Protected bike lanes for the full length of Main Street. This was the request from local cycling advocate Harvey Botzman in an email late last week to City officials and other cycling advocates. The east end of Main Street in downtown Rochester is about to undergo a complete reconstruction, but bike lanes aren’t part of the plan. Additionally, the City is working on a plan to improve pedestrian connections and enhance the stretch of East Main Street between the Public Market and Neighborhood Of The Arts.
So with Main Street under the microscope, now is the time for all of us to demand, not ask, for a healthier mix of transportation options and amenities for Main Street. Harvey is leaving no gray area. He’s calling for “protected bike lanes for the full length of Main St. from Winton Rd. to Mt. Read Blvd.” and here’s why…
You may recall waaay back in 2010 a group of RocSubway readers got together with the intent of drumming up support for transportation alternatives in Rochester. In a town where the car is king, that was to be no easy task. But we’ve been making measurable progress. Find out how you can help, AND get some original Thievin’ Stephen artwork as a thank-you…
Welcome readers. I’m going on a slight deviation from my usual “Filling In” article to talk about the mean streets of Rochester. Let’s take a look at, eh, Main St. Yeah, Main St. What’s that looks like? Ok, well, there’s some tall(ish) buildings built to the street. There’s sidewalk, theoretically two driving lanes in each direction, and (supposedly) some street trees. If I were to give this street a grade, it would get an “in-complete.”
Oy, how I wish I could reconfigure things! Just pick stuff up and move it around. Maybe add a cycle track or a tree-lined median. Heh heh… can you say, STREET REMIX?!
Sorry it’s been so quiet in the subway for the past week. It got crazy busy with many things happening on many different fronts, and I had to force myself into a self-imposed digital detox program. But here’s a quicky update…
I just got back from the Genesee-Finger Lakes Active Transportation Summit; a conference (held in downtown Rochester) where mobs of cycling and transit advocates gathered for a day of discussion about moving Rochester forward… literally. Believe me, Spiderman isn’t the only one sporting the spandex lately. There’s an undeniable groundswell of support for walkable, bike-friendly streets, and transit options in this town. Maybe you were following the tweets coming out of Reconnect Rochester throughout the day? But if you were at the conference, you understand what I mean. The excitement was palpable, and contagious.
Last week fresh paint went down on Saint Paul Street – from the Monroe County Social Services building north to School #8 near Avenue A. But wait a cottonpickin’ second… why’s that lane so darn skinny? How am I supposed to squeeze my Hummer through there?
Last summer I posted a progress report on Rochester’s Bike Master Plan and I commented on the importance of such planning—even if you don’t own a bike. Well, I’m all giddy with excitement to report… Rochester has a bike plan! Officially.
Something outstanding is happening in our community—Rochester is catching Bike Fever. Over the past decade or more Monroe County and local municipalities have been steadily making investments in existing off-road trails and in new ones, especially around our colleges, universities and along the river and lake shore. You may have noticed some new ones near you. Bicycling Magazine even placed Rochester on their list of America’s Top 50 Bike-Friendly Cities this year. Albeit at #50, but hey, it’s a good start!
If you were at the Circulator Study Public Meeting tonight, THANK YOU! Turn out was good. It could’ve been even better… but there were plenty of people there asking questions and giving input and the room had a constant buzz. Even the media thought enough to make an appearance. There will be another public meeting in June/July to share the preliminary findings of the study so stay tuned and continue to share this story with friends and neighbors. We’ll need even more of you at the next meeting.
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![Harvey Botzman, a local cycling advocate, is calling for protected bike lanes for the full length of Main Street in Rochester. [PHOTO: J. Stephen Conn, Flickr]](https://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/main-street-protected-bike-lanes-01.jpg)
to improve pedestrian connections and enhance the stretch of East Main Street between the Public Market and Neighborhood Of The Arts. ![Street artist Thievin' Stephen has donated some of his work to benefit Reconnect Rochester, a 501(c)3 non-profit group working to improve transit alternatives in our area. [PHOTO: Thievin' Stephen]](https://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/thievin-stephen-rochester-bike-lane-print-04.jpg)
![The current view looking west down Main Street, Rochester. Blah. If only we could rearrange things. [IMAGE: Google Streetview]](https://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/remix-your-street-01b.jpg)
![The City just released a Request for Proposal to create a Bike Boulevard Plan. [PHOTO: Payton Chung]](http://rochestersubway.com/images/photos/bike-boulevard-PaytonChung-01.jpg)
![The first marked bike lanes and shared use lanes will begin to appear this construction season across the city. [PHOTO: Phillip Barron]](https://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/bike-lane.jpg)
![Rochester is a great city for off-road cycling. The City's Bicycle Master Plan Project will seek to elevate Rochester to full 'Bicycle Friendly Community' status with the League of American Bicyclists' Bicycle Friendly Communities Program. [PHOTO: from Tobo's Flickr stream]](https://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/rochester_genesee_riverway_bike_trail.jpg)
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