Semper,
I agree with most of your post, in theory..
but I dont agree with:
Rochester would most certainly benefit from increased mobility and access.
no one in Rochester needs increased mobility or access..
everyone can get where they want to go perfectly fine right now..
even the poorest residents in the inner city have no problems getting anywhere..
the bus system is fine, it goes all over the county...
not only the "city proper" but all the surrounding suburbs as well..
(and yes, I have taken city busses!
I used to take one from the Park Ave neighborhood to work up at Kodak park
at times..when my car was OOS..yes, its slower than a car, but it still works perfectly fine..)
and 95% of the population has a car..
Rochester has almost no traffic issues at all..except for minor construction delays..
but when no construction is going on, "Rush hour" in Rochester lasts about 15 minutes,
and "bad traffic" at 8am might slow down your drive to work by 5 minutes or so..
Rochester has the "best traffic" of virtually any city its size..and WAY better than any larger city!
so..as a Rochester resident for the last 16 years..I see zero need for "increased mobility and access"..
Light Rail has been talked about for Rochester for years..
the main problem with it is that
no one needs it..
its a solution without a problem..
There are really no mobility problems here at all..
Scot