle-driver crashes, we suggest investigating the following questions when preparing your reporting.

Road Design/Conditions:

  • Was the road where the crash occurred designed to promote vehicle speed with wide open lanes and few markings on the road? Does it have safe, dedicated space for cyclists and pedestrians, and protective design features such as crossings, bike lanes, pedestrian medians, and other complete streets features?
  • If the crash happened at night, was a lack of street lighting a factor?  The majority of vehicle-pedestrian crashes happen at night.
  • If the crash happened during winter, was the sidewalk clear of snow and ice?

Drivers:

  • Was the driver driving over the legal speed limit, or did the driver disregard a different traffic control device (e.g. light, stop sign)?
  • Was the driver distracted or impaired by a cell phone, alcohol or drugs or other distraction? Driver inattention is a leading cause of crashes.
  • Was the driver properly licensed, and did they have a history of crashes or traffic infractions (i.e. “chronic bad driver”)?  We often hear of crash perpetrators who are unlicensed and/or have had their licenses revoked dozens of times, and are still driving.

Vehicles:

  • Did the vehicle have limited front, side or rear visibility? This is the case with many of the most popular SUVs and pickup trucks. For example, studies have shown that front blind zones on SUVs lead to deadly crashes and especially endanger children.

We appreciate your time and consideration. Reconnect Rochester is standing by as a resource and willing partner to improve your media outlet’s approach to crash reporting, as well as helping to educate the public and policy makers about the crisis of rising road violence.  We would welcome an opportunity to meet with your team if you wish to have further dialogue on this subject.

Best,

Reconnect Rochester

Special thanks to Evan Lowenstein, a passionate advocate for better mobility in the Rochester community, who collaborated with us to write this piece.

Header Image Source: Man will appear in court in January in connection to death of pedestrian on Park Ave by Evan Bourtis News10NBC

by 3 Comments

Making Rochester Streets Safer for All: The 2022 Complete Streets Makeover of Orange & Orchard

Makeover team at Orange & Orchard
Photo Credit: De’Jon Washington

As we report out on the third successful Complete Streets Makeover project, let’s remember why we do this.

In the U.S., pedestrian fatalities have skyrocketed, increasing by 59% from 2009-2020. According to the latest “Dangerous By Design” report, between 2009-2020, drivers struck and killed 64,073 pedestrians in this country. Here in Monroe County, from 2012-2021, over 5,000 crashes involved bicyclists and pedestrians, and ten people die on our local streets every year as a result of these crashes.

Monroe County Crash Map
Reconnect Rochester Crash Map of Monroe County, 2012-2021

Responding to this growing epidemic was the impetus behind our Complete Streets Makeover project, created to bring attention to street design as one critical factor in the safe streets equation.

The Selection Process

We began this year’s project back in July 2021 by asking you (the people that walk, bike, and roll along our streets every day) to help identify the intersections and trouble spots where you live, work and play that could be redesigned to make them safer for everyone. The community response was tremendous, and we received a total of 76 nominations for 68 locations in Monroe County.

From these submissions, our Steering Committee selected the intersection of Orange Street & Orchard Street in the JOSANA neighborhood for this year’s project.

Complete Streets Makeover Steering Committee
The Steering Committee hard at work

The Orange & Orchard location presented the right mix of community support, evidence of safety concerns, and potential for a street redesign that would create real, transformative change for the community through this project. School 17 is located right at this intersection and was a strong advocate for implementing change. Last fall, the Rochester City School District eliminated the Walker-Bus Program that had provided transportation for students living within 1.5 miles of their school, which contributed to the school’s desire to improve safety for its walkers.

Getting Community Input

So what happened next? We connected with representatives of School 17 and the JOSANA neighborhood, and together we planned a community workshop held in February at the school. We invited school families and residents to come share their experiences at this intersection and ideas for how it could be safer. At the workshop, which was facilitated by the Community Design Center of Rochester-CDCR, attendees were first led through the basics of road safety statistics and complete streets. Then, CDCR volunteers helped translate the community’s thoughts and desires into actionable design elements that would improve the intersection.

Complete Streets Makeover Community Workshop
Complete Streets Makeover Community Workshop
Complete Streets Makeover Community Workshop
Community Workshop at School 17 on February 9, 2022

Based on community input from this session, the Stantec team drafted a conceptual drawing of street design improvements. Their rendering focused on elements that could be brought to life in the temporary, on-street installation and then translated into permanent improvements.

