GTC SS4A - City of Rochester Local Road Safety Plan
GTC SS4A - City of Rochester Local Road Safety Plan
A Safety-First, Practical Planning Approach
The City of Rochester Local Road Safety Plan is grounded in a safety-first, data-driven framework. The project team is working with county and local partners to identify known areas of concern and reviewing multiple years of fatal and serious injury crash data to confirm patterns and trends. Community input, gathered through public engagement activities, helps capture perspectives that data alone may not reveal.
Together, this information will be used to develop a prioritized list of corridors and locations where safety improvements may provide the greatest benefit. Recommendations may include a range of strategies, from lower-cost measures such as signage, lighting, and pavement markings to longer-term roadway design and traffic calming treatments intended to improve safety for all users.
The resulting Local Road Safety Plan will give the City of Rochester a clear, actionable foundation to guide future investments, pursue funding opportunities, and advance coordinated safety improvements.
Overview
Why This Work Matters in the City of Rochester
Traffic crashes have real and lasting impacts on City of Rochester residents, families, and communities. Serious injuries and fatal crashes occur on city streets each year, often on familiar routes used for daily travel, work, school, and essential services.
While the scale of traffic safety challenges can feel overwhelming, many severe crashes are preventable. By understanding where crashes occur, why they happen, and which locations present the greatest risk, the City of Rochester can take informed steps to improve safety and reduce the likelihood of future tragedies.
This effort supports the development of a Local Road Safety Plan (LRSP) for the City of Rochester as part of the federal Safe Streets for All (SS4A) program. The LRSP provides a structured, data-informed approach to identifying streets and intersections with a history of serious crashes, as well as locations where conditions may indicate a higher risk of future crashes. The plan will identify strategies and potential improvements that can help reduce serious injuries and fatalities over time.
Understanding City of Rochester's Roadway Context
The City of Rochester roadway network includes a mix of downtown streets, neighborhood corridors, urban arterials, expressways, and residential streets. Many corridors were designed to prioritize vehicle movement and regional connectivity, while neighborhood streets often support a mix of pedestrians, cyclists, transit users, and local traffic activity.
Safety considerations in Rochester must account for:
- Higher volumes of pedestrian and bicycle activity
- Complex intersections and multilane urban corridors
- Transit access and frequent bus stop activity
- Speeding and severe crashes on major arterial roadways
These conditions underscore the need for context-sensitive safety improvements that support multimodal travel, neighborhood connectivity, and safer access for all roadway users.
Development of the LRSP for the city is guided by a steering committee comprised of interdisciplinary stakeholders. Members represent key sectors such as public health, law enforcement, public works and elected officials as well as local planners and educators, and planning, education, community organizations, and local elected officials.
The committee helps shape the project’s safety vision, goals, and priorities, provides local insight throughout the planning process, and ensures that public input is meaningfully incorporated.
GTC Central Subregion
Project Administration
The City of Rochester LRSP is part of a regional safety plan initiative that includes the counties of Monroe, Ontario, Seneca, Yates, Wayne, Livingston, Orleans, Genesee and Wyoming. In addition to developing individual LRSPs for each of these counties and the City of Rochester, this effort includes priority crash site analyses, roadway safety audits and two public safety forums. This project is funded through federal transportation dollars awarded to the Genesee Transportation Council as part of the Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) Planning and Demonstration Grants Program.
Al Bartolotta
GTC SS4A Project Manager
abartolotta@gtcmpo.org
(585) 252-1270
Return to GTC Safe Streets for All (SS4A) Program Engagement Hub
Return to GTC Community Engagement Hub