March 4, 2013. At a press conference announcing the receipt of proposals for the final design and construction of the Rochester Intermodal Transportation Center Congresswoman Slaughter spoke with RCA VP Bill Collins and RCA Director Harvey Botzman.
The Congresswoman reiterated her advocacy of including safe, secure short and long term bicycle parking, a bicycle assembly area, and other bicycle/bicyclist facilities in the design and construction of the new Transportation Center. She was very receptive to comments made by Harvey and Bill in regard to bicycle facilities at the Transportation Center.
Read the full press conference report here
As a bicycling advocate, go to the project web page and sign up to receive regular notices of its progress. http://www.dot.ny.gov/rochesterintermodalcenter
Tuesday, April 30, 2013 from 8am – 5pm!
Click here to register!
We envision a future in which every community has transportation options that are healthy, fun, safe, and environmentally friendly.
The purpose of the Genesee-Finger Lakes Active Transportation Summit (G-FLATS) is to help educate, inspire, and mobilize our nine-county region to achieve that vision by making walking, biking, and transit easier, safer, and more available to all.
Join us for an exciting full-day program: To view the current working agenda, click here.
– Innovative and influential speakers
– Dynamic morning educational sessions
– Networking with national and local leaders
– Afternoon working groups to share best practices and mobilize for action (Group descriptions found here)
Keynotes & Discussion with trailblazers:
– Earl Blumenauer, U.S. Representative, 3rd District, Oregon
– Jeff Olson, Author “The Third Mode”
Registration Cost: $50, includes breakfast, lunch, and snacks
Save the Date!
Genesee-Finger Lakes Active Transportation Summit
Tuesday, April 30th
We envision a future in which every community has transportation options that are healthy, fun, safe, and environmentally friendly. The purpose of the Genesee-Finger Lakes Active Transportation Summit is to help educate, inspire, and mobilize our 9-county region to achieve that vision by making walking, biking, and transit easier, safer, and more available to all.
Join us for an exciting day-long program that includes:
• Innovative and influential speakers
• Dynamic educational sessions
• Networking with national and local leaders
• Working groups to share best practices and mobilize for action
Keynote addresses by two of the most important active transportation leaders in the US:
• Earl Blumenauer, U.S. Representative, 3rd District Oregon
• Jeff Olsen, former New York State DOT Bike/Pedestrian Program Manager and author of The Third Mode
When: Tuesday, April 30, 2013 from 8am-5pm
Where: Rochester Riverside Radisson Hotel (120 East Main St) Registration Cost: $50 (includes breakfast, lunch, and snacks)
More details and registration information available soon.
Contact: elizabethmurphy@flhsa.org for more information.
We don’t often send mail to all of our friends and followers (in fact, never before). But in honor of the new year and several exciting announcements, we thought we’d provide this factsheet and the attached photo(s), explained below.
Our Facebook page is at http://www.facebook.com/rochestercyclingalliance. it’s the usual Facebook “moshpit”, and a good way to communicate with the community
You can subscribe to our email list by writing to info@rochestercyclingalliance.org This is how our active activists communicate with each other.
Our website is at http://www.rochestercyclingalliance.org. It includes
- lots of announcements (including this one)
- a list of our some of our signal achievements for 2012. http://goo.gl/Zafd9
- a paypal link (in case you want to support our activities)
- a calendar of RCA meetings and events
Among our signal achievements in 2012 was a “bike corral” at the Rochester Greentopia festival which benefitted hundreds of cyclists who got to park their bikes and learn about the RCA
- We have another bike corral planned for the Fairport Canal Days festival http://finditinfairport.com/fairport-canal-days.html , and we are seeking volunteers (2 hours to help check bikes in and out). Email RCA VP Bill Collins, alameda@frontiernet.net
- The attached photo(s) are from the Greentopia Bike Corral. If you participated, you may find a picture of yourself!
