The city's bicycle master plan could recommend some stretches of road that are suited for bicycle lanes. This lane is on East Henrietta Road in Brighton. PHOTO BY MATT DETURCK
City planners are developing a master plan for making the city more bicycle friendly, and as part of that process its consultants studied some of Rochester's main streets. They looked at things like pavement conditions, speeds, truck traffic, and pavement width. Then they gave sections of the streets grades, from A to F. East Avenue ranks high, generally a B. St. Paul Street got an E and Mount Read Boulevard received E and F ratings.
"It's how it feels to you as a cyclist to be on the road," says Jennifer Bartlett of Sprinkle Consulting, which is guiding the city through the process.
The reason for the consultants' study: to help cyclists, residents, and city planners prioritize projects that may grow out of the plan. At four public workshops last week, residents had a chance give their input to point out areas that deserve help. Using maps a strip of tape representing 5 miles of road, they marked priority areas and road sections.
Planners are looking for particularly troublesome stretches. They also want to identify locations that cyclists frequent - grocery stores, parks, employment centers - to which they need better access. And they want a sense of the level of improvements residents want and support.
Long-time cycling advocate Richard DeSarra, who is a member of the plan's community advisory board, raises another possible priority: high-poverty areas, where residents rely heavily on bikes for transportation.
"As a city we're in fairly good shape compared to our peers," says Erik Frisch, a transportation specialist for the city.
Next step: studying what other cold-weather cities have done to become bicycle-friendly.
Comments for "City streets get a high 'D' for cycling" (8)
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Kara said on Sep. 01, 2010 at 11:39am
For more information on this exciting project and a chance to provide the City with your comments on bicycling in Rochester, visit www.cityofrochester.gov/bikeplan
Scott MacRae said on Sep. 01, 2010 at 12:45pm
You can send your comments and recommendations on what roads that need improvement and destinations that should be prioritize to Erik Frisch, City of Rochester. email: Frische@CityofRochester.gov
John E. Curran said on Sep. 02, 2010 at 10:24am
The City of Rochester's west Riverway bicycle path from the Ford Street Bridge to the Elmwood Avenue Bridge needs consistent and adequate overhead lighting plus wider grassy perimeters along the paved roadway. Current vegetation along the Ford Street-to-Brooks Avenue Riverway encroaches on the path and provides poor visibility and inadequate public safety. Improving conditions here will be even more essential when the Erie Lackawanna Railroad Bridge is converted to pedestrian and bicycle traffic near the UofR River Campus in November 2011. The west Riverway serves an economically-challenged neighborhood whose residents use bicycles for practical transportation. A well-maintained route will encourage walking, jogging and cycling. Heritage tourism will increase along the southwest Riverway when its Native American, Underground Railroad, Abolition and Voting Rights historical assets are showcased along this Erie Canal Harbor segment of the Genesee River. The obsolete
and crumbling concrete river wall, installed 1915-1920, poses a flood risk concern. Replacing this affords an opportunity to address the southwest Riverway route in a comprehensive fashion to enhance habitat and public access for the next century.
Georgia NeSmith said on Sep. 03, 2010 at 12:23pm
E. Main Street from Genesee to downtown is horrid. It's bad BEFORE Genesee but 10x worse after.
ALL of the business district streets in the 19th Ward are horrid.
Consider how many of us all over the city will choose to ride - ILLEGALLY, AND KNOWING IT IS ILLEGAL - on the sidewalks rather than risk our necks in traffic.
What's even worse is when you get construction work going on - at that point, it's as if bicycles don't exist, and pedestrians hardly exist either.
Something I would like to see is for streetlights to have blinking warning signs reminding drivers to watch for bicyclists BEFORE the light changes to green.
Richard DeSarra said on Sep. 04, 2010 at 4:35pm
A clarification regarding sidewalk riding.
It is not illegal to ride on the sidewalk in NYS unless the local municipality has an ordinance restricting it.
Rochester has such an ordinance not allowing cycling within the 'Inner Loop.'
Some communities do not allow bicycling, skate boarding or inline skating in their downtown business districts; example is Schoen Place and Main St. in the Village of Pittsford. You may notice that there are no posted signs within the "Inner Loop" stating the restriction. City Police are except from the ordinance.
Children under 12 are usually allowed to bicycle on the sidewalks as a safety precaution.
Richard
Rochester Bicycling Club Road/Trail Advocate
Harry Davis said on Sep. 05, 2010 at 2:51pm
On May 28, 2009, I was bike riding on the sidewalk on Monroe Ave going toward Brighton. I was there for my safety. When I crossed the intersection at Monroe & Highland, Cobb's Hill, I was hit by a car when the lady who was also headed to Brighton, turned left onto Highland Ave. I went down real hard and I now have a fractured L-1 vertebrae which will cause me pain forever.
Mattar is handling the case. Anybody know the legalities of this?
Harry Davis said on Sep. 05, 2010 at 4:08pm
btw, I forgot to mention in the above. When I was hit by the car on Monroe Ave I was in the crosswalk on my bicycle at Highland Ave.
nick said on Sep. 08, 2010 at 4:26pm
@Harry Davis, not to be a jerk but it sounds like you were not only on the side walk but on the wrong side of the street. Were you walking your bicycle through the crossWALK? Did the signal indicate that you had the right of way? I can't remember for certain but I believe motorist turning left from Monroe onto Highland have a green arrow. I'm a bicyclist and I have to say that it annoys me to no end when I see adult bicyclists on the sidewalk or riding against traffic. I almost ran into a guy on a bike while I was turning left from Chili Ave onto 390 South, all due to the fact that he was riding on the sidewalk and on the wrong side of the street. From the point of view of a driver, by doing that you are appearing out of a blind spot. It sounds to me that if you would've been where you were supposed to be (in the road riding in the same direction as traffic) you would've been safer. I'm sure your lawyer will win you millions but frankly I think this is your fault.
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