Transportation Committee

Sierra Club Transportation Committee

*Got questions, thoughts on Green Transportation, or ideas on getting more active transportation projects (walking and bicycling) in Rochester, NY?  Contact the chair of this committee: FrankRegan@RochesterEnvironment.com

(Chart from http://www.pewclimate.org/docUploads/climate101-fullbook_0.pdf)

For some time now, the Rochester, NY region has been engaged in an effort to increase bicycles as a realistic mode of transportation 

What has become crystal clear to me as Transportation chair of the Rochester Group of the Sierra Club is this:  Active transportation (walking and bicycling) can be one of the most important Climate Change solutions for the Rochester, NY region.  As transportation accounts for 27% of greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and even 40%, according to the Executive Summary New York State Climate Action Plan Interim Report, how we get around each day matters a lot to our environment.  Riding a bicycle as transportation is mentioned in all Climate Change actions for the federal, state, and community plans as an important component in reducing greenhouse gases. 

• An important update to the Genesee Transportation Council’s bicycling Map is available online, in all Monroe County Bicycle Shops, and almost any bicycling event occurring in our area.  Find the best bicycle routes to your destination, including work, with this great map.

• In 2008 Rochester won “Honorable Mention” for the Bicycle Friendly Community Award from the League of American Bicyclists (LAB), a national bicycle advocacy organization that manages the Bicycle Friendly America program.

• Back in April an important symposium with many of local leaders worked on active transportation issues produced Walk, Bike, Smile, Thrive: a report on the first Greater Rochester Active Transportation Symposium, by Jon Schull, Ph.D. Interim Director, RIT Center for Student Innovation, and Scott MacRae, M.D. Professor of Ophthalmology and Visual Science, Flaum Eye Institute, University of Rochester. “Walking and biking is good for your health, good for your state of mind, and good for Rochester. And it’s about to get better. “

• Quietly, without much fanfare, some improvements for our area’s bicycling commuters have been happening: City of Rochester has portable Event Racks for loan; Shared Lane Pavement Markings – now appearing in Rochester; and City of Rochester’s first installed Bicycle Shelter . (from Rochester Cycling Alliance, where you can find more information and advocacy for bicycles as transportation in our region.)

• The bicycle boulevards concept, which provides safe accommodation for cycling and encourages its residents to bike for transportation and recreation, is now in the City of Rochester’s Bicycle Master Plan.  Also, on Sunday, May 23, 2010 in Cobbs Hill Park, over forty bicyclists began a bicycle boulevard demonstration ride through the Upper Monroe neighborhood in Rochester, New York and demonstrated what this concept feels like. 

• The long-awaited Complete Streets bill has just been passed by the governor. This has the potential to vastly increase the safety of bicycling in our streets.  “NY Enacts Law to Protect All Who Use Local Streets … that should eventually make it safer for pedestrians, bikers and parents with strollers to navigate New York streets. Locals say the new law is especially important on Long Island, where multi-lane highways were built with little thought to pedestrians. Linda Lisi Juergens, executive director of the National Association of Mothers' Centers, says it's a sign of relief for children who walk or bike to school, and moms and dads who like to walk to do their shopping.” (August 17, 2011) Public News Service

Got thoughts on transportation for our region and New York State.  Join Sierra Club's Activist Network: Transportation New York

Since our Transportation Forum generated much interest in local efforts to help alleviate the potential problems caused by climate change in our area of influence, we have been exploring ways we can implement Sierra Club’s philosophy to:

• minimize the impacts on and use of land, airspace and waterways, minimize the consumption of limited resources, including fuel, and reduce pollutant and noise emissions;
• provide everyone, including pedestrians, bicyclists and transit users, with adequate access to jobs, shopping, services and recreation;
• provide adequate and efficient goods movement and substitute local goods for those requiring long distance movement, where feasible;
• encourage land uses that minimize travel requirements; strengthen local communities, towns and urban centers, and promote equal opportunity;
• eliminate transportation subsidies which handicap achievement of the above goals; and ensure vigorous and effective public participation in transportation planning.

You've been waiting for it, now it's here: Recently updated and extremely well designed, use this map to get around Monroe County by bike.

This bicycling Map is Now available in all Monroe County Bicycle Shops.  2009 Bicycle Maps available The Genesee Transportation Council has printed up free 2009 Bicycling Maps.  The Sierra Club Rochester Regional Group is working with them to distribute the maps.  If you'd like a copy please call us at 585-234-1056 & leave your name & address & we'll send you a copy.

