After standing at a notoriously dangerous roadway for cyclists earlier in August and calling for federal investment, U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer on Tuesday delivered on his promise with $23.7 million from the Bipartisan Infrastructure & Jobs Law’s Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) to help create a new safer network of streets for bicyclists and pedestrians in Rochester. Schumer said this will help reconstruct some of Rochester’s most dangerous intersections and roadways with pedestrian bump-outs, and raised crosswalks, help build a dedicated bicycle “spine network” to link now disconnected bike lanes, add new protected bike lanes and more to give Rochester’s pedestrians and cyclists the safety they deserve.
“A whopping $23 million is on its way to make safer walkable and bikeable streets across Rochester. People in Rochester love to ride their bike to work or downtown, but ask anyone and they will tell you depending on the street you are on it can be a rough ride. Rochester has seen more pedestrian and cyclist injuries and deaths due to crashes than nearly any other midsize city in the state. Rochester families should be able to walk their dogs, people should be able to bike to work and cross the street without having to worry about traffic accidents around every corner,” said Senator Schumer. “Last year, I secured $3.2 million in federal funding for Rochester to develop this road safety plan to keep pedestrians and cyclists safe. Now, I’m proud to announce $23+ million to make that plan a reality. This funding means better crosswalks, new dedicated bike lanes, and safer more modern streets for all those who use them in Rochester. I created historic funding in the Bipartisan Infrastructure & Jobs Law and I’m grateful for Mayor Evans and the City Council’s hard work creating this blueprint and am thrilled to deliver funding to make this vision a reality.”
The $23.7 million federal Safe Streets For All grant will:
- Improve traffic safety by adding new buffered or protected bike lanes, curb bump-outs, pedestrian refuge islands, rectangular rapid flashing beacons (RRFBs), raised crosswalks or intersections, improved lighting, traffic signal improvements, and more.
- Increase accessibility so it is easier and safer for people to get around Rochester without driving and improve conditions for residents with mobility aids like wheelchairs.
- Expand transportation options by creating a bicycle “spine network” that would better connect bicycle corridors across Rochester, specifically focusing on major east-west and north-south routes to create a high-comfort, safer, and seamless bike transportation network.
Schumer explained Rochester sees an alarmingly high number of injuries and fatalities related to traffic accidents. Rochester had among the highest rate of fatalities per crash of any midsize city in New York State from 2017 to 2021, with a record high of 15 deaths in 2023, and this funding will support much-needed infrastructure improvements will increase road safety. In 2023, Rochester saw a record-high 15 deaths of pedestrians and bicyclists, and an average of 12 people die each year in Monroe County while walking or biking.
There is an average of 1.35 injuries or deaths involving vehicles and cyclists a day in Rochester. Last month, a bicyclist was seriously injured on Child Street and Lyell Avenue in a hit-and-run. Schumer previously highlighted some recent tragic pedestrian fatalities – including a young boy and resident killed on Park Ave while walking his dog. The senator also said that last month one of the interns in his Rochester office was hit by a car while biking to work, but thankfully she had no serious injuries.
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