BEYOND THE MOTOR CITY
A Documentary Film about the past and future of transportation.
June 28, 2010 @ 7:00 pm Free Screening
Presented by the Rochester Regional Community Design Center
and Empire State Future.
The Dryden Theater at the George Eastman House
900 East Avenue, Rochester, NY 14607
Public Workshop Invitation for Off-Road Bicycling
From Larry Staub, Director of County Parks
Help us draft and design a pilot program for
off-road bicycling in Monroe County Parks.
Pilot sites to be located at
Tryon Park and Irondequoit Bay Park West
ALL ARE WELCOME!
MONDAY, MAY 24 at 6:00 pm
Dolomite Lodge (located behind Penfield Town Hall)
3100 Atlantic Avenue, Penfield, NY 14526
Rochester Cycling Alliance : Rochester Bike Week 2010
The Rochester Cycling Alliance (RCA) was formed in September, 2009 to advocate for better bicycling infrastructure and a stronger voice for cyclists in Rochester and Monroe County, NY. The calendar of Bike Week events at the RCA site; www.rochestercyclingalliance.org
The statewide initiative to enact a safe passing law for cyclists is stalled in the state Assembly’s Transportation Committee. We need your help to convince Transportation Committee Chairman David Gantt to allow the bill to move forward.
The bill would require drivers to give cyclists a three-foot buffer when passing. Gantt’s staff maintains we don’t need to enumerate the distance. They say a bill requiring that motorists pass at a “safe distance” would suffice.
But requiring a “safe distance” for passing is too ambiguous and does not provide a clear point of reference for the driving public. The bill emerged last fall after Greenburgh resident Merrill Cassell was sideswiped by a Beeline bus on Route 119 and killed when the bus ran over him.
The bill – A10697 – is patterned after laws in 15 states, which require the three-foot buffer. The latest to enact the three-foot law is Mississippi. Others are Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Louisiana, Maine, Minnesota, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Utah, and Wisconsin. Similar laws have been proposed in nine other states.
We need to let Gantt know that the cycling community wants the three-foot passing law.
The main purpose of the law is to educate the public about how far is a safe distance to pass bicyclists. Many motorists believe that just avoiding contact with a cyclist is required. Many motorists are unaware of the danger of passing a cyclist too closely. It can result in hitting the cyclist, or startling the cyclist and resulting in a crash to avoid the car.
Law enforcement officials in states where the law is in place say it has been an effective educational tool. It gives officers, government officials and civic groups the opportunity to inform motorists of the safe distance.
You can email Gantt at GanttD@assembly.state.ny.us
You can call his office at 518-455-5606
You can fax a letter to 518-455-5419
You can send a letter to Assemblyman Gantt at
LOB 830
Albany, NY 12248
518-455-5606
Thank you for your support.
Richard DeSarra
New York Bicycling Coalition and Rochester Bicycling Club
That bike in the garage or basement has been collecting dust and spider webs for how long? What about the closet or shelf containing all those unused, not needed, parts or accessories? Give it up!
R Community Bikes could recycle that equipment that would benefit those that need new wheels, a bell or horn, cables for brake or derailleur, whatever.
You don’t know about the best bicycle community service organization in the world!
Read on.
R Community Bikes is a grassroots, 501(c)3 organization that collects and repairs used bicycles for distribution, free of charge, to Rochester, NY’s most needy children and adults. Our mission is meeting the basic transportation needs of those in the community who depend on bikes for recreation as well as for transport to work, school, rehabilitation programs, and training sessions. For this segment of the population, both quality of life and the ability to participate in our community are greatly enhanced when our mission is achieved. R Community Bikes also provides a venue for the Rochester bicycling community to conduct educational programs relative to bicycle safety and maintenance.
R Community BikesWe are open to the public on Wednesdays and Saturdays from 9:30 am to 1:00 pm at our warehouse at 226 Hudson Ave. (at the intersection with Woodbury Street). In addition, on Wednesdays in the summer we conduct bike repairs at St. Joseph’s House of Hospitality at 402 South Avenue.
