A local cyclist sent us a video of a road rage incident he experienced last weekend while riding his bike south on East Henrietta Road near the intersection at Westfall. Thankfully, no one was hurt – in the end, a good samaritan stepped in and called RPD. But there are clearly some important lessons to be learned. First a word of caution; this video contains some graphic language…
City of Rochester’s Pace Car Program Asks Drivers to Be Part of the Solution
Posted by: Renee Stetzer, Vice President & Pedestrian Safety Committee Chair at Reconnect Rochester
We were proud to be part of today’s launch of the City of Rochester’s Pace Car program! We joined Mayor Lovely Warren and other community leaders to introduce the new citywide initiative that asks drivers to be part of the solution to make our community streets safer for all who use them. Pace Car drivers sign a pledge to drive within the speed limit, drive courteously, yield to pedestrians and be mindful of bicyclists and others on the street. Drivers display the yellow Pace Car sticker on their vehicles to show others that they are taking accountability for how they drive on our community streets.
Introducing “Streets for the People”
Posted by: board member Renee Stetzer, pedestrian safety advocate and blogger at RocVille.com
Regular, everyday citizens rallying together can set in motion great change in our communities. After all, the people who are most in touch with what is needed in our neighborhoods are those who live, walk, ride, play, drive, shop and work in them every day.
Reconnect Rochester is happy to announce a new initiative that is a direct result of everyday citizen action: Streets for the People…
City Council Approves Additional Red Light Camera Study
![Do Red Light Cameras Make Rochester Streets Safer? [PHOTO: Yousuf Fahimuddin]](http://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/rochester-red-light-camera-03.jpg)
Posted by: Renee Stetzer, pedestrian safety advocate and blogger at RocVille.com
Last week, the City Council approved further study of Rochester’s red light camera program. This isn’t a brand new study, but an expansion of the study that was released in November. The results of that study indicated a reduction in the number of accidents at 22 intersections 
that have red light cameras. Two intersections had no changes in the collision rates before and after the cameras were installed. And 8 intersections had an increase in the number of collisions. Those 8 intersections are the subject of the expanded study, as well as whether the cameras could be tied into traffic signals to help reduce operation costs…
Rochester Extends Red Light Camera Program
![Rochester Extends Right Light Camera Program [PHOTO: Renee Stetzer]](http://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/rochester-red-light-camera-02.jpg)
Posted by: Renee Stetzer, pedestrian safety advocate and blogger at RocVille.com
Last night the City Council approved the extension of Rochester’s red light camera program until December 2019. The 6 to 3 vote was originally scheduled for September, but postponed when the results of the red light camera study were not yet available. The official report was released last week…
New Citywide 25MPH Speed Limit in NYC
![New Citywide 25MPH Speed Limit in NYC. [PHOTO: Vision Zero, NYC.gov]](http://www.reconnectrochester.org/images/photos/speed_limit_25.jpg)
Posted by: Renee Stetzer, pedestrian safety advocate and blogger at RocVille.com
New York City’s new lower citywide speed limit goes into effect today. In June the NY State legislature passed a bill that allowed NYC to lower its default speed limit to 25mph . Part of the city’s Vision Zero plan to eliminate traffic fatalities, the new lower default speed limit was approved by the City Council in October and signed by Mayor Bill de Blasio last week. And the new 25mph signs are going up today…
Cuomo Approves Red Light Cameras Through 2019
Posted by: Renee Stetzer, pedestrian safety advocate and blogger at RocVille.com
Last week Governor Andrew Cuomo granted permission for several cities and counties in New York, including Rochester, to begin or continue red light camera programs until 2019. Red light camera programs remain a controversial topic, but cities all over the country are choosing to continue their programs as they strive to make their streets safer for all who traverse them. New York City Mayor de Blasio is leading the charge in our state with his Vision Zero plan, a multi-faceted approach to reducing traffic fatalities – and red light cameras are one of those facets…
Can Lower City Speed Limits Make Streets Safer?
![In June, the New York State legislature passed a bill to let NYC lower its default limit to 25mph. Lowering speed limits is part of Mayor Bill de Blasio's Vision Zero plan. [PHOTO: Dmitry Gudkov, Flickr]](http://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/new-york-city-speed-limit-law-01.jpg)
Posted by: Renee Stetzer, pedestrian safety advocate and blogger at RocVille.com
All across the country, state legislatures are raising speed limits on roadways . I think the highest I’ve read about is a tollway in Texas, which is taking on the Autobahn with an 85 mph limit. Highways are getting faster it seems. New York City, however, has been pushing for the authority to lower speed limits on its streets. And in June, the New York State legislature passed a bill to let NYC lower its default limit to 25mph (from the default of 30 mph). Lowering default speed limits on its 6000 miles of roads is part of Mayor Bill de Blasio’s Vision Zero plan to eliminate traffic fatalities by 2024…