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

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

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

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

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.

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/.

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

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

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

http://rochestergreenway.org/.

The proposed trail would connect RIT, U of R and downtown Rochester.

There is an existing trail currently connecting RIT and the U of R; Lehigh Valley North from Henrietta Town Line Road to River Road.

NEWS RELEASE
Brighton, NY, July 3, 2009 – The Town of Brighton will hold a Public Meeting to review the concept of a multi-use trail connecting Town Hall and the Erie Canal. The meeting will be held on July 27th from 7pm-9pm at the Brighton Town Hall, 2300 Elmwood Ave. The I-590 Bicycle / Pedestrian Bypass Trail Feasibility Study is nearing completion, and the Town wishes to gather additional feedback on the preferred trail alignment identified in the Draft Report.

In its 2000 Comprehensive Plan, the Town identified a concept for a trail connecting the Town Hall Complex on Elmwood Avenue to the Erie Canal at Meridian Centre Park. This Feasibility Study explores the viability of the whole corridor of the I-590 Bicycle / Pedestrian Bypass trail, with consideration given to location alternatives, design recommendations, funding sources, and phasing strategies. The Preferred Trail Alignment map, along with the full Draft Report, is available on the Town’s website:http://www.townofbrighton.org/.

All are encouraged to attend the meeting and provide comments and suggestions.

The nature nights are from 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesdays through Aug. 25. A brochure listing all the rides is available via the city of Rochester Parks & Recreation Dept. Helmets required and riders under 18 must be accompanied by an adult. Call (585) 428.6770.

The Mission of Corn Hill Navigation (a not-for-profit organization) operators of the Sam Patch and Mary Jemison canal boats: to foster the improvement and sustainability of the Erie Canal and Genesee River for current and future generations through education, awareness, and enjoyment.

Bike & Boat Tour
Start location of the Mary Jemison boat tour and bicycle tour: Corn Hill Port, Exchange Blvd., Rochester.

Bike tour of Genesee Riverway Trail & the Erie Canal start time: 10:00 a.m. (90 minute ride)
Lead by Richard DeSarra, Rochester Bicycling Club Board member

Boat tour of the Genesee Rive and the Erie Canal start time: 12:00 noon. (75 minute tour)

Bike and boat tour options: cost associated with the boat tour & box lunch (optional),
bike tour is free.

For reservations you may call us at 585-262-5661 or online @ http://www.samandmary.org.

All riders will need to cross Clover St. at-grade during the construction period of approximately six weeks.

The road entrance/exit on the west side of Clover St. is now open and is several yards north of the old entrance.

Please be careful crossing. Auto traffic is often moderate to heavy with speeds normally 40 -50 mph.

The 2009 Bicycle Road Map is now available at all Monroe County Bicycle Shops

Class limit is 30.

When: Thursday, May 21st, 7PM – 9PM

Where: Genesee Waterways Center, 149 Elmwood Avenue, Rochester, NY 14611 (585) 328-3960

Please fill in the application (Click on “Registration link”), and send to Richard DeSarra by May 17, 2009.

Registration link: http://newyork.sierraclub.org/rochester/Transportation/Bike_Course.html.

Sponsored by:
Rochester Bicycling Club and
Rochester Regional Group of the Sierra Club.

More than 1,000 walkers will be starting at the Genesee Valley Park – Roundhouse Pavilion, on the east side of the river, to raise funds in the fight to stop Multiple Sclerosis.

We are in need of four patrollers to ride your bicycle or walk in the parking lot and along the route. You will be the eyes and ears of the medical and security staff of the MS WALK.

You will need a cell phone, along with your bicycle or walking shoes, and appropriate clothing. The event is held rain or shine.

Patrollers will be needed from 8:30 a.m. – 2 p.m. Food and beverage provided.

Please RSVP to rdsbike@rochester.rr.com

Thank you,
Richard DeSarra
585.461.5363

Free & Open to the Public

Thursday – March 19, 2009 7:00pm

Brighton Town Auditorium
2300 Elmwood Avenue
Rochester, NY 14618

This discussion will provide information on the vehicle and traffic laws of NYS and how they apply to new or experienced bicyclists.

We will cover:
common collision scenarios and how to avoid them.
safe riding techniques to keep bicyclists safe on the streets.
useful information on riding safely and legally in traffic.
preparing new or experienced bicyclists for an understanding of vehicular cycling.

Questions? Please contact:
Jean Triest (585) 753-3016 jtriest@monroecounty.gov |
Frank Regan (585) 224-9075 frankregan@rochesterenvironment.com

A portion of the shoulder to the right of the shoulder stripping is paved just like the roadway while the remainder of the shoulder is paved using a rough finish, similar to ‘chip seal’ paving.

