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Consultant outlines Penfield active‑transportation plan, posts draft for public comment
Summary
Tom Robinson of Colliers Engineering presented Penfield’s draft Active Transportation Plan, citing almost 700 survey responses and prioritizing off‑road multi‑use trails, sidewalk gap closures and protected bike facilities; the draft will be posted for public comment and placed on the June legislative agenda for formal feedback.
Tom Robinson, a consultant with Colliers Engineering, told the Penfield Town Board on May 20 that the town’s draft Active Transportation Plan aims “to improve connectivity, safety, and mobility for pedestrians and bicyclists in the town of Penfield.” Robinson said the plan reflects more than a year of work, stakeholder focus groups with Monroe County and New York State DOT, and public engagement including an online survey with nearly 700 responses.
Robinson summarized the public’s priorities from that survey: off‑road multi‑use trails ranked highest, followed by better sidewalks and protected bicycle facilities. “If you could only make one investment for active transportation in Penfield, the overwhelming favorite was off‑street trails,” he said, and the plan packages recommendations into three buckets: on‑road improvements, off‑road facilities, and non‑physical programs and policies such as maintenance standards and education.
The consultant described practical, locally tested on‑road tools the plan recommends—buffered bicycle lanes, sidewalk infill, rumble strips and raised crosswalks—and a short list of six priority intersections used to develop prototypes that can be applied elsewhere. Robinson also highlighted a concept called the Penfield Community Connector Trail to link Town Hall, Memorial Park and Shadow Pines and said the project team has discussed the idea with major landowners including Genesee Land Trust and The Nature Conservancy, though “no commitments, no obligations” have been made.
Board members asked about coordination with the county and state DOTs and whether the plan would propose major changes on state‑ or county‑owned roads. Robinson said the town has an active relationship with those agencies and that the plan focused first on improvements the town can implement while tying into larger DOT studies already under way (for example, planned work on Atlantic Avenue and an Empire Boulevard study).
The draft plan will be posted on the town’s Active Transportation project page for public review; staff said the item will appear on the June legislative agenda under Public Participation so residents who wish to speak to the draft can present comments and staff can address them before returning a finalized plan to the board for acceptance by resolution.
Next steps: the board will accept public comment on the posted draft in the coming weeks, address comments, finalize the document and schedule a future resolution to accept the plan as complete.
