WHEN: Friday, August 22nd 2025 | Ride 5PM SHARP* Rally 5:30 PM
*If you cannot make it to the ride please join us at Parcel 5 for the rally!
MEETING POINT: Ride meets at Genesee Valley Park Sports Complex (131 Elmwood Avenue) and leaves at 5PM SHARP! (please arrive at least 15 minutes early to sign a waiver)
Rally starts at 5:30PM at Parcel 5 outside Senator Jeremy Cooney’s office
The Monroe County Active Transportation Plan and the City of Rochester Active Transportation Plan were completed in a coordinated fashion with commitments to building safe walking, biking, and transit facilities that cater to people of all ages and all abilities. Yet in order to extend our infrastructure into Monroe County suburbs and beyond, we will need to address the many roads under NYSDOT jurisdiction that are included.
We are grateful for the 150 cyclists who attended 2024’s bike ride and rally at City Hall aimed at drawing more attention to the issue of the scattered and disconnected nature of bike investments so far and the need to change tacks, concentrating on attaining seamless and protected central axes of the envisioned Bike Spine Network in the near term.
This year, we have invited NYSDOT to tell us first-hand, “what is New York State doing to protect cyclists on state roads?” Despite the many Bike Resources we offer to encourage our community to ride, we can’t make up for the almost complete lack of dedicated, on-road bicycle infrastructure outside of the City of Rochester. According to the Federal Highway Administration, for about 60% of people who might otherwise ride their bike, these conditions discourage them from even trying to bike to work, to school or to the grocery store. This is especially true for women, children and the elderly.
To ensure this event’s success we will need YOUR HELP to get as many people as possible to join our ride on August 22nd and fill Parcel 5 with support and positive energy for bike infrastructure throughout Monroe County. We want all the speakers from New York State and Local Municipalities to look out upon a sea of diverse people on bikes supporting these changes. We hope to see you on August 22nd to ask New York State to “Keep us Safe on State Roads!”
WHEN: Friday, August 22nd 2025 | Ride 5PM SHARP* Rally 5:30 PM
*If you cannot make it to the ride please join us at Parcel 5 for the rally!
MEETING POINT: Ride meets at Genesee Valley Park Sports Complex (131 Elmwood Avenue) and leaves at 5 pm sharp! (please arrive 15 minutes early to sign waver)
Rally starts at 5:30 pm at Parcel 5 outside Senator Jeremy Cooney’s office
WHAT DO WE WANT NEW YORK STATE TO DO?
- Adopt a “complete streets” design policy for state roads and build infrastructure during regular maintenance projects. 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, commercial centers, and transit hubs.
- Allocate more funding to active transportation enhancements on all road projects.
QUESTIONS?
Contact Cody Donahue at Cody@ReconnectRochester.org or 585.484.1523