SCHUMER, AFTER LAUNCHING PUSH EARLIER THIS MONTH, DELIVERS MAJOR $23+ MILLION FOR ROCHESTER TO CREATE NEW SAFER, WALKABLE STREETS WITH DEDICATED BIKE LANES, MAKING ROCHESTER MORE ACCESSIBLE AND SAFER FOR ALL

Schumer Stood With Traffic Accident Victims, Including An Intern In His Office Who Was Recently Struck By A Car While Biking To Work, And Safety Advocates Earlier This Month To Sound Alarm Record High Pedestrian & Bicycle Crashes & Deaths – And Vowed To Fight For Fed $$ To Implement New Safety Plan For Rochester And Personally Called Secretary Buttigieg To Help Land This Grant

Now Senator Delivers On Promise With Massive $23M – The Largest SS4A Infrastructure Law Grant NY Received This Year - To Strengthen Traffic Safety Infrastructure, Build New Dedicated Bike Lanes, Increase Accessibility & Walkability Of Streets, And Connect Bike Corridors Across Rochester

Schumer: New Fed $$ Will Put Rochester’s Cyclists & Pedestrians On A Road To A Safer Future!

After standing at a notoriously dangerous roadway for cyclists earlier this month and calling for federal investment, U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer today 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, 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.”

Last year, Schumer secured $3.2 million in federal funding for the city to develop a road safety plan to finally curb this increase in traffic fatalities. With this funding, Schumer has secured the final piece of the puzzle with a major infusion of federal cash to implement that plan.

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 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.

“Sadly, the ability to move through neighborhoods and communities with confidence, security, and peace of mind remains out of reach for many—but all of that is about to change,” said Congressman Joe Morelle. “Because of this $23.7 million in federal Safe Streets and Roads for All Grant, we’re well on the way to ensuring families without access to a personal vehicle have access to safe alternative methods of transportation and ending their isolation. I’m grateful to Senator Schumer for his continued partnership on this important project and for his ongoing advocacy on behalf of our community.”

“This $23.7 million grant will make a huge impact, supporting safer, walkable streets with dedicated bike lines in the city of Rochester,” said Mayor Malik D. Evans. “Our heartfelt thanks to Senator Schumer for his unwavering commitment to the well-being of our community. This funding will enhance our ongoing efforts to build a city in which everyone can navigate our roads safely and confidently.”

"We are thrilled that the City of Rochester has been awarded a $23.7 million Safe Streets and Roads for All implementation grant! This is a significant boost to the City's ROC Vision Zero goal of eliminating traffic fatalities and the goal to build a protected, high-comfort bike spine network in a matter of years, not decades. The diverse and vibrant Rochester cycling community continues to show up to support safe and comfortable cycling infrastructure that allows everyone - from children and families to seniors - to ride. Getting more Rochesterians on bikes is good for health, good for the planet, and good for business. We are grateful to our federal delegation and partners for this critical investment!" said Cody Donahue, Director of Policy and Advocacy, Reconnect Rochester.

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 personally stood at a notoriously dangerous roadway earlier this month and called and wrote to Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg in support of the millions in federal investment needed to help the City of Rochester fund its street safety initiative. This grant is the single biggest boost to turning the city’s plans into a reality. Funding will come from the federal Safe Streets and Roads For All grant program, which Schumer negotiated in the Bipartisan Infrastructure & Job law to fund the creation of safety action plans or implementation of safety action plan features. Safe Streets and Roads For All supports regional initiatives intended to prevent roadway deaths and serious injuries.

The 2023 Active Transportation Plan includes an initiative to create a bicycle “spine network.” This spine network will create bicycle corridors along major east-west and north-south routes in Rochester so that it is safer and more comfortable for bicyclists. Currently, there are some bicycle corridors across the city, but they are not connected. Plans to build this network will connect those corridors and make it easier for bicyclists to commute across the city easily and securely.

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