Ever try to walk to the store and encounter areas where there is no sidewalk, leading to you walking in the road and placing yourself in a dangerous situation with cars zooming by?

Or do you use your bike as a mode of transportation, only to find that some (if not most) streets in the city are not suitable for bikes?

This is a problem faced not only by those in the city of Rochester, but by those who live in villages and towns of Monroe County and all over the USA. These can be described as so-called "walk ability" issues. Meaning, you could live within walking distance to a store or venue, but riding your bike and walking aren't safe modes of travel.

Just how unsafe is it? I am living proof. Last year, I was hit while riding my bike and suffered a fractured vertebrae as a result.

Earlier this year, we asked for and received bike lanes on the new Broad Street project. But we need to advocate for more of these projects.

Whenever a renovation occurs, especially on a major avenue or street, we should install sidewalks and bike lanes for those who walk to complete errands or for those who ride a bike to do the same. And we can bring this to rural and suburban areas as well, where some main roads or streets lack bike lanes or sidewalks that would assist bicyclists and walkers with their safe transport.

So why is this important? Other than safety, it also helps promote green transportation. Instead of getting in your car and driving to the store that might be a block away, you can walk or bike there. Why waste gas (and money) and why pollute the air with car exhaust just to go to the store for bread and milk? If you are guaranteed safe travel because of sidewalks and bike lanes, that is a much cleaner option.

This is all part of President Obama's "Livability Initiative" www.harrydavis2010.com/node/232 with an emphasis on sustainable transportation. I have talked about high speed rail before, but bike lanes and sidewalks play into this too. We need to provide more than just streets for cars. We need to look at other options. That is why if we are going to rebuild a street, we should make that street has a bike lane. And if we are going to widen streets, sidewalks should be installed for walkers.

Earlier this year, I, along with others, asked the Rochester City Council to give up their automobiles for a few days to see what it like to use public tranportation as a sole means of getting around. That question fell flat. Some of those members acted as if giving up their car for one week would be a huge inconvenience. The tables have turned. Maybe they can realize that not all of us can afford to drive our cars everywhere and we need to ride a bike or walk to go to the Post Office or pick up something at the store. While they might live a life of convenience, sometimes bikes are actually more convenient! Maybe if they gave up their cars and used alternative means of transportation, they would understand this.

Our goal is to make Broad Street a starting point. From there, we will fight for bike lanes and other means of sustainable transportation every time a new project arises to renovate an already existing street.

Harry Davis
Rochester, NY
http://www.harrydavis2010.com/node/24

blikes are the only way i can go ,or walk,please make Rochester bike friendly ,and side walks wheelchair friendly.

I agree with Harry. I ride my bike for pleasure and have found there are some difficult roads to navigate within and without the city limits. Also, taking a bus can be a problem as you may have to take two or three different buses to get from point A to point B.

I couldn't agree with Harry more. Despite what the letter of laws written in the early 1900s state, there are many local roads that are too crowded and too fast for bicyclists to safely navigate. East Avenue is but one example. During the morning commute I regularly see people driving 10 to 20 miles over the posted 30 mph speed limit on East Avenue. Those types of speeds are simply not safe for bicyclists that wish to commute on East Ave. I don't know what the renovation plans for East Ave. entail, but it would be fantastic if the city saw fit to include a clearly delineated bike path in that plan.