Map produced by: Genesee Transportation Council The mission of the Genesee Transportation Council is to maximize the contribution of the transportation system to the social and economic vitality of the Genesee-Finger Lakes Region

City Place ● 50 West Main Street ● Suite 8112 ● Rochester, NY 14614-1227 Phone:  (585) 232-6240 ● Fax:  (585) 262-3106

Resources for the Transportation Committee

• Green Transportation - Goals - Sierra Club "Transportation contributes approximately one-third of all U.S. carbon dioxide emissions, and must be a prime target for major greenhouse gas reductions. "

• Rochester Sierra Club Blog discussion on Transportation:

• Smart Choices, Less Traffic The 50 Best and Worst Transportation Projects In the United States | Each year, America invests more than $200 billion in federal, state, and local tax dollars on transportation infrastructure—bridges and highways, aviation and waterways, public transit and sidewalks.1 But too often transportation projects undermine the higher national goals of reducing oil consumption, increasing safety, improving public health, and saving local, state or federal government—and citizens— money. Americans are struggling with the health, climate, and economic costs of our oilcentered transportation system. While new standards that double fuel efficiency of new vehicles to 54.5 mpg by 2025 and cut carbon emissions in half are essential to reducing our dependence on oil and its many consequences, our transportation investments should provide an opportunity to further reduce our dependence on oil, reverse climate disruption, and save money. Because transportation infrastructure lasts for decades, the impacts of transportation investments are felt for many years to come, with huge consequences for America’s ability to move beyond oil. Read the full report

• Rochester Bicycling Club

• Sierra Club national Transportation Policy: 

• Bicycle Friendly Community Award: The Bicycle Friendly Communities Campaign is an awards program that recognizes municipalities that actively support bicycling. A Bicycle-Friendly Community provides safe accommodation for cycling and encourages its residents to bike for transportation and recreation.

• Bicycle Boulevards: Bicycle Boulevards are: - Low-traffic neighborhood streets that have been optimized for bicycling. They provide direct, attractive routes for bikes. - Quieter, prettier, and healthier than busy, car-filled streets - Welcoming to kids, families and novice cyclists, and attractive for all kinds of cyclists - Extremely safe (many have zero crashes over the last decade) - Healthy, with noticeably cleaner air than busy streets

• YouTube - B2 Power Means Bicycle Boulevards

• City of Boulder, Colorado -- Official Web Site - Platinum Level Bicycle Friendly Community Status Award Video by Streetfilms - Could Rochester, New York be as bicycle friendly as Boulder, Colorado.

• Streetsblog New York City » Streetfilms: Contra-Flow Biking in Boulder Find out about Contra-Flow.

• Walking School Bus Studies show that fewer children are walking and biking to school, and more children are at risk of becoming overweight. Changing behaviors of children and parents require creative solutions that are safe and fun. Implementing a walking school bus can be both.

• City of Rochester bicycling page. Rochester, NY is embracing bicycling as a major transportation option in our community. I believe that increasing active transportation (walking and bicycling) in  any community is one the most effective and inexpensive ways of combating Climate Change, as it reduces greenhouse gas emissions for those short distance rides that constitute most of our trips. The City of Rochester, NY and the Rochester Cycling Alliance are making major strides on this. Just this year, The League of American Bicyclists has named the City of Rochester a "Bicycle Friendly Community." The City received a bronze level award for its commitment to improving cycling conditions through investments in cycling promotion, education programs, infrastructure and pro-bicycling policies. New York City is the only other city in New York State to receive a distinction from the League of American Bicyclists. Check this page out and even if you don’t bike yourself, help us reduce greenhouse gases by getting everyone who can get around without burning fossil fuels do that.  City of Rochester | Bicycling Roc the Bike

Green Transportation - Get the facts:

• PEDALING TO PROSPERITY bicycling Will save Americans $4.6 billion in 2012

• Sierra club beyond oil campaign "Drilling more just means spilling more. But we have the solution to high oil prices—use less oil. We can end Wall Street manipulation of the oil market. We can put an end to Big Oil manipulation of our wallets, our economy and our elected officials.” Michael Marx, Beyond Oil Campaign Director

Advance Green Transportation

We will raise and defend strong fuel-efficiency and pollution standards, increase access to oil-free transportation choices, and promote electric vehicles.

The Sierra Club will: Ensure that all Americans have access to safe, affordable, clean transportation options. Strengthen fuel-efficiency and pollution standards and promotes cleaner transportation fuels. Help put one million electric vehicles on the road in the U.S. by 2015 by securing passage of electric vehicle incentives at the federal, state, and local levels, engaging college campuses, and educating the public about the benefits of oil-free vehicles.

What is Complete Streets?

Complete Streets "The streets of our cities and towns are an important part of the livability of our communities. They ought to be for everyone, whether young or old, motorist or bicyclist, walker or wheelchair user, bus rider or shopkeeper. But too many of our streets are designed only for speeding cars, or worse, creeping traffic jams. Now, in communities across the country, a movement is growing to complete the streets. States, cities and towns are asking their planners and engineers to build road networks that are safer, more livable, and welcoming to everyone. "

Rochester, NY has adopted Complete Street Policies in New York State?

Complete Streets Fact Sheet "The concept of a “complete street” has been in the transportation planner’s vocabulary for a number of years. It refers to a set of street design concepts that ensures that all users are safely accommodated, regardless of how they travel or what their special needs may be. Consider this description of “First Avenue”: Jennifer may safely drive home from work; Andy, who is visually impaired, can cross the street where there is a traffic signal, and board the bus; Joe and Amy can ride their bikes to school. "