A 10-year master plan · Rye, New York · 2026–2036

America's most
walkable
town.

Rye Forward is a bold, specific, and achievable plan to transform Rye, NY into America's foremost model of pedestrian-first, car-secondary urban design — a place where a child can walk to school, a senior can cross Milton Road, and a commuter can bike to the train without fear. Peace of mind, on every street, for every neighbor.

Explore the plan See Rye-Ways
5.85 Square miles — bikeable in 20 min
39m To Grand Central by train
454+ Acres of parks & open space
10yr Rye-Ways activation timeline

The strategy

Rye-Ways is
the vision.

"The streets that are safe enough for a 9-year-old are safe enough for everyone. That is Rye Forward's whole standard."

Rye-Ways is the master framework that ties every decision together — a citywide network of physical paths, redesigned streets, reclaimed public space, and shifted policy that transforms Rye into a small city where residents of all ages can meet their daily needs entirely on foot or by bike.

Every element in this plan — from the roundabout at Boston Post Road to School Streets at every school to Purchase Street's pedestrianization — is a Rye-Ways activation. The strategy relegates cars. It doesn't ban them. Streets become places for people first — where a child bikes to school, a senior walks to Purchase Street, and a commuter reaches the 7:12 without dread. The goal isn't just safety. It's peace of mind — the freedom to leave your house without bracing yourself.

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Rye-Ways: the connective network

A distinctly marked, fully protected network of walking and cycling paths — separate from car roads — connecting Rye Town Beach, the Jay Estate, Purchase Street, the station, and Port Chester. Every principle below is a strand of this network. See the full Rye-Ways strategy →

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Every local trip walkable — without fear

No child should need a car to reach school. No senior should hesitate at a crosswalk. No parent should feel forced to drive four blocks. Continuous sidewalk network, safe crossings, and destinations within walking distance of every home — for every age.

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Connected cycling infrastructure

Protected lanes on all arterials. Low-stress routes through every neighborhood. Bike share at the station. You can ride from any neighborhood to any other, safely.

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Streets reclaimed for people

Cars don't need three lanes where one will do. Reduce lanes, take back parallel parking, and give the recovered space to trees, seating, plazas, and cyclists. Seville proved it: 11x ridership growth in four years.

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Mixed-use near the station

Allow and incentivize mixed-use infill within half a mile of the Rye station. More residents walking to transit means fewer cars on Boston Post Road.

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A national model

By 2036, Rye publishes the Rye-Ways playbook. Platinum walkability and cycling designations. Zero traffic fatalities. 50%+ of local trips on foot or bike.

Activating Rye-Ways

Three phases,
one network.

Rye-Ways is built in phases — each activation adds a segment to the network. Start fast and cheap. Prove demand. Build permanently. Every project below is a Rye-Ways activation.

Rye-Ways activation

Paint + posts: instant Rye-Ways segments

The first Rye-Ways segments go in fast using paint and flexible delineator posts. Weeks to install, not years. Data collected before and after — building the case for permanent, physically protected upgrades in Phase 2.
  • Boston Post Road: both directions
  • Theodore Fremd: station to downtown
  • Forest Ave: to Playland & waterfront
Quick win

Purchase Street: reclaim the parking

Remove parallel parking on both sides of Purchase Street. Give that width back to people: café seating, exercise stations, canopy trees, wider sidewalks, protected bike parking. Start on weekends, then permanent. Copenhagen removed 2–3% of its parking every year for 30 years and now has one of the world's most vibrant public realms.
Quick win

Dynamic pricing for all downtown parking

Rye's downtown parking is already metered — but the price never changes. Shift to demand-based pricing: higher rates when demand peaks (weekday commute, Saturday afternoons), lower when quiet. San Francisco's SFpark cut cruising for spots by 30% and freed curb space for people. Revenue funds pedestrian and bike improvements.
High impact

Rye Station bike hub

Covered, secure parking for 200 bikes at Rye station. Bike share dock (20 bikes). E-bike charging. Repair station. Connects commuters arriving by train with the local bike network.
Safety first