New York Bicycle Coalition (NYBC) has many questions and concerns about the adoption of this new technique.

The proposed use of this course asphalt concerns NYBC because its widespread use by NYSDOT would compromise the quality of riding surfaces on hundreds of miles of some of our best roads for bicycling in the country.

Safety – use of this material will reduce the effective width of the shoulder, possibly forcing cyclists to ride in or near the vehicle travel lane.

Tourism – NYS has some of the best road shoulders in the country, an asset to promote bicycle tourism. Use of this material may be a step backwards in that regard.

NYBC will be corresponding with NYS DOT as they move forward with testing.

If you spot a test area let me know.

Richard DeSarra
rdscomm@rochester.rr.com.
Board member RBC & NYBC

The City of Rochester and Monroe County of New York State were sited as honorable mention.

The League awards a four-year designation to communities that have made impressive, measurable efforts to integrate bicyclists into the community. There are four levels—platinum, gold, silver and bronze—awarded twice each year.

The League’s Mission is to promote bicycling for fun, fitness and transportation and work through advocacy and education for a bicycle-friendly America.

This is the first year the Rochester Bicycling Club has applied for designation on behalf of the City of Rochester and Monroe County.

Richard DeSarra, Rochester Bicycling Club Board Member , Trail and Road Advocate.

You all remember the ‘Pot Hole’ season. It starts at the end of winter and ends in late fall when all the road construction projects are either completed or put to bed for the winter.

Cyclists can easily spot road hazard that motorist do not see and have no problem negotiating. Cyclists have a much better view of road hazards, especially those that can be a problem to us.

One of the easy things you can do is report the road hazard to the appropriate municipality’s highway department.

A sewer grate has fallen below the road level, a hole has developed along a curb, there is a separation in the road running parallel to the shoulder, or the shoulder has fallen away.

This form contains the road hazard reporting phone number or web site of NYS, Monroe County or the City of Rochester.

Road Hazard Reporting
Fill in the blanks and mail it in, call in or submit on-line.
Use your odometer or a nearby address or landmarks to pinpoint the spot where the road hazard exists.
Notify the appropriate municipality. If the information is sent to the incorrect municipality the message will be passed on to the appropriate municipality.
Mailing Addresses
State Roads; NYS DOT, 1530 Jefferson Rd., Rochester, NY, 14623.
Monroe County Roads, DOT, 50 West main St., Rochester, NY, 14614.
Rochester City Streets, Dept. of Environmental Services, 30 Church St, Rochester, NY, 14614.
For individual towns, call to the town’s highway department.
Phone Hotline Numbers or Web Addresses
State Roads; 1.800.POTHOLE, (1.800.768.4653).
Monroe County Roads; 585.760.7750 or http://www.monroecounty.gov/dot-pothole.php
Rochester City Streets; 585.438.5990 or http://www.cityofrochester.gov/index.cfm?id=642
Report this information to the appropriate municipality.
Location of problem___________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
Type of Problem _______________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Date of this report: ______________ Your Phone ____________________________
Your name: ____________________________________________________________
Your Address ________________________________________________________

If the hazard is not on a state, county or city road you need to report the hazard to the correct township’s highway department. Don’t know the township than report the hazard to the county. The county will direct the information to the appropriate township or give you that information for you to do the reporting.

It is that simple and it works. The hazards are usually eliminated in days.

The GVG is a flat trail with a hard packed dirt surface. Fat tire or hybrid style bicycle is best suited for this trail ride.

Bring water. Lunch in Scottsville after the ride is optional. Helmets required.

Ride Leader: Richard DeSarra, rdsbike@rochester.rr.com

Saturday, August 9, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Sunday, August 10, 12 noon to 5 p.m.

Start your Omnium weekend fun at Strong National Museum of Play.

On Saturday, see artist Nancy Goethel create a colorful bicycling scene made entirely of…balloons! (Her completed work will be on view Sunday.)

On both Saturday and Sunday, cruise over to a special display of bike-related photos, toys, and cycles from the museum’s renowned collections including a 1890s bicycle built for four.

Make a sun visor and a sign to cheer on the bicyclists before you head out to the races.

All activities are included with general museum admission fees. For more information and easy directions visit www.museumofplay.org.

Seasonal Exhibit on Bicycling August 1 to September 30.

The museum has tapped into its world-renowned collections to create a special bicycle display in honor of the Rochester Omnium.

See modern and historic cycles including a four-in-hand (a cycle built for four riders from the 1890s); a 1910 safety bicycle with a skirt guard (designed especially for women); several modern racing bikes; and children’s bikes and tricycles of various eras.

Also on view are historical photos, paper dolls, and paper toys that document the popularity of cycling over the past century.

This exhibit will be on display on the museum’s second floor from August 1 to September 30.