Complete Streets Makeover Design Rendering

Making Magic at Orange & Orchard

After much planning with the JOSANA neighborhood, over 150 people came out to Orange & Orchard on May 14 to make the magic happen! Attendees were made up of people from the neighborhood, school community, and a team of community partners*. Together, we worked to make the intersection of Orange Street & Orchard Street a more vibrant, safer place for everyone.

Design elements to calm traffic and improve safety included enhanced signage, curb extensions, temporary speed cushions, and a street mural designed by local artist Shawn Dunwoody. The temporary design was created by Stantec, which donates pro bono professional engineering services for the project. Other elements to beautify the space, like fence art and flower planters, were done with help of 2nd graders as part of their class project.

Nothing captures the life of a project better than film. Reconnect Rochester is pleased to share this short film, produced by Floating Home Films, that tells the full story.

We hope you enjoyed watching a beautiful display of community! We will continue supporting the neighborhood in their effort to make these temporary street design improvements permanent.

Working on the makeover
Working on the makeover
Working on the makeover
Working on the makeover
Working on the makeover
Working on the makeover
Complete Streets Makeover On-street Installation on May 14, 2022
Photos 1 & 5: Stantec | Photos 2 & 3: Common Ground Health | Photos 4 & 6: Reconnect Rochester

The Impact

But did it make a difference? YES! Data collected before and after the implementation (April and July, respectively) shows a measurable decrease in vehicle speeds along Orchard Street. Let’s get specific.

Makeover speed data graphic

Since the implementation, the 85th percentile speed (the speed that 85% of vehicles travel at or below) declined 28% and the maximum speed declined 26%. It’s worth noting that the maximum recorded speed in July happened between 1:15am and 1:30am.  Other than that outlier, the maximum speed was only 32 mph!  Even the average speed dropped 20%, despite there being no school in July. This is particularly notable with the safe assumption that arrival/dismissal congestion suppressed the speed of a great deal of traffic during our April data collection.  Finally, the speed data showed only 13 of 1,017 vehicles were traveling over 25 mph.

When it comes to speed, each mile-per-hour a driver is traveling makes a difference for pedestrian and cyclist safety, and can be the difference between life and death or a person sustaining life altering injuries.

Impact of pedestrian collisions graphic
The impact of vehicle speed in pedestrian collisions (The Healthi Kids Coalition)

Learn even more about the Complete Streets Makeover of Orange & Orchard

Looking Ahead

Our awesome team is on board to continue our Complete Streets Makeover program in 2023 and beyond!  So keep taking note of the intersections and trouble spots you experience in your daily travels that could use a re-design, and keep an eye out for calls for public submissions. Together, we’ll keep advocating to design our streets for people, and we’ll keep making it happen one intersection at a time.

*Community Partners

The Complete Streets Makeover of Orange & Orchard was a collaborative venture with the following community partners:

Reconnect Rochester

The Healthi Kids Coalition, convened by Common Ground Health

Stantec

City of Rochester

Community Design Center of Rochester

Genesee Transportation Council

Coordinated Care Services Inc.

Charles House Neighbors in Action

Enrico Fermi School #17

by No Comments

Top 10 Things We’re Most Proud of in 2021

2021 is coming to a close. In the realm of transportation, this year brought a mix of positive progress and setbacks. At Reconnect Rochester, we strive to be innovative and to pivot fast when we see input opportunities to capitalize on, or mobility issues that need attention.

Despite the uncertainty and challenges of our times, we moved our mission forward with intensity. Below is “Top 10” list of accomplishments we’re most proud of this year.

TOP 10 THINGS WE’RE MOST PROUD OF IN 2021
(In no particular order of importance.)

#10

Legislative Advocacy

In March, we made a virtual trip to Albany to champion public transit and safe streets for Rochester area residents (and all New Yorkers). In April & May, we made the rounds to meet with our federal legislators. Among other things, we asked for Phase 2 funding to build the station that long-distance bus riders deserve. Here’s our team meeting with staff from Senator Gillibrand’s office.