Safe Routes to all 5 schools

Audit every route to Midland, Milton, Osborn, Rye Middle, and Rye High. Fix the top 3 dangerous crossings at each school within 6 months. Raise crosswalks at every school entrance. In Hoboken, parents reported their children walking to school independently for the first time in a generation — because they finally could without dread.
Safety first

Roundabout at Purchase St / Boston Post Road

Replace the signalized intersection of Purchase Street and Boston Post Road with a modern single-lane roundabout. This is one of Rye's most congested daily bottlenecks — rush-hour backups in both directions are a fixture of life here. A roundabout eliminates the stop-start cycle entirely, keeping traffic flowing continuously while dramatically reducing the speed and severity of any conflicts. Studies consistently show roundabouts reduce injury crashes by 75% compared to signalized intersections.
  • Eliminates daily morning and evening rush-hour gridlock
  • Reduces vehicle conflict points from 32 (signal) to 8 (roundabout)
  • Raised pedestrian crossings on all four approaches
  • Splitter islands force slow entry speeds, protecting pedestrians
Safety first

Pedestrian signal at Theodore Fremd / Purchase St

Install a full pedestrian signal with Leading Pedestrian Interval (LPI) at the intersection of Theodore Fremd Avenue and Purchase Street. Currently there is no pedestrian indicator of any kind at this crossing — one of the busiest in Rye — leaving walkers to guess at gaps in traffic. This is among the most dangerous and most easily fixed gaps in the entire network.
  • High-visibility HAWK or full traffic signal with pedestrian phase
  • Leading Pedestrian Interval: walkers get a 7-second head start before cars move
  • Audible signals for visually impaired pedestrians
  • Raised crosswalk to enforce yielding by turning vehicles
High impact

Redesign Rye Station: dedicated pedestrian infrastructure

The area surrounding Rye's Metro-North station is currently the most pedestrian-hostile environment in the city — a free-for-all of cars, taxis, buses, and commuters with no dedicated sidewalks, no marked crosswalks, and no clear separation between people and moving vehicles. For a town with walkability ambitions, this is the worst possible first impression. A complete redesign is needed immediately.
  • Dedicated sidewalk network connecting all station entrances and exits
  • Marked and raised crosswalks at every vehicle crossing point
  • Separated pick-up/drop-off zone fully removed from pedestrian paths
  • Wayfinding signage directing arriving passengers to downtown, parks, and bike share on foot
  • Continuous sidewalk link from station to Theodore Fremd Ave and Purchase Street
Major capital

Rebuild Boston Post Road

Convert the full length through Rye: one travel lane each direction, raised concrete bike track (curb-protected), wider sidewalks, street trees every 25 feet. Coordinate with utility work.
  • Raised concrete bike track replaces paint
  • Pedestrian refuge islands at all major crossings
  • Remove right-turn slip lanes at Playland Pkwy
Signature project

Purchase Street permanently car-free

Make the weekend pilot permanent. Rebuild as a pedestrian plaza from Elm to Purdy: granite pavers, removable bollards, deliveries 6–10am only. Shade trees, public seating, year-round programming.
Policy lever

Zoning overhaul: end parking minimums

Remove all minimum parking requirements within half a mile of the train station and downtown. Allow mixed-use by-right in the CBD and near the station. Convert excess parking to housing and plazas.
Signature network

Rye-Ways: build the network

Construct the core segments of Rye-Ways — a fully protected pedestrian and cycling network entirely separated from car roads. Physical barriers, distinct paving, and consistent wayfinding. Connect Rye Town Beach → Jay Estate → the station → Purchase Street → Port Chester along Boston Post Road. Grocery shop, commute, or bike to the beach without ever sharing space with traffic.
Network

Complete neighborhood bike grid

Low-stress bike routes through all residential neighborhoods. Diagonal diverters block cut-through car traffic while allowing cyclists. Connect every neighborhood to the Purchase St and BPR spines.
Key corridors

Milton Road & Forest Ave

Rebuild both corridors with protected bike lanes, raised crosswalks, and 20 mph speed limits. Milton Road: school street closures at Milton School. Forest Ave: lower speed near Playland pedestrians.
Transformation

