City of Rochester
News Release
(Friday, Oct. 11, 2013) – Mayor Thomas S. Richards announced today that Rochester is once again expanding its network of bicycle infrastructure with the installation of Bike Boxes at three intersections.
“Rochester’s growing reputation as a bicycle friendly community is helping us attract and retain residents who want to live in a community where quality of life is paramount,” said Mayor Richards. “These Bike Boxes are another example of how our city is encouraging a more active, healthy and economical way to move about our community.”
Bike Boxes are boxes painted on the road at designated intersections and serve to improve the visibility of bicyclists and visual communications between bicyclists and motorists.
They allow bicyclists to take the front position among vehicles waiting at a stop light and indicate their intended direction of travel by positioning themselves to the left or right of the box. Bicyclists are encouraged to also employ directional hand signals while waiting at the light.
Bike Boxes are extensions of existing bike lanes, which afford rights-of-way to bicyclists. They will not be installed at intersections that permit right turns on red.
The Bike Boxes are being installed at the intersections of Monroe Avenue and South Goodman Street; Ford Street and Mount Hope Avenue; and University Avenue and East Main Street. These intersections were selected based on turn movements, levels of bike traffic and potential to further connect the City’s bicycle-infrastructure network. Rochester is the first municipality in upstate New York to install bike boxes.
At this point of the installation, the boxes at Ford Street and Mount Hope Avenue and University Avenue and East Main Street are painted green and are scheduled to be affixed with associated signs and symbols that indicate their purpose. The box at Monroe Avenue and Goodman Street is outlined with white markings. It will not be painted green in order to provide City transportation planners with an opportunity to test the effectiveness of the green paint.
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News Media: For more information, contact City Engineer Jim McIntosh at 428-6828.