#9

More Cubes on the Ground

Thanks to the City of Rochester and many other people and partners (you know who you are), we installed 16 more fiberglass bus stop cubes in the 19th Ward & La Marketa neighborhoods. That brings the total to 31 bus stops where RTS riders now have a respectable place to sit while they wait. Here’s a birds eye view from the balcony of Teen Empowerment on Genesee Street.

#8

Weighing In on Projects & Plans

Through our Advocacy Committee, we submitted written input, attended public meetings and served on advisory committees on countless infrastructure projects and community plans. We urge planners and decision makers to create a connected community with streets and spaces designed for people. This kind of hyper-active advocacy work results in big wins, like the cycle track you see emerging here on E. Main Street, a project we weighed in on in 2019.

#7

Supporting Public Transit

We continued to play an active role in what’s happening with public transit in our community. We partner with RTS to advocate for increased funding that will allow them to make service improvements and expand bus stop amenities. We support mechanisms that will give riders visibility and voice around decision making tables. When there was an unexpected rollback in service in September, we made a strong statement and tried to keep the community informed.

#6

Spotlight on Pedestrian Safety

At our November edition of Rochester Street Films, we brought together our safe streets community partners, victims of road violence, community leaders and concerned citizens to have a community conversation about the silent epidemic of pedestrian injuries and fatalities on our streets. In case you missed it, watch the recording to catch up on the conversation!

#5

Informing the Electorate

Leading up to election days in June & November, we surveyed all candidates for Rochester Mayor and City Council to learn where they stand on issues related to transportation and mobility. Questions were designed to learn about their opinions, ideas and vision for a well-connected and accessible community.

#4

Making Monroe County Bike Friendlier

We continued to exponentially expand cycling-focused programs, advocacy, education and outreach. In fact, there are so many accomplishments that we had to create a CYCLING TOP 10 LIST. These efforts are led by Cycling Manager Jesse Peers with support from countless passionate people and partners working to make our community a safer and more bike friendly place.

#3

Supporting New Mobility Options

We helped educate the community and promote HOPR’s first season in our area, and we celebrated the installation of 8 new HOPR stations to expand bike & e-scooter access in Rochester’s underserved neighborhoods. We also spread the word about the launch of Floshare, an electric carshare pilot that offers an option for low income residents that can’t afford to own a personal vehicle.

#2

Blog Content That Inspires

We amped up content on our blog and enlisted guest blog writers to help us provoke thought and community engagement about things like transportation climate solutions, urban density, and designing streets for people. We’re especially proud of our 20 Minutes by Bike blog series.

#1

Strengthening Our Organization

Reconnect Rochester took some big leaps forward in 2021. We completed a 3-year strategic plan that charts our path ahead, announced a transformative investment by Dr. Scott MacRae (pictured above) that will enable us to expand our staff capacity, and appointed Mary Staropoli as Interim Executive Director to lead us through this period of growth and transition. In case you missed it, you can catch up on all the excitement here.

Just imagine what we can do in 2022!

Rochester Complete Streets Makeover 2019
by 2 Comments

Announcing the Winners of the 2021-22 Complete Streets Makeover

(Drumroll please…)

Announcing the Winners of the 2021-2022 Complete Streets Makeover

In July, we asked you to help identify the intersections and trouble-spots in your daily travels where you don’t feel comfortable walking or biking, and that could be designed to be safer for everyone.

The community response was tremendous, and we thank all those who took the time to submit nominations! We received a total of 76 nominations for 68 locations in Monroe County.

Click here to view the nomination locations in Google Maps

The Steering Committee had a tough task to choose from so many quality submissions and deserving locations! A set of established judging criteria helped guide us through the selection process. Here we are, hard at work examining each and every submission:

So What’s the Good Word?

In the end, we selected the following locations as this year’s winners:

  • COMPLETE STREETS MAKEOVER WINNER: Orange Street & Orchard Street in the JOSANA neighborhood
  • CITY DESIGN RENDERING WINNER: Arnett Boulevard between Genesee Street & Warwick Avenue in the 19th Ward neighborhood
  • SUBURBAN DESIGN RENDERING WINNER: Monroe Avenue between Highland Avenue & 12 Corners in the Town of Brighton
Orange & Orchard in the JOSANA Neighborhood will be the focus of our on-street installation

The Orange & Orchard location presented the right mix of community support, evidence of safety concerns, and potential for a street re-design that would create real, transformative change for the community through our project. We are eager to get to work with the families at School 17, Charles House Neighbors in Action, the Americorp Vista team, and JOSANA neighbors on a project to transform the intersection and create a safer space for the community.

