There’s no real reason for this post. I was going through old family photos this weekend and stumbled upon these ones from a boat tour around Manhattan island my wife and I took in 2004. By complete coincidence we sailed directly in front of the infamous Spirit of Ontario I (a.k.a. Fast Ferry) on her maiden voyage to Rochester…
Posts Tagged ‘transportation’...

Old Family Photos
Sunday, April 3rd, 2016Tags: architecture, Fast Ferry, Manhattan, New York City, NYC, Rochester, transportation
Posted in Rochester History, Rochester Images, Transit + Infrastructure | 4 Comments »

“Gridlock” Sam Schwartz at The Little Theatre, 2/24
Thursday, February 18th, 2016When the world’s first elevated highway was completed in 1936 along Manhattan’s west side, the New York Times marveled that “the gleaming new concrete ribbon” would let drivers travel from lower Manhattan “nearly to Poughkeepsie without having to stop for a traffic light or slow up for an intersection.” Legendary city planner and master highway builder, Robert Moses promised the new highway would “eliminate” traffic jams on the city’s west side…
Tags: Ed Koch, event, Gridlock Sam Schwartz, infrastructure, lecture, New York City, NYC, Reconnect Rochester, Robert Moses, Sam Schwartz, Samuel Schwartz, Street Smart: The Rise of Cities and the Fall of Cars, The Little Theatre, traffic, traffic planning, transportation, transportation planning, urban planning, West Side Highway
Posted in Events, Rochester News, Subways Around the Globe, Transit + Infrastructure, Urban Development | 1 Comment »

Remembering the Old Rochester Monroe County Airport and Murals
Sunday, August 23rd, 2015I received an email last week from George Conboy, Chairman of Brighton Securities. He asks, “Have you seen anywhere a photo of the transportation mural that was behind the long ticket counter at the old airport? I remember it as a vaguely Art Deco theme of general transportation with an emphasis, of course, on air transport.”
Mr. Conboy explained that he used to fly a lot during the “glory days” of air travel back in the 1960s when he was a kid. “I just liked that old mural. I used to see it all the time and it has always been in my mind.”
This is a great question. I had been told of this mural before but have never seen it myself. Photos of it online are practically non-existent, so this one will require some digging…
Tags: airport, art, Art Deco, Brighton Securities, George Conboy, Greater Rochester International Airport, history of Rochester, infrastructure, Monroe County Airport, mural, old photos of Rochester NY, Rochester, Rochester history, Rochester NY, rochester photos, transportation
Posted in Architecture, Art + Culture, Rochester History, Rochester Images, Transit + Infrastructure | 18 Comments »

New Rochester-to-Henrietta Multimodal Connection Planned
Wednesday, April 1st, 2015[PLEASE NOTE: This was an April Fools posting. Joke’s over.]
RochesterSubway.com has just learned of preliminary plans for what’s being called the Rochester Southern Communities Active Transportation (R-SCAT) project. By building on Monroe County’s original 1947 highway plan, Rochester, Brighton, and Henrietta have agreed to the construction of a new, multimodal connection from downtown Rochester to the New York State Thruway…
Tags: Active Transportation, April Fools, bike path, bike plan, biking, Brighton, Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), Henrietta, highway, Multi-Modal, multimodal, protected bike lanes, Rochester, transportation, Walking
Posted in Rochester News, Transit + Infrastructure | 34 Comments »

Clearing Rochester’s Sidewalks of Snow is Not a Problem, It’s an Opportunity
Wednesday, March 11th, 2015
The following is a guest post submitted by Jim Mayer, Rochester NY.
Submit your story today.
Density of people is good for cities. Density of cars is not . More people create more demand for local shops and services, which, in return, attract more people. Businesses seeking talent are attracted as well, and the city benefits from increased sales and property tax revenue and by increased utilization of its existing infrastructure. On the other hand when a lot of people are living in a small area, and all of those people own cars, we run out of places to put them. A winter like this one just makes us feel the pain a little more…
Tags: City of Rochester, infrastructure, pedestrian safety, Rochester, Rochester NY, sidewalks, snow, transportation
Posted in Opinion, Transit + Infrastructure | 8 Comments »

