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Top 10 Cycling Highlights of 2023

(In no particular order of importance)
 

#10

Raising Funds While Building Community

We organized our 2nd annual ROC ‘n Roll on Saturday, June 3rd (World Bicycle Day). We had more than 100 riders join us to bike in support of Reconnect Rochester’s work. This year’s event raised more than $10,000! Our hearts are full and we're already working towards next year’s event, which will be bigger and better yet!

#9

Extension of the Bike Share Season

Since bikeshare was introduced to Rochester in 2017, the assets have typically been deployed on April 1st and taken away into storage on November 1st, giving Rochester a 7-month bikeshare season. We've long advocated to City Hall to extend the season (for starters) to 8 months by adding a couple weeks on each end. This year, the City allowed Veo to have a soft closing date as long as the weather generally held. Their e-bikes and e-scooters were available to rent until December 11th this year! We applaud this move.

#8

City Road Project Wins

City Hall unfurled some great street designs this year that stopped us in our tracks; definitely a new and better approach to road design that accommodates all users. We can't wait for bike space on West Main Street, State Street, and Genesee Street (pictured above).

#7

Biking to School

2023 was a great year for Bike Buses. The movement is gaining steam around the world and we love seeing "kids float to school on a vast ocean of joy!" With the help of trusty volunteers Doug Kelley and Adrian Martin, we made a resource page to equip parents with the ins and outs of a successful bike to school ride. This year, Geneseo and School 23 in the City started weekly rides. We look forward to more popping up around Monroe County in the future.

#6

We took the year to shed light on Rochester's illustrious bike past. In April, we had a zoom event (that's now up on our YouTube page) with authors who researched Rochester bike history. In the Fall, Jesse curated an exhibit on Rochester bike history in the Community Design Center Gallery.

#5

Elmwood Bike Lanes

Monroe County DOT, which is responsible for many primary roads outside the city, had a longtime policy to have shoulders rather than dedicated bike lanes. Getting them to change their minds and to install dedicated bike lanes on Elmwood this year as part of a road diet was a huge milestone.

#4

20 Flower City Feeling Good Bike Rides

We got the opportunity to lead the City Recreation Department's weekly ride series in 2021 alongside EE Pathways. We went from 12 rides in 2021 to 16 rides in 2022 to 20 rides in 2023! We're covering more territory now than ever, concentrating on low-stress ways to bike around the area.

#3

The City ATP's envisioned "Bike Spine Network"

The City created its first ever Active Transportation Plan in 2023 and updated its Bike Master Plan as part of it. Rather than continue the status quo of installing disconnected bike lanes all over the City, the central concept now is creating a seamless spine of high-comfort bikeways, i.e. a minimum grid. It's our chief aim henceforward to see that realized.

#2

Learn to Ride Lessons Pilot

In March and April, we partnered with the City's Recreation Department to teach free learn to balance & ride classes at the Trenton and Pamela Jackson R-Center on North Clinton. The classes were a smashing success and we're proud to report the program is being expanded in 2024!

#1

Customized Bike Route Assistance

In May, we rolled out Multimodal Monroe: a customized bike route assistance tool. This riding season, we provided 47 residents with low-stress ways to bike to work or another destination, taking RTS routes into account that could help with all or part of the journey.


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1115 E. Main St.
Box 61
Rochester, NY  14609

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