The Steering Committee also selected two Design Rendering Winners. These locations might not be suitable for the on-street makeover project (because of their size or other feasibility issues), but we want to highlight them as places where the community would like to see improvements made.

What Happens Now? Let’s start with our Complete Streets Makeover Winner.

The Complete Streets Makeover will kick off with a community input session in January (facilitated by the Community Design Center) to hear from the residents of the JOSANA neighborhood about their experiences and ideas. No one understands what it’s like to use our streets better than those who walk, bike, roll, and ride along them everyday.

2019’s community input session in the El Camino neighborhood.

Based on feedback from this session, the complete streets design team at Stantec will draft conceptual design improvements of an improved streetscape. The design will be brought to life through a temporary on-street installation in May. We will rely on people power from the neighborhood community, and equipment from the Healthi Kids traffic calming library to lay down the temporary design on the street. Stay tuned for project updates as we go along!

What About the Design Rendering Winners?

The design team at Stantec will provide each of our Design Rendering Winners with a conceptual drawing of street design improvements. The neighborhoods can use these illustrations as a launch pad for community discussion, and a tool to help advocate for changes that would make these streets safer for everyone.

Arnett Blvd between Genesee St & Warwick Ave
Monroe Ave between Highland Ave & 12 Corners Plaza

by 5 Comments

Why Don’t Crosswalks Have Stop Signs?

Written by Arian Horbovetz and originally published on The Urban Phoenix blog

A few nights ago I was riding my Onewheel through the residential streets of Rochester’s South Wedge neighborhood. I slowed as I approached a lightly traveled 4-way stop sign controlled intersection, where a car stopped and yielded the right of way to me as I had reached the intersection first.

A few minutes later, I tried to cross Rochester’s South Ave. while carrying my device across a crosswalk. And while the signage clearly states that pedestrians in the crosswalk have the right of way, 8 cars blew through said crosswalk before a car finally stopped and allowed me to pass.

Tonight I was trying to cross another street near Rochester’s historic Mt. Hope Cemetery (final resting place of Frederick Douglass and Susan B. Anthony) at a RRFB-controlled crosswalk. I pressed the button which activated the flashing yellow lights indicating that a pedestrian is ready to enter the crosswalk, and subsequently watched in horror as 19 cars drove through the crosswalk without so much as a brake tap.

Here’s my question… why aren’t pedestrian crosswalks simply controlled with a traditional stop sign? For the life of me I’ve never been able to understand this. Let’s break it down…

If we think of stop signs as safety signals for everyone on our streets, then why is it that our most vulnerable population, people on foot, only receive “yield” status?

If we claim that a pedestrian always has the right of way in a crosswalk, why do we treat pedestrians as “yield” worthy instead of “STOP” worthy like we do cars? Why doesn’t every non-signal-controlled crosswalk simply have a universally recognizable stop sign instead of an innocuous yield sign or flashing yellow lights that most drivers simply dismiss?

We claim to prioritize pedestrians with bright signage and flashing lights but until we prioritize a person the way we prioritize a car, truck or SUV, the number of people killed by cars will continue to rise.

Arian took this to the next level when he conducted a filmed experiment with an RRFB crosswalk — take a watch below:

Did that peak your interest? Consider attending this week’s Rochester Street Films Event: Silent Epidemic on the growing number of pedestrian injuries and fatalities on our streets. We’ll be featuring this video along with several others + local data + live discussion with community leaders and crash victims.

Register now!

(attend in-person at The Little Theatre or via livestream)

by 2 Comments

Lake Avenue is Not Built For Everyone

Guest blog by Rachel Barnhart, who represents District 21 on the Monroe County Legislature and has been a longtime advocate for safer streets.

A driver struck and killed a woman walking on Lake Ave on September 17. She was at least the 90th pedestrian or cyclist injured or killed on Lake Ave in the mile-long stretch between Driving Park Ave and Lyell Ave over the last decade. That’s an average of nine people hurt every year in a distance we can walk in less than 20 minutes.

It’s time to make Lake Ave safe for everyone, particularly the people who live there.