Among our signal achievements in 2013, will be the Second Bi-Annual Greater Rochester Active Transportation Summit (GRATS) on April 30. Mark your calendars! The first GRATS was a watershed event, and most of the presentations (but none of the hallway conversation) can be found at at http://www.rochestercyclingalliance.org/?page_id=129. This year, you, too can help shape the future of Active Transportation in Rochester, and meet our keynote speaker, (…get ready…) US. Representative Earl Blumenauer of Oregon. Please keep April 30 free, and share this message with other interested parties.
Finally, please add your voice to the City’s Master Plan Survey! It will make our job so much easier, and will make your city so much better! http://www.cityofrochester.gov/centercitysurvey/
Best wishes from the Rochester Cycling Alliance!
It is a great pleasure to announce that Elizabeth Murphy has joined our Healthi Kids Team – effective Monday, January 28th. Elizabeth assumes the position of Active Transportation Specialist funded by our community’s H.E.A.R.T. Grant (CDC Community Transformation Grant).
This position focuses on engaging, organizing, and educating the community to achieve public-policy and practice changes that promote active transportation in Monroe County. Ms. Murphy will serve as project manager, focusing on four key areas to best attain systems changes:
1. Increase decision-maker’s awareness of the benefits of active transportation by facilitating educational and informational public workshops, meetings, including an Active Transportation Symposium;
2. Offer technical support and assistance to communities that wish to develop and implement active transportation plans;
3. Give technical support and assistance to schools to develop and implement Safe Routes to School programs and practices; and
4. Provide support to businesses, organizations and municipalities in planning and executing events, to increase community awareness of and support for active transportation.
We are really pleased to have Elizabeth join us – Here’s a little bit more about her:
· Elizabeth is a Rochester native and a graduate of the City School District. Elizabeth completed her undergraduate studies at Bard College with a major in Economics and her Masters in City and Regional Planning from Cornell University.
· Elizabeth started her career in Sacramento, California co-managing a joint project with the California Department of Health Services to conduct “walkability workshops,” with a focus on Safe Routes to School and “Safe Routes to Transit.” Elizabeth organized, trained, and certified California-based “walkability experts” to lead future workshops and build internal capacity on walkability issues statewide.
· For the past five years, Elizabeth worked with US Department of Transportation/Volpe Center, Policy and Planning in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Strategic planning, project management and implementation of the FHWA-FTA’s jointly funded Transportation Planning Capacity Building (TPCB) program were key elements of the position. The TPCB Program provided education, professional development, information dissemination, and exploratory research on issues of primary concern for transportation planning agencies nationwide (state, regional, local, tribal).
· Elizabeth brings a wealth of experience in project management and budget development; peer exchange workshop coordination; research, analysis, and report writing; meeting facilitation; communication and outreach.
Rachel A. Pickering
Associate Director of Community Engagement
Finger Lakes Health Systems Agency
www.flhsa.org
The next counts for the National Bicycle and Pedestrian Documentation Project are scheduled for January 8th, 9th, and 10th. If you’re interested in helping out, please see this site: http://trails.zgroks.com/index.html which lets you view all of the sites and easily sign up, if you wish. Several of the sites are identified as “priority sites” because they need more counts to be made before they’ll be statistically useful (for extrapolation). I realize the weather could be a challenge for the winter count, but I wanted to offer the opportunity to assist with the counts nonetheless.
Data from the previously-taken counts can be viewed here: https://docs.google.com/folder/d/0BwL5SwyNJMgSVDZsSEs4N0NhODg/edit
If you’d like to participate during warmer weather, the next counts following the January counts will be May 7th, 8th, and 9th. We’ll use a similar sign-up page which will be posted in Mid-January 2013.
Please feel free to contact me at your convenience if you have any questions or comments. Also, feel free to share this email if you know of anyone that may wish to participate in the project.