We welcome donations of bikes, bike parts, tools and money to cover expenses such as spare parts. We are always in need of volunteers to serve as mechanics and a variety of other positions. We provide the necessary training. http://www.rcommunitybikes.net/
‘I now have a fairly clutter free basement and more room on the shelves to store the latest bicycle gadgets,’ says Richard DeSarra
Bike Week Volunteer Orientation Meeting
Presented by Rochester Cycling Alliance, www.rochestercyclingalliance.org.
When: Wednesday March 10 @ 7 – 9 p.m.
Where: Genesee Waterways Center Boathouse at Genesee Valley Park
DIRECTIONS: http://geneseewaterways.org/directions_gwc.htm.
A meeting for anyone interested in helping out with the RCA’s many planned events for Bike Week, May 21-28 2010. Learn about the RCA, the events planned, and how you can help.
CYCLING: Rochester: an emerging world-class cycling spot
By Jeremy Moule on December 16, 2009 City Newspaper
Read the article on Rochester Cycling Alliance blog; http://rochestercyclingalliance.blogspot.com/.
Or on City Newspaper‘s web site:
http://www.rochestercitynewspaper.com/news/articles/2009/12/CYCLING-Rochester-an-emerging-world-class-cycling-spot/.
Lake Ontario State Parkway
Multi-use Trail Project
Ribbon-cutting Ceremony
Thursday, Dec. 3 at 10:30 a.m.
At the trail head on Island Cottage Rd
RAIN LOCATION: Robach Community Center (Bathhouse)
180 Beach Avenue in Charlotte
Directions: (See map.)
Take Route 390 North to Latta Road (Exit #26)
Turn right onto Latta Rd.
Turn left onto Island Cottage Road.
Go past Janes Road and park on the shoulder.
Use the crosswalk to get to the ceremony site by the pond.
For more info:
NYS Department of Transportation
Lori Maher
585.272.4818
***ACTION ALERT***
NYSDOT Proposing Widespread Use of Rumble Strips on Secondary Highways, Posing New Hazards to Bicyclists
Contact NYSDOT and Your Legislators—Urge NYSDOT Not to Jeopardize the Safety of Its Roadway Users!
CURRENT NYSDOT POLICY: Do not install rumble strips on secondary roads except in rare instances
PROPOSED NYSDOT POLICY: Installation of rumble strips will be the preferred practice in the design of all secondary roads with a few exceptions
RUMBLE STRIPS are a well-documented hazard to bicyclists. Accepted practice nationwide dictates that rumble strips be used only sparingly on roads permitting cycling
NYSDOT is proposing an Engineering Instruction (EI), titled “Secondary Highway Audible Roadway Delineators – Guidance and Policy,” which is at variance with the practices recommended by the Federal Highway Administration, The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, and other standards setting agencies. Such national agencies generally recommend if rumble strips to be used on two-lane roads if there is a documented run-off-the road accident problem—and then, used only as a last resort due to the hazards they may create for other roadway users, including bicyclists.
Contact NYSDOT and your legislators to urge NYSDOT to not issue the proposed policy. Ask them to work with groups, such as the New York Bicycling Coalition, organizers of bicycling tours and events, and local cycling clubs to construct a less hostile policy that better balances the needs of motorist and bicyclist safety.
BACKGROUND: Rumble strips, as illustrated, are audible roadway delineators or indentations in the shoulder pavement that make sound when a car runs over them at high speeds. While an important safety tool used to prevent run-offs on high-speed Interstates and other limited access highways, they are a well-documented hazard to individuals on bicycles and should be used only sparingly on roads permitting cycling. NYSDOT is proposing to replace current stated policy — not have rumble strips on secondary roads except in rare instances — with a new one declaring “installation of shoulder rumble strips to be the preferred practice in the design of all secondary highways” with a few exceptions.