About half of the people who live in the two census tracts on the west side of Lake Ave between Driving Park and Lyell live in poverty. More than one-third of the households do not own cars. They are using other means of transportation — walking, cycling and public transit. Yet Lake Ave is not built for the use of the people who call the surrounding blocks home. 

Lake Ave is built for speed. The road has 11-foot-wide lanes, 3-foot shoulders, recessed bus stops and turning lanes. These are all design elements conducive to high speeds. The speed limit on Lake Ave is 35 mph, a speed at which pedestrians have a 45 percent chance of being killed when struck. Speed data indicates that between Emerson St and Lexington Ave, half of drivers are going above 36 mph, and one in seven drivers is going above 42 mph. Driving on Lake Ave can be stressful, with tailgating, aggressive lane changes, and, yes, speeding.

A portion of Lake Ave, featuring six lanes.

When examining crash data over the last decade, it’s evident Lake Ave does not have enough traffic lights and they are not timed properly. There are not enough crosswalks, as you have to walk nearly a half-mile in one location between Driving Park and Lyell before encountering a designated place to cross. Lake Ave also takes pedestrians time to cross — it’s six lanes in some spots! In many locations, drivers can turn right on red and they can make left turns everywhere, further endangering pedestrians.

Imagine being a pedestrian or cyclist in this environment, especially on a cold, snowy or rainy day. You just want to cross the street to get to your bus stop, the grocery store, your job, or your friend’s house. But Lake Ave is not built for you. 

Despite the carnage, there is predictably no outcry to make Lake Ave safer for all who use the road. Lake Ave’s crash history sadly shows the correlation between poor street safety, race and poverty. Our culture is oriented toward the needs of drivers, no matter the collateral damage. We have an intense bias reflected in news stories that regularly use the passive voice to describe crashes. A pedestrian is “hit by a car,” not the person driving the car. We blame pedestrians for not following the rules of the road, even though drivers on Lake Ave routinely disregard traffic laws, such as the speed limit.

We can make Lake Ave work for everyone by redesigning the road. Unfortunately, drivers will fight for their ability to speed through neighborhoods, like when public opposition killed a road diet planned for a northern section of Lake Ave in 2014. There are still ideas on the table, such as Reconnect Rochester’s concept to make the Phelps Ave intersection safer.

A design rendering by Stantec for the intersection of Lake Ave & Phelps Ave, which came out of Reconnect’s 2018 Complete Streets Makeover program.

City leaders kicked off a Pace Car program on Lake Ave in 2016, which encouraged drivers to be more mindful of pedestrians and cyclists. That effort faded, but should be revived as part of a more comprehensive Vision Zero plan, which focuses on road design, enforcement and education to reduce crashes. 

Lake Ave is not built for everyone, but it could be one day, if we value the safety and quality of life of everyone who uses this corridor.

by 2 Comments

Shamokin Dam, PA: No Pedestrians Allowed

Written by Arian Horbovetz and originally published on The Urban Phoenix blog

Last weekend my wife and I enjoyed a quick overnight trip to one of our favorite cities, Philadelphia, PA. In an effort to avoid toll roads, we took Route 15 for much of the way through the Keystone State, marveling at the beautiful rolling hills while skirting the Susquehanna River.

But in many places along the way, Route 15 transitions into Big Box Store Islands. One such place is in Shamokin Dam, home to massive parking lots servicing Best Buys and AutoZones, featuring every restaurant chain from McDonalds and Burger King to Pizza Hut, Chipotle, Denny’s, Red Robin, Applebee’s and more. What caught my eye on this particular journey through the minimum-wage wasteland was the total lack of sidewalks.

Let’s unpack this for a moment. We have a sea of low paying retail jobs that literally cannot be reached on foot or by bike. If you can’t afford a car, you don’t get a job here and you don’t get to shop here, plain and simple.

Furthermore, and this is my favorite… not only do they not have sidewalks, the local signage actually forbids pedestrians!

And beyond that, I tried to see if there might be a public transit option so that residents of nearby Selinsgrove, for example, might be able to access this area without owning a car. Spoiler alert, there is no public transit option.

A similar collection of big box retailers and chain restaurants exists south of Rochester, New York in the suburb of Henrietta. And while the land use and development strategies in this area are hideously car-centric and exclusive, at least it has sidewalks on both sides of the road and regular transit access.

