DOT highlights bicycle safety month

ROCHESTER, N.Y. – New York State Department of Transportation Commissioner Marie Therese Dominguez announced on Tuesday the importance of bicycle safety during National Bicycle Safety Month and reminded everyone that roadway safety is a shared responsibility.

There were 938 bicyclist fatalities in 2020, which accounted for 2.4% of all traffic fatalities during the year. NHTSA early estimates show a 5% increase in bicyclist fatalities in 2021.

Motorists need to drive attentively, slow down and yield to bicyclists. Be sure to give bicyclists room. Don’t pass too closely. Pass them as you would any other vehicle when it is safe to move over into an adjacent lane. In turn, bicyclists need to do their part. Ride with the flow of traffic, obey street signs, signals, and road markings. Stay focused and alert and ride defensively by trying to anticipate what others may do before they do it. Be sure to yield to pedestrians, and always wear a helmet, and visible/reflective clothing so that you can be seen.

The Finger Lakes Region, including Genesee, Livingston, Monroe, Ontario, Orleans, Wayne, and Wyoming counties has a robust network of trails that the Department helps enhance, facilitate, and maintain.

Bike trails across our region:

The Empire State Trail (Erie Canalway Trail)

New York State’s network of trails that extends from Buffalo to Albany 365 miles along the Erie Canal, and from New York City to the Adirondacks.

The Genesee Valley Greenway Trail

A 90-mile rail trail that extends from Genesee Valley Park, Monroe County, to the Village of Cuba, Allegany County.

The Eastman Trail

A widened sidewalk along Ridgeway Avenue in the Town of Greece and City of Rochester, Monroe County, that extends from Latona Road to Mount Read Boulevard, enhancing connectivity into downtown Rochester.

The Lake Ontario State Parkway Trail

A paved shared-use, east-west path within the Town of Greece, Monroe County, and provides access to Charlotte.

The Brewery Line Trail

Recently completed, this project enhances connectivity in downtown Rochester by rehabilitating High Falls Terrace Park as part of continued ROC the Riverway Initiative investments.

For a more in-depth look at the trail network our region has, visit the Genesee Transportation Council’s Regional Bicycling Map website.

For real-time travel information, motorists should call 511 or visit www.511NY.org or the mobile site at m.511ny.org, New York State’s official traffic and travel information source.