Richard
rdscomm@rochester.rr.com
NYBC Press Release Objects to NYS DOT draft Capital Plan
Posted on November 29, 2012 by brkehoe
Media Release:
NYS Dept. of Transportation’s Draft Capital Plan misses 1/4 of traffic deaths/injuries
Complete Streets Law mandates also ignored in draft Plan
Upon careful review of the recently released New York State Department of Transportation’s (NYSDOT) Two-year Capital Plan, the New York Bicycling Coalition (NYBC) is dismayed to report that this critical planning document entirely excludes walkers and bicyclists. In fact, while all other transportation modes (automobile, transit, plane, etc.) are accounted for throughout the draft Plan, bicycling and walking are never mentioned. The Capital Plan is available at http://esd.ny.gov/PublicMeetings_Notices/NYWorks/10092012_DOT_TwoYearCapitalPlan.pdf
NYBC Board President Paul Winkeller stated, “To say we are puzzled thatNew York’s Transportation Department could develop a capital program omitting bicycling and walking, two critical and increasingly popular modes of travel would be a huge understatement. Bicycling and walking are primary transportation modes for many state residents – including the young, the elderly, people with disabilities, and low-income populations. Official statistics show that citizens biking and walking are involved in a quarter or more of traffic related injuries and fatalities. These accidents are tragic and collectively represent a tremendous, ongoing societal expense in terms of health care and legal costs.”
The NY Bicycling Coalition web page briefly describes the very high return-on-investment of providing equal safety and access to bicyclists and pedestrians. These infrastructure enhancements are critical for the health of New York’s citizens and in creating a 21st century work and lifestyle environment that are key to fostering economic development throughout the state. http://www.nybc.net/a-few-quantitative-reasons-why-bike-ped-infrastructure-has-high-roi
Brian Kehoe, NYBC Executive Director, added, “NYSDOT’s Draft Capital Plan is frightening in its complete neglect of critical transportation modes and NYBC has expressed these concerns to the Governor’s Office. Many citizens, including children and the elderly, rely solely upon walking and bicycling. People around the state consistently cite safety concerns as the biggest reason they don’t walk and bicycle more often. NYSDOT has a responsibility to at least attempt to address the serious safety concerns these citizens face every day. DOT should amend the draft Plan to explicitly address walking and bicycling safety concerns.”
The purpose of the New York Bicycling Coalition (NYBC) is to serve the State of New York and its residents by promoting the safe use of the bicycle and walking as modes of transportation, sport, recreation, health, environmental protection, energy conservation, tourism and economic development. For twenty years, NYBC has advocated for the rights of all bicyclists and pedestrians throughout New York State by supporting safety, education, and access for road and trail users.
For additional information contact: Brian Kehoe, NYBC Executive Director 518-436-0889 brian@nybc.net
The Genesee Community Charter School’s 6th graders are raising funds to help support their travel to learn directly about four great bicycing cities in the USA. The four cities selected are, Austin TX, Portland OR, Boulder CO and Madison/Milwaukee WI.
The class will split up into four groups. Each group will travel to one of the selected cities to study their bicycling infrastructure. The class will present their findings to the Rochester Community at a public meeting in 2013. Several members of the RCA are advisers for the year-long class project.
To support the fund raising effort, anyone shopping at the Pittsford Plaza’s Barnes & Noble store on Friday November 16, from 6 -9 PM can simple identify themselves as helping the school fundraiser. All food, drink and store products purchased are part of the program. Up to 20% of total sales identified will be donated to the fundraiser. Look for the entertainment provided by the school’s 6th grade class.
Winter Biking Tips
A query came into the website asking help on biking through the winter. Gary’s answer would seem to have value to a lot of our riders especially considering the time of year, so we’ve posted it for everyone’s convenience. Any readers who have their own suggestions or experiences are urged to leave them in the comments section.
I highly recommend studded tires. When I was younger and more reckless, I used to ride in the winter without them, but would occasionally take a spill on ice. I feel much more confident with studs. The downsides are that the tires are heavy and have lots of rolling resistance My ideal setup is to have one bike with studs (for days with freezing weather) and another without, for the warmer days. Studded tires are no better than knobbies on snow; what they’re really meant for is to deal with ice.