Residential streets: 15 mph default

Lower all residential limits to 15 mph. Physical redesign: narrow lanes to 9 feet, speed tables at every intersection, chicanes on straight high-speed segments. Every block feels like a shared space.
Land use

Parking lots → mixed-use

Convert or redevelop downtown surface parking and underutilized garage structures into mixed-use housing with ground-floor retail. Adds residents who walk to everything; removes car storage from the core.
Vision Zero

Zero traffic fatalities by 2036

Formal Vision Zero policy with binding targets. Every fatal or serious crash triggers an automatic engineering review and physical intervention within 90 days. Non-negotiable safety commitment.
Culture

School Streets program

Permanently close streets adjacent to all 5 schools during school hours. Children arrive by foot or bike as the default. Walk/Bike to School becomes a cultural norm, not an exception.
Recognition

National model & awards

Pursue NACTO Street Design Award, Walk Friendly Community Platinum, and League of American Bicyclists Platinum. Publish Rye's playbook as a replicable model for small American cities.
Permanent

Charter amendment

Amend the City Charter to require all road projects demonstrate pedestrian and cyclist benefit. Create a permanent Office of Active Transportation with dedicated budget — beyond the reach of budget politics.

The Rye-Ways route map

Every corridor,
a Rye-Ways segment.

From Rye's main arterial to the quiet residential grid — here's exactly which street becomes which segment of the Rye-Ways network, and when.

Phase 1  ·  2026–28

Theodore Fremd Ave

Station connector

4 lanes, no bike lane, wide crossings, no pedestrian signal at Purchase St

→

2 lanes + protected bike lane, raised crosswalks, pedestrian signal with LPI at Purchase St, 25 mph

Phase 1

Purchase St / Boston Post Rd

Key intersection

Signalized intersection, daily rush-hour gridlock, 32 vehicle conflict points

→

Modern roundabout, continuous traffic flow, raised pedestrian crossings on all 4 approaches, 75% fewer injury crashes

Phase 1

Rye Station Area

Transit gateway

No sidewalks, no crosswalks, cars and pedestrians mixed without separation — the most dangerous area in Rye

→

Dedicated sidewalk network, raised crosswalks at all vehicle crossings, separated drop-off zone, wayfinding to downtown on foot

Phase 1
Phase 2  ·  2028–32

Purchase Street

Downtown core

2 travel lanes, car access, stop signs

→

Full pedestrian plaza, bollards, café seating, deliveries 6–10am only

Phase 2

Boston Post Road

Main arterial (US-1)

1 lane each way, no bike infrastructure

→

Raised concrete bike tracks both sides, pedestrian refuges, street trees, 25 mph

Phase 2

Forest Avenue

Waterfront access

2-lane arterial, no cycling, high speed near Playland

→

Protected bike lane, 20 mph near Playland, raised crosswalks

Phase 2

Milton Road

North-south spine

Residential arterial, no bike infrastructure, school adjacency

→

Protected bike lane, school street closure at Milton School, 20 mph

Phase 2

Rye-Ways Network

Protected path

No connected off-road path across Rye; every trip shares space with cars

→

Fully protected walking + cycling network: Rye Town Beach → Jay Estate → Purchase St → Station → Port Chester, physically separated from all car roads

Phase 2
Phase 3  ·  2032–36

All residential streets

City-wide

20–25 mph posted, minimal traffic calming

→

15 mph, diagonal diverters on cut-through routes, speed tables at intersections

Phase 3

Intersection concept

Boston Post Rd / Purchase St
Walk & Bike Without Fear

Cars get the small inner circle; walking and cycling get their own physically separated rings on the outside, with raised crossings set back a full car-length so drivers must stop and yield to people before they reach the circle. North up — schematic, not to survey scale.