Legality of Lyft and Other Ridesharing Operations in Rochester Seem Fuzzy – For Now
Monday, June 9th, 2014
Last week I shared an interview with a local Lyft driver. A debate in the comments—and on Facebook—about the legality of rideshare services (such as Lyft) immediately ensued. After hearing from both sides of the issue, I’m just as confused as I was before.
On one hand, Lyft has responded to these challenges by saying its service is absolutely not illegal, and that their insurance has drivers and passengers covered. On the other hand, a local insurance agent, Michael Montag has reached out to RochesterSubway.com. He believes Lyft drivers are operating illegally – even if Lyft itself may not be illegal. I’ll post both responses here, and if you’re thinking of driving for Lyft or similar services, do your homework first…
Tags: Carma Carpool, carpooling, John McBride, Lyft, MGM Associates of Rochester, Michael G. Montag, rideshare, ridesharing, Rochester, Rochester NY, Sidecar, transportation, transportation alternatives, Uber, Wingz, Zimride
Posted in Interviews, Rochester News, Transit + Infrastructure | 22 Comments »

Need a Lyft?
Monday, June 2nd, 2014
Have you seen one of these big pink mustaches tooling around town lately? This past April a ridesharing service called Lyft entered the Rochester market. Lyft connects people—via mobile app—who need a ride with drivers in their area. The pink facial hair is sort of the calling card of the Lyft brand.
Recently I got to talking with a local Lyft driver, Fred from Penfield, and he says from his point of view, the service has been a smashing success. “There are about 40 of us in Rochester,” says Fred. “We are similar to Uber and Sidecar, but we are much friendlier and have a much bigger focus on safety.”
Besides the pink moustaches, it’s also common for drivers and passengers to fist pump at the start of each ride. The following is a summary of our conversation about Lyft…
Tags: Carma Carpool, carpooling, Genesee Transportation Council (GTC), Lyft, rideshare, ridesharing, Rochester, Rochester NY, Sidecar, transportation, transportation alternatives, Uber, Wingz, Zimride
Posted in Interviews, Rochester News, Transit + Infrastructure | 10 Comments »

LEGO Travel Adventure at Strong Museum
Wednesday, February 27th, 2013
I took a few hours to have some fun this week at The Strong, National Museum of Play. They’ve got a killer exhibit going on right now, through May 12. A history of transportation built entirely out of LEGO! I haven’t geeked out this bad since Norm Abrams came to Chase-Pitkin for a “This Old House” book signing. Check this out…
Tags: Henry Ford, LEGO, LEGO Travel Adventures, miniature, Model T, Orville Wright, space shuttle, Strong National Museum of Play, The Strong, Titanic, transcontinental railroad, transportation, Wilbur Wright, Wright Brothers
Posted in Art + Culture, Events, Rochester News, Train/Railroad Stuff, Transit + Infrastructure | No Comments »

RochesterSubway.com Talks at TEDxRochester
Monday, January 21st, 2013
Last November I had the ridiculously huge privilege to give a talk at TEDxRochester. The gravity of the honor may have been too much for my little brain to comprehend. In fact, when they initially asked me to do it I said “no thanks” – twice. Long story short, I gave in. And I’m glad I did, because the experience was one of those “once in a lifetime” things.
Since much of my talk was influenced by you, RocSubway readers and participants, I thought you’d like to watch (and share) the official video which has just been released. A word of caution: I’m not the most riveting public speaker, but there is lots of good stuff buried within this 12-minute presentation, so watch thru to the end if you can…
Tags: Amanda Doherty, downtown Rochester, Gary Jacobs, history of Rochester, Jen Indovina, mass transit, mass transportation, Michael Governale, public transportation, Reconnect Rochester, Rick U., Rochester, Rochester history, Rochester NY, suburban sprawl, TED Talks, TEDxRochester, Tony Karakashian, transit, transportation, transportation alternatives, urban revitalization
Posted in Opinion, Rochester History, Rochester News, Transit + Infrastructure, Urban Development, Video | 4 Comments »