I would look for tires with carbide-tipped studs. A couple of companies (Innova and North45) make tires with steel studs, but those can wear down completely in a single season. The carbide studded tires cost more, but can last for several years (I’ve been using one pair for four years now).
Studded tires are expensive. In the past, I’ve been able to save money by ordering from www.starbike.com, a German online retailer. But you usually have to put together a very large order to avoid crushing shipping fees, and I have no idea if the exchange rate is still favorable. I think Towners carries studded tires locally, but I don’t know about other shops.
I’ve ridden several years with plain glasses, but started using goggles last year since my eyes water in temperatures below 15 degrees or so. I had to do some experimentation to find goggles that wouldn’t fog over. If you’ve had problems with fogging in the past, I would stay away from cheap goggles. I use a pair of Scott goggles with an anti-fog coating that seems to work well and that fits over my prescription glasses. They even have a tiny fan that turns on in high humidity conditions. (That might be overkill — it’s my understanding that the amount of moisture in one’s breathe is highly variable and you might not fog up in conditions that would bother me.)
Keeping my feet and hands warm is a big problem for me (but might not be for you). I use these Bar Mitts on my road bike:
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dsporting&field-keywords=bar+mitts
But if you have a flat-bar bike, a good pair of mittens will work nearly as well. If not mittens (which interfere with dexterity), I would recommend “lobster gloves” like these:
If you use non-clipless pedals, I would recommend warm-weather boots in the coldest conditions. If you use clipless pedals, then you can buy winter cycling shoes (they tend to be quite expensive — $200 to $300) or neoprene overshoes. Some people cycle in the winter with clipless sandals and heavy socks, but I’ve never tried that.
You might also want to take a look at the icebike website:
http://www.icebike.org/Default.htm
The content hasn’t been updated in several years, but there is still some useful information there. Also, there’s a related icebike mailing list that is still active:
http://www.icebike.org/icebikelist.htm
Hope that helps.
Advocacy Advance Action 2020 Workshop
There were two exciting announcements at the workshop. First, Rochester was awarded Bronze-level status from the League of American Bicyclists’ Bicycle Friendly Community program - the only city in the state other than NYC to receive a BFC designation. Second, the Finger Lakes Health Systems Agency announced the much-anticipated Transportation Specialist position, funded by the Center for Disease Control. This position focuses on engaging, organizing and educating the community to achieve public policy and practice changes that promote active transportation in Monroe County. Click here for more information about the position and application process.
Here is the list of local priorities that were developed at the workshop. The Rochester Funding Profile and slides from the presentation can be downloaded from the Advocacy Advance website. Click the links below for additional Advocacy Advance resources:
- Economic Benefits of Bicycling Infrastructure
- Best Practices for Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committees
- Navigating MAP-21 Campaign resources
On Monday, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) issued an interim guidance to state departments of transportation on the Transportation Alternatives program (TA). The guidance provides specifics for state agencies and resolves any ambiguities in the complex legislative language. Read more about the good and bad news for bicyclists and pedestrians.
Thank you again to the workshop hosts:
City of Rochester, contact: Erik Frisch
Genesee Transportation Council, contact: Rich Perrin
Rochester Cycling Alliance, contact: Scott McRae
Senator Kristen Gillibrand, contact: Sarah Clark
We encourage you to continue collaborating with workshop participants. Contact the Rochester Cycling Alliance for additional notes from the workshop and to get involved in local advocacy efforts. To learn about your important role in New York’s Navigating MAP-21 state campaign, contact Brian Kehoe, Executive Director of the New York Bicycling Coalition.
Thank you from the Advocacy Advance Team:
Brighid O’Keane, Alliance for Biking & Walking
Darren Flusche, League of American Bicyclists