Protected cycle track
Separated footpath
Buffer / landscaping
Car circulatory (small, slow)
Raised crossings
Refuge islands
Yield: cars stop for people

How this protects people on foot and bike

  • Separate rings, not shared lanes. Cyclists ride a continuous protected track and pedestrians walk an outer path — both physically buffered with landscaping from the car circle. People never mix with moving traffic.
  • Crossings set back a car-length. Every walk/bike crossing sits one vehicle back from the circle. An exiting driver clears the circle, then faces a raised crossing where they must yield — eyes already on the people, not the traffic behind them.
  • Raised tables = slow cars. Each crossing is a speed table that drops car speeds to roughly 15 mph — the range where a crash is survivable and usually avoided entirely.
  • One lane at a time. Generous refuge islands mean you only ever face a single direction of traffic before reaching safety — huge for kids, strollers, wheelchairs, and older walkers heading to the Library, City Hall, or the YMCA.
  • Cars are the guest. The inner circle is deliberately tight to keep speeds low. The design geometry itself — not just signs — enforces it. People-priority is built into the shape.
  • Still conceptual. US-1 is a state route, so a real build needs NYSDOT review, ADA-compliant ramps, a capacity study, and right-of-way coordination. This is an illustration of intent.

The strategy in full

This is
Rye-Ways.

Rye-Ways is the master program — the strategy behind every project on this site. A citywide, physically protected network of paths and reclaimed streets that lets residents move across Rye entirely without ever sharing space with a car. Not a bike lane. Not a shoulder. Distinct paving, consistent wayfinding, unmistakably not the street.

01

Fully protected

Concrete barriers, grade separation, or dedicated right-of-way. Never a painted line on a car road. If a driver could accidentally end up in it, it isn't Rye-Ways.

02

Distinctly marked

A signature palette and paving finish across the whole network. You always know when you're on Rye-Ways — and where the next segment goes.

03

Citywide reach

Every neighborhood connected. Rye Town Beach, the Jay Estate, Purchase Street, the Metro-North station, and every school — all reachable on the network.

Priority corridors

Spine

Rye Town Beach → Jay Estate → Purchase Street

The cultural and recreational backbone. Walk or ride from the beach to a historic estate to a downtown coffee shop without ever facing traffic. Connects Rye's greatest public assets into one continuous experience.

Regional

Rye → Port Chester along Boston Post Road

A physically protected corridor down US-1 to Port Chester's grocery stores, restaurants, and Metro-North station. Do your weekly shop on foot or by bike without anxiety. This isn't a shoulder painted green. It's a real path with real barriers.

Commuter

Metro-North station → all neighborhoods

Radial spurs from Rye Station reaching every residential area. The morning walk or ride to catch the 7:12 becomes the calmest part of the day, not the most stressful.

The engineering answer

Rye already has the space.
It just belongs to cars.

The most common objection to Rye-Ways is that our streets are already too narrow. They're not. Cities far denser than Rye have built protected networks by reallocating existing width — no widening required. Every technique below also slows traffic and forces drivers to pay closer attention. Safer streets are the byproduct.

01

Remove the parking

Purchase Street

Between 2005 and 2010, Seville — a city of 700,000 — built 75 miles of protected bike lanes by eliminating 5,000 on-street parking spaces. Daily cycling trips grew from 13,000 to 72,000 in five years. No streets were widened. Rye's Purchase Street currently gives both curbs to parallel parking. Reclaim that space for a Rye-Ways segment, seating, trees, and cycling — without touching a single travel lane. The narrower profile also forces cars to move at pedestrian-safe speeds.

Slows cars +454% ridership precedent No widening
02

Cut a car lane

Post Road bridge to Port Chester

Bellingham, WA reduced Alabama Street from four lanes to three — one travel lane each direction plus a center turn lane — and gave the recovered width to protected cycling. Speeds dropped, crashes fell, and travel times barely moved. The Boston Post Road bridge into Port Chester is the exact same profile: overbuilt for the volume it actually carries. Convert one direction's outer lane into a Rye-Ways segment. Suddenly a grocery run to Port Chester by bike or on foot is not just possible — it's calm.

