Project Abstract
The primary motivation for redesigning Rochester's Main
Street was to alleviate sidewalk congestion, which was negatively affecting area businesses and the quality
of Main Street as a place to shop, walk, catch the bus, and
work. The sidewalks along Main Street simply were not wide
enough to accommodate the volume of transit users walking
to and waiting for buses as well as the large number of pedestrians
in the downtown area. Lacking adequate shelter as
well, bus patrons often sought protection from the weather
under store awnings and in business entranceways.
The original concept for Main Street was a transit mall with
covered sidewalks, a solution deemed both too costly and,
after visits to other cities with transit malls, inappropriate for
a street with a still vital retail business. Instead, the city of
Rochester and the Rochester-Genesee Regional Transportation
Authority (R-GRTA) - working in partnership with the
business community - adopted a plan to take advantage of the
wide, underutilized street. Elaborate bus waiting areas and
other pedestrian amenities were located on widened sidewalks,
with the street kept open to private cars and commercial
vehicles. Transit efficiency was addressed by making the
two curb lanes for buses and right turns only; normal traffic
was restricted to the two central lanes.
The primary motivation for redesigning Rochester's Main
Street was to alleviate sidewalk congestion, which was negatively affecting area businesses and the quality
of Main Street as a place to shop, walk, catch the bus, and
work. The sidewalks along Main Street simply were not wide
enough to accommodate the volume of transit users walking
to and waiting for buses as well as the large number of pedestrians
in the downtown area. Lacking adequate shelter as
well, bus patrons often sought protection from the weather
under store awnings and in business entranceways.
The original concept for Main Street was a transit mall with
covered sidewalks, a solution deemed both too costly and,
after visits to other cities with transit malls, inappropriate for
a street with a still vital retail business. Instead, the city of
Rochester and the Rochester-Genesee Regional Transportation
Authority (R-GRTA) - working in partnership with the
business community - adopted a plan to take advantage of the
wide, underutilized street. Elaborate bus waiting areas and
other pedestrian amenities were located on widened sidewalks,
with the street kept open to private cars and commercial
vehicles. Transit efficiency was addressed by making the
two curb lanes for buses and right turns only; normal traffic
was restricted to the two central lanes.
Further Reading:
Main Street, Rochester, New York
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