The Genesee Transportation Council (GTC) is responsible for transportation planning in the nine-county Genesee-Finger Lakes region, which includes Genesee, Livingston, Monroe, Ontario, Orleans, Seneca, Wayne, Wyoming, and Yates Counties. The GTC includes multi-use trails in the regional transportation network, based on demands for alternative transportation options, needs for close-to-home recreational opportunities and improved quality of life in the region.
The Regional Trails Initiative (RTI) developed for the GTC documents very high-level plans for a trail system that spans the nine-county region. Phase 1 of the RTI plans, completed in August 2002, focused primarily on the City of Rochester, Monroe County and the urbanized areas of Livingston, Ontario and Wayne Counties. The Phase 1 plan identified 106 miles of existing trail, 33 miles of trail under development in 2002 and proposed addition of 252 miles of new trail for a total network of 391 miles of multi-use trail in the more urban portions of the region.
Phase 2 of the RTI plans, completed in March 2004, considers the existing and future trail needs of the larger, more rural sections of the nine-county region. The Phase 2 plan identified 136 miles of existing trail, 30 miles of trail under development in 2004 and proposed addition of 516 miles of new trail for a total network of 682 miles of multi-use trail in the more rural portions of the region.
The Genesee Transportation Council published a map in August 2007 showing the network of current, under development and future trails in the Genesee/Finger Lakes Region. The map was developed for the 2007-2027 Long Range Transportation Plan to show what the planned nine-county network would look like if both phases of the RTI were completed as planned. The red, green and blue lines seen on the map represent 1073 miles of trail. Note how almost all of the trails shown connect with at least one other trail. Truly, the plan is for a vast network of interconnected trails. You can see the complete map in full color here: http://www.gtcmpo.org/Resources/MapCenter/Trails.pdf
The existing trail running horizontally across the map is the Erie Canalway trail. The shorter existing trail running North to South at the right edge of the map is the bike path along Interstate 390. The red line running along the shore of Lake Ontario out to Hamlin is a planned extension of the Lake Ontario State Parkway bike path. A section from Interstate 390 to Charlotte was just completed in 2009. The section from 390 to Braddock Bay is reportedly a high priority to complete next.
The red line just below it is a proposed rail-to-trail conversion of the old Hojack Line Railroad Corridor. The 8-mile section from Greece to the Village of Hilton would probably be completed first.
The red line running 13 miles North to South through Parma and Ogden is a proposed Salmon Creek Stream Corridor Trail. It would connect the proposed Hojack Line Trail, the existing Canalway Trail and Northhampton park.
The red line at the bottom, running from the Town of Gates out into the Town of Sweden is more speculative. It shows the development of a trail within the right-of-way of the existing Rte. 531 corridor and the proposed extension of 531.
Comment: It may be many years before most of the proposed trails seen in just this small section of the nine-county map are completed. Some of them may never be completed due to insufficient funding, right-of-way issues, NIMBY concerns, etc. However, the basic model of an interconnected network of trails is (in my opinion) a sound one.