Slows cars Adds ≈5 seconds of travel time Cross-town connection unlocked
03

Put the road on a diet

Every arterial in Rye

Utrecht rebuilt Marnixlaan — a four-lane arterial — by narrowing car lanes to roughly 9 feet. The recovered width became bike infrastructure, sidewalks, and rows of new trees. Standard American arterial lanes are 11–12 feet, which invites highway speeds inside a city. Narrower lanes make drivers concentrate harder and drive slower without a single sign or speed camera. Apply this to Boston Post Road, Milton Road, Forest Avenue, and Theodore Fremd. The math works everywhere.

Slows cars Sharper driver attention Room for trees

Bonus · The ambitious version

Or just close Purchase Street entirely.

In 2017, Ghent, Belgium adopted a citywide circulation plan that removed through-traffic from its historic core. Cars can still reach any destination — but not by cutting through the center. Result: more than a third of all trips in Ghent are now made by bike, and downtown foot traffic has surged. Purchase Street from Elm to Purdy is barely a quarter mile long. Close it to private cars. Keep deliveries in the early morning. Let Rye's downtown become a place people go to be, not a shortcut to somewhere else.

Why it matters

Bike lanes fail because drivers still cross them, park in them, and endanger the people using them. Rye-Ways succeeds because the choice is taken out of the driver's hands. When a path is physically separate, adoption follows immediately. When Sevilla built 87 miles of protected cycling network, ridership grew from 6,000 daily trips to 72,000 in four years. Not because the city changed. Because the infrastructure did.

Rye-Ways activation calendar

Ten years.
Seven activations.

Every year, a new Rye-Ways activation goes live. Each milestone adds a segment to the network — until the full strategy is realized by 2036.

2026 → 2036

2026

Launch & Vision Zero

Adopt Vision Zero resolution. Reclaim parallel parking on Purchase Street for weekend seating and trees. Bike lanes on Theodore Fremd with paint and posts.

2027

Safety fixes & station hub

Safe Routes audit complete. Top 3 dangerous crossings fixed at all 5 schools. Rye Station bike hub opens. Dynamic parking pricing goes live downtown.

2028

Zoning reform & Rye-Ways begins

Parking minimums eliminated near station. Boston Post Road reconstruction begins. First Rye-Ways segment breaks ground.

2030

Rye-Ways core network opens

Boston Post Road raised bike tracks complete. Rye-Ways connects station, Purchase Street, and Rye Town Beach. Purchase Street fully pedestrianized.

2031

Network complete; zero fatalities

Rye-Ways extends to Port Chester along the Post Road. Neighborhood bike grid with diagonal diverters complete. Pedestrian fatalities at zero for two consecutive years.

2033

Residential redesign & School Streets

Residential streets redesigned to 15 mph. School Streets at all 5 schools. Applied for NACTO and Walk Friendly Platinum.

2036

America's most walkable town

Charter amendment enshrines active transportation priority. National model playbook published. 50%+ of local trips by foot or bike.

Proof for Rye-Ways

Six cities
already living it.

Rye-Ways isn't invented — it's assembled from what has already worked. These communities have delivered on every principle Rye-Ways proposes. Their results are the evidence base for the strategy.

"The cities that transformed their streets didn't wait for perfect conditions. They started, measured, and built from there."

Hoboken

New Jersey  ·  Pop. 54,000

7 yrs consecutive years without a traffic death (2017–2024)

Vision Zero + 20 mph citywide, bike lanes on 47% of streets, raised intersections, daylighting program

Injuries down 41%. Serious injuries down 62% from 2022–2023. Bike lane network expanded 38% in under two years. The most directly applicable model for Rye.

Carmel

Indiana  ·  Pop. 100,000

152 roundabouts replacing signalized intersections

Walkable downtown built from scratch on the Monon Trail; 25 years of consistent pedestrian-priority zoning and street design

Traffic accidents stayed under 200 despite population tripling. Injury crashes 47% lower at roundabout sites. Named "best-designed suburb in America" by multiple national outlets.

Boulder

Colorado  ·  Pop. 105,000

70mi of multi-use paths plus 500 miles of sidewalk

Pearl Street pedestrian mall; strong land-use integration; highest retail sales per sq ft in Colorado on pedestrianized