Jefferson Road, Henrietta, NY

Shamokin Dam, on the other hand, is an island of minimum wage jobs that is only accessible by the most expensive form of transportation. Pennsylvania’s citizens living in this area must own a car and all the incredible costs that come with it in order to access these retail opportunities, either as an employee or as a customer. This is a perfect example of how flawed and shortsighted our U.S. development patterns and land use constructs truly are.

by No Comments

Top ten things we’re most proud of in 2020.

2020 has been a year like no other.

Like every non-profit, the pandemic forced Reconnect Rochester to pivot fast to re-tool our planned programs and goals for the year. Luckily, we are small (but mighty), and nothing if not nimble. Despite all the challenges, we managed to move our mission forward with intensity. Check out (below) the “Top 10” list of accomplishments we’re most proud of in 2020.

We also faced financial uncertainty this year as prospects for grants and sponsorships dissipated. You know what got us through? The generosity of supporting members during our last membership drive, especially our sustaining members whose monthly donations proved to be extra crucial this year.

If you haven’t already, we hope you’ll take a look at the membership levels and gift options and make a donation toward our 2021 Membership Drive so we can hit the ground rolling in 2021!

Make a One-Time or Monthly Donation

TOP 10 THINGS WE’RE MOST PROUD OF IN 2020
(In no particular order of importance.)

#10

Releasing a new original short film titled Think Transit First to highlight transportation as a systemic equity issue in our community, and the innovative ways some local organizations are meeting transportation needs. The film premiered at our Nov 12 Rochester Street Films event, which also included a presentation of local statistics and a panel discussion. Please watch and share this important film!

#9

Installing 15 fiberglass bus stop cubes on Parsells, Lyell & Monroe Avenues to give RTS riders a respectable place to sit while they wait, and celebrated at a ribbon cutting event with City officials and project partners. Check out the Channel 8 news story and more photos of the ribbon cutting event.

#8

Hosting a 3-hour virtual Complete Streets Training attended by 60 local public officials, planners, engineers and advocates. Justin Booth of GObike Buffalo led a discussion about the benefits of active mobility and complete streets, and how we can make our roads safe for people of all ages and abilities.

#7

Rolling out a set of bike education offerings to encourage more people in our community to experience the health and financial benefits of biking to get around, and deliver the information they need to do so safely and comfortably.
p.s. Find out more about classes & presentations you can bring to your workplace, campus, community library or schools.

#6

Joining forces with Rochester Cycling Alliance to weigh in on an untold number of transportation plans and projects, like the Priority Bicycle Boulevards plan, GTC’s Long Range Transportation Plan, and infrastructure projects all over the City and County. Our favorite win this year was a final design for E. Main Street that includes dedicated bike lanes, a result of working alongside neighborhood partners to advocate for a street design that accommodates ALL users.

#5

Publicly expressing our solidarity with the movement toward racial justice in our community by signing on to the community statement that Racism is a Public Health Crisis. We also committed to reflect and actively work on holding ourselves accountable for living up to our professed values of equity and inclusion, and centering anti-racism in our work.

#4

Exponentially expanding cycling focused programs and outreach led by the Rochester Cycling Alliance during the first full year of our organizations coming together. A film screening and panel discussion of the Dutch film Why We Cycle, a virtual update on the City’s bike infrastructure, on-bike classes at the Rochester Public market, a bike law refresher video for Rochester Police Department officers, and many more accomplishments too numerous to name.

#3

Getting our Monroe County Crash Map (which had crashed) updated on our website with a fresh new design! The map is a resource for looking up crashes that involve pedestrians and cyclists, and serves as a tool for local advocacy efforts around safe streets in our community.

#2

Adding new multi-modal themed products and designs to our online shop. All sales and proceeds are reinvested to support our work in the community.
p.s. Several new products are available as membership gifts!

#1

Traveling to Albany to meet with local legislators and advocate for a legislative platform to improve transportation in our region, developed in partnership with Our Streets Transit Coalition member organizations.

…and that doesn’t even count the ways we spark community engagement and conversation every day through social media shares and blog posts about things like the survival of public transit, the benefits of reduced motor traffic, or the automobile and racial exclusivity.

We think that’s a pretty darn good Top 10 list for a disrupted kind of year.

Just imagine what we can do in 2021!