Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
With respect to Clover Lanes, I knew that they had become the "Radio Social" place, but I didn't know that they had moved 36 of their bowling lanes to that location. I had initially heard that they had moved 12 lanes to that location, but I looked at their website, yesterday, and read that they have a "backroom", with 24 lanes, giving them a total of 36 lanes. I believe their original location had 48 lanes, however. Therefore, I initially thought that they had significantly downsized their operation. My mistake.
Widening Monroe Avenue, as you suggest, I doubt could happen. That is one of the oldest roadways in the area, being a part of the NYS Route 31, feeding into downtown Rochester. It's been 4 lanes for as long as I've lived in the Rochester area (61 years), and has been a mecca for various businesses. These businesses were originally constructed rather close to the street, as was customary in the past, and along the way, a center turning lane was added, as well as right turn lanes in a couple of places, not to mention the bridges that carry I590 over Monroe Ave. So, where is there room to "add a lane"?
I could be wrong, but it sounds like you think I'm saying winden the whole length of Monroe. I'm not. Just the area we are discussing. Maybe that's not possible. Other cities, much larger deal with these issues, why can't we?
One issue that our "leaders" refuse to do is PLAN. We have always depended on our businesses to lead the way and create jobs, and the government tagged along. It's far past time for them to create a master plan for our region, so development is co-ordinated.
Ponder this for a moment. Our subway used stop only a few hundred feet from here.
Widening Monroe won't fix anything and there have been plenty of studies showing widening roads actually increases traffic.
The real issue there is there are too many lights in a short span, and traffic can't flow as well as it should, which a new Whole Foods plaza would make worse by adding another light. What they really needed to do, and to be honest already missed their opportunity on, was to move the 590N-to-Monroe exit to the right to line up with the hypothetical new plaza entrance, therefore spacing out lights more and eliminating the need for another light. They had the perfect chance to do this a couple years back when the Friendly's there closed, but City Mattress has now moved in so I doubt this is an option any more.
My other general question which I don't really know the answer to, is where are all those people going during rush hour that create so much traffic? Is it mostly to the stores off of Monroe, like in Pittsford Plaza, or are they all just trying to get from downtown to their homes in Pittsford. If it's the latter, then the real "solution" here has nothing to do with Monroe Ave to me, and really the focus should be on getting people in and out of Pittsford better without relying on Monroe to handle all of that traffic.
Widening Monroe won't fix anything and there have been plenty of studies showing widening roads actually increases traffic.
The real issue there is there are too many lights in a short span, and traffic can't flow as well as it should, which a new Whole Foods plaza would make worse by adding another light. What they really needed to do, and to be honest already missed their opportunity on, was to move the 590N-to-Monroe exit to the right to line up with the hypothetical new plaza entrance, therefore spacing out lights more and eliminating the need for another light. They had the perfect chance to do this a couple years back when the Friendly's there closed, but City Mattress has now moved in so I doubt this is an option any more.
My other general question which I don't really know the answer to, is where are all those people going during rush hour that create so much traffic? Is it mostly to the stores off of Monroe, like in Pittsford Plaza, or are they all just trying to get from downtown to their homes in Pittsford. If it's the latter, then the real "solution" here has nothing to do with Monroe Ave to me, and really the focus should be on getting people in and out of Pittsford better without relying on Monroe to handle all of that traffic.
Yes, Ridge rd. was widened to 3 lanes a few years back, and the new lanes filled right up. But I see that as a good thing. It means people are out spending money, creating jobs and tax revenue. I thought most people want retail concentrated in certain area's, not sprawled everywhere?
What I keep trying to say is, there are larger cities than ours who have the same problems. How do they solve them? Other cities, at the confluence of a couple major highways would even have mid and high rises. I'd like to see a couple mid rises, and try to develop a walkable community there.
Back to Ridge rd, what they did to eliminate traffic signals is to have a center median, and U-turns at designated intesections
Widening Monroe won't fix anything and there have been plenty of studies showing widening roads actually increases traffic.
The real issue there is there are too many lights in a short span, and traffic can't flow as well as it should, which a new Whole Foods plaza would make worse by adding another light. What they really needed to do, and to be honest already missed their opportunity on, was to move the 590N-to-Monroe exit to the right to line up with the hypothetical new plaza entrance, therefore spacing out lights more and eliminating the need for another light. They had the perfect chance to do this a couple years back when the Friendly's there closed, but City Mattress has now moved in so I doubt this is an option any more.
My other general question which I don't really know the answer to, is where are all those people going during rush hour that create so much traffic? Is it mostly to the stores off of Monroe, like in Pittsford Plaza, or are they all just trying to get from downtown to their homes in Pittsford. If it's the latter, then the real "solution" here has nothing to do with Monroe Ave to me, and really the focus should be on getting people in and out of Pittsford better without relying on Monroe to handle all of that traffic.
I agree....Far too often, the "solution" is to add even more traffic lights to an area that's already saturated with them. Then you have the "traffic light every 300 feet syndrome", and it then takes FOREVER to simply drive 1/2 mile.
I drive through here often later in the evening, between 6-7 pm and traffic is never bad, but obviously that is not peak time. Yesterday I happened to have to travel through the stretch of road in question right at 5 pm and gave myself plenty of time to reach my destination(Pittsford Plaza) because of how bad I hear the area gets. I ended up getting to my appointment way too early...because traffic just wasn't that bad. Yeah, I saw a lot of red tail lights, and yes it took me 5 extra minutes to get through the Allen's Creek/590/Clover section, but if that's all people are complaining about I simply have to say: Deal with it. That is hardly enough traffic to make such a big deal about. I realize that was just one day, but I have a feeling that wasn't an uncommon amount of traffic.
I used to bowl at Clover at 4:30 every week as well and had a similar experience. Yes there is traffic but it is never complete gridlock, you just plan accordingly and go about your day. And going to Clover actually included a left turn through Monroe traffic, which was by far the worst part of that experience. With a light there, it won't be ideal having another intersection but it will end up being infinitely safer. I think if they time all these lights well, traffic won't be the end of the world with a Whole Foods there.
I could be wrong, but it sounds like you think I'm saying winden the whole length of Monroe. I'm not. Just the area we are discussing. Maybe that's not possible. Other cities, much larger deal with these issues, why can't we?
One issue that our "leaders" refuse to do is PLAN. We have always depended on our businesses to lead the way and create jobs, and the government tagged along. It's far past time for them to create a master plan for our region, so development is co-ordinated.
Ponder this for a moment. Our subway used stop only a few hundred feet from here.
My comments have always been directed to the section of Monroe Avenue, between Allens Creek/Westfall Roads and Clover Street. Monroe Avenue, as it stands, has been four lanes wide, from Highland Avenue, in the city, all the way to the railroad bridge, approaching the Village Of Pittsford, and a portion of that is residential area, so the only way to widen it, would be to take people's front lawns, and closer to Highland, where there are restaurants and older strip plazas, you'd be taking away their parking areas.
With respect to your comments about "planning", yes, I agree.....HOWEVER, when you're discussing the remodeling of an old area, the idea of planning becomes a very narrowly focused process. My personal familiarity with Clover Lanes goes back to late December of 1957. My father accepted a job transfer, with his new job scheduled to begin on January 1, of 1958. We were moving to Rochester, from the Lancaster, PA area, and his employer sent us a couple of weeks early, in order to get ourselves settled.
Driving up here in the middle of winter turned into a test of endurance, as it took several hours longer that my dad anticipated, and we wound up arriving in Rochester around midnight. Somehow or other, we wound up arriving on Monroe Avenue, and back then, there was a motel located next to the bowling alley. The "vacancy" light was illuminated, so my dad pulled in, and we stayed there for about 10 days, until we found more permanent living quarters. (we used to have breakfast at the Clover Lanes coffee shop)
My point, is that Monroe Avenue, even back then, which is the extent of my familiarity, was a four lane roadway, with street lights, traffic lights, water mains, gas mains, all in place, so it appears that there was planning done at some point in time. It just didn't have a crystal ball, to look 60 years in the future, when a Whole Foods store was going to replace the existing bowling alley.
Yes, there is a very small residential frontage. There is a provision called emanant domain which allows the government to acquire private property for public good. Still, there is no planning. Look at the objection to the project on the canal. Why?
Yes, there is a very small residential frontage. There is a provision called emanant domain which allows the government to acquire private property for public good. Still, there is no planning. Look at the objection to the project on the canal. Why?
It will create even more traffic for an area that is already heavily travelled. The Village of Pittsford is a cute, quaint area, but it's also a "bottleneck", traffic wise. The residents are trying to keep the charm and integrity of their area by A) preventing more traffic generating "development"; and B) most likely preventing the "eminent domain" clause from being used to turn their stately front lawns into two more lanes of Monroe Avenue.
It will create even more traffic for an area that is already heavily travelled. The Village of Pittsford is a cute, quaint area, but it's also a "bottleneck", traffic wise. The residents are trying to keep the charm and integrity of their area by A) preventing more traffic generating "development"; and B) most likely preventing the "eminent domain" clause from being used to turn their stately front lawns into two more lanes of Monroe Avenue.
I can certainly appreciate wanting to keep the village charm. But look, you have rt31, 96, 252, all major roads meeting in the village. It's not just rt 31, but that is a major road passing through
I can certainly appreciate wanting to keep the village charm. But look, you have RTs. 31, 96, 252, all major roads, meeting in the village. It's not just RT 31, but that is a major road passing through
I'm aware of the major roads that pass through the Village of Pittsford. What I don't quite understand is what you're suggesting that needs to be done, traffic wise. The Village, in short, is a "bottleneck", as those major roads all either converge or pass through that small area. BUT, these weren't exactly major roads until the late 1950s, long after Pittsford came into being.
Like many "small towns" of the past, you have commercial buildings, then a 6-8' sidewalk, then the street, with vehicular parking, followed by one lane of traffic. The opposite side of the street is a carbon copy. In order to increase traffic flow, I suppose, at least through the "village proper", you could eliminate the "on street parking", HOWEVER, where would patrons of the stores/restaurants park? As it is, there's insufficient parking.
Heading either north or east, as you leave the village, you have bridges over the Erie Canal. They're only 2 lane bridges, so they also act as "bottlenecks", so no matter how you look at it, at least in my opinion, Monroe Avenue is going to remain a highly travelled, and heavily congested area. The Whole Foods store most likely could have been placed in a better spot.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