Inner Loop Officially ‘Dead Man Walking’
Friday, September 9th, 2011
It’s no secret that I am wholeheartedly in favor of removing Rochester’s Inner Loop roadway which encircles downtown and chokes it off from the surrounding neighborhoods like an ever tightening noose. What we didn’t know until today was that City Council and Mayor Tom Richards feel the same…
Tags: Carla Palumbo, Carolee Conklin, Democrat & Chronicle, Democrat and Chronicle, downtown Rochester, highway, highways, I-490, infrastructure, Inner Loop, New York, Rochester, Rochester City Council, Rochester NY, transportation, WXXI, Zack Seward
Posted in Rochester News, Transit + Infrastructure, Urban Development | 5 Comments »

I Spy a Bike Lane
Sunday, August 28th, 2011
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?
Tags: Bertina Forde, bike lanes, bike plan, complete streets, downtown Rochester, El Camino Trail, pedestrian safety, red light camera, Rochester, Rochester Bicycle Master Plan Project, Rochester NY, Saint Paul Street, transportation
Posted in Rochester News, Transit + Infrastructure | 17 Comments »

Clang Clang Clang … Went the Trolley
Friday, July 8th, 2011Recently I received an email from a local woman asking for help identifying an old bell with some strange letters. She states quite simply, “I have an old bell with these letters RC&BRR. Can you give me any information on this?” Right away I recognized those letters…
Tags: horsecar, old photos of Rochester, Rochester City and Brighton Railroad Company (RC&BRR), Rochester history, rochester photos, streetcar, transit, transportation, trolley, vintage, vintage trolley bell
Posted in Rochester History, Rochester Images, Train/Railroad Stuff | 12 Comments »

New Circulator Would Connect the Dots for Downtown Rochester
Sunday, March 20th, 2011The City of Rochester has been busy busy busy. Last week we took a look at our new Bike Master Plan. This week we’ll get a chance to review and ask questions about the proposed Center City Circulator. What? You have no idea what a “circulator” is? No worries. Watch the video clip below and learn about Washington D.C.’s new-ish circulator system with Gabe Klein, Director of Washington D.C.’s Department of Transportation (DDOT).
Tags: Center City Circulator Study, circulator, City of Rochester, commuter survey, Erik Frisch, public input, public meeting, Rochester, Rochester NY, RTS, shuttle bus, streetcar, transit, transportation, Washington D.C.
Posted in Events, Rochester News, Transit + Infrastructure, Video | 4 Comments »

Rochester, You Have a Bike Plan. Now What?
Monday, March 7th, 2011
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.
Tags: bike lanes, bike plan, city planning, Erik Frisch, infrastructure, New York, Rochester, Rochester Bicycle Master Plan Project, Rochester NY, transit, transportation
Posted in Rochester News, Transit + Infrastructure | No Comments »

Rochester’s Bike Master Plan—It’s Not Just for Cyclists
Sunday, August 29th, 2010
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!
Tags: Bicycle Magazine, bike lanes, bike plan, Butterhole Seneca Park Trail, Chuck Thomas, city planning, El Camino Trail, Erie Canal Path, Erik Frisch, Frank Regan, Genesee Regional Off-Road Cyclists (GROC), Genesee Riverway Trail, Genesee Transportation Council, Greenway Trail, infrastructure, Monroe County, New York, Ray LaHood, Regional Trails Initiative, Rochester, Rochester Bicycle Master Plan Project, Rochester Cycling Alliance (RCA), Rochester Environmental News Examiner, Rochester NY, transit, transportation, Transportation Secretary
Posted in Rochester News, Transit + Infrastructure | 3 Comments »

Think Before You Defend Rochester’s Inner Noose
Tuesday, July 20th, 2010
A recent story in the City Newspaper, “Glamming Rochester’s Gateways” touched on the idea that filling in part of the Inner Loop would help reconnect certain neighborhoods with downtown and improve Rochester’s eastern gateways. Then came the raging comments from readers who blindly defended the inner loop and its many blessings.
One letter sent in from James R. Boehler went like this…
(more…)
Tags: Alaskan Way, Buffalo, City Newspaper, downtown Rochester, FDR Drive, highway, highways, I-490, infrastructure, Inner Loop, James R. Boehler, Kensington Expressway, New York, Rochester, Rochester NY, Seattle, transportation
Posted in Opinion, Rochester News, Transit + Infrastructure, Urban Development | 14 Comments »