In short, the proposal would have NYSDOT install rumble strips (with certain exceptions) on secondary roadways throughout New York State, compromising bicyclists’ safety and the quality of riding surfaces on thousands of miles otherwise scenic roadways. National practice is to have rumble strips nowhere with some exceptions on secondary roadways. By taking the opposite tack, NYSDOT’s policy promiscuously promotes rumble strips, going far beyond what is seen as efficient deployment. Aside from the policy’s cost implications, it is unwise. It means rumble strips in urban areas, creating or adding to the din. It means rumble strips on roads with speeds too low to generate sound. Rumble strips also mean higher maintenance costs for the taxpayer. And, of course, they pose a danger to cyclists by causing spills, erratic avoidance maneuvers, or causing them to avoid the shoulder and ride mingled in automobile traffic.
A check of other states with such secondary highway policies shows they require an accident analysis be done before such rumble strip use; the proposed NYSDOT policy does not. Other states specify where rumble strips are used, have at least 5 feet of paved shoulder between them and any guardrail; the proposed NYSDOT policy does not. Other states say not to even consider rumble strips unless there are high speeds and high traffic volumes: while the proposed NYSDOT policy does have speed and volume thresholds, they are considerably lower than those of any other state. There are dozens of other such examples in this EI where the proposed policy varies from generally accepted practice.
Action Alert from NYBC (Continued)
Contact NYSDOT and your legislators to urge NYSDOT to not issue the proposed policy TODAY. Call, write, or email (or utilize all 3 methods of communication) your Assembly Member, State Senator and the Commissioner of Transportation.
WHO REPRESENTS ME?
Prefer to mail?
Simply send a postcard (28¢ each at your nearest US Post Office) to your legislators and the Commissioner. For an investment of 84¢, you have the ability to improve bicycling throughout New York State, including in your village, town or city. Or, if easier, just stuff a copy of this notice in an envelope (adding personal comments if you wish) and mail (44¢ postage) it off to the Commissioner and elected representatives..
WHO REPRESENTS ME?
Who’s my Assemblyperson?
Click here to search by Zip Code http://assembly.state.ny.us/mem/
Who’s my NYS Senator?
Click here to search by Zip Code http://www.nysenate.gov/senators
At the above sites, clicking on the highlighted names will bring you directly to the legislator’s official website where you may make comments.
How to contact NYSDOT:
Website: Click here to email NYSDOT https://www.nysdot.gov/about-nysdot/contact
Or write: Commissioner Stanley Gee
NYS Department of Transportation
50 Wolf Rd.
Albany, NY 12232
About the New York Bicycling Coalition
The New York Bicycling Coalition is dedicated to preserving New York State’s wide and smoothly paved shoulder network as an important asset for use by the State’s residents (bicyclists and pedestrians) as well as visiting cyclists. Since 1992, the New York Bicycling Coalition (NYBC) has served as the only statewide, not-for-profit organization of its kind advocating various “Share the Road” education and safety initiatives on behalf of both cyclists and motorists, while working to assure highway, street, and transit facilities are amenable to bicyclists and pedestrians. Support Our Efforts to Increase Bicycling and Pedestrian Safety and Access Today by joining online: http://www.nybc.net/donate
Saturday, October 24th will mark 350.org’s International Day of Climate Action and the end of a week of climate action teach-ins at RIT.
The culminating event in Rochester will be a mass bike ride along the proposed Rochester Greenway. The Rochester Greenway goes south from Downtown along the river, past the University of Rochester, through the Genesee Valley Park, and on down the Lehigh Valley North Trail to RIT.
Once at RIT, the Rochester Bike Summit will be held in the new Center for Student Innovation. Its goal: to discuss a number of exciting bicycle and alternative transportation initiatives, and to make connections between the bicycle community, city planners, and environmentalists.
Look for details at RochesterGreenway.org.
Among the attractions planned for the Rochester Cycle Summit
• volunteer-manned stations for free bicycle maintenance
• exhibits on pedal power and bicycles as energy-conservation solutions
• posters and exhibits describing numerous bike initiatives
• an ultra-wide screen short describing the potential for making Rochester a world class center for recreational and functional transport
• free rides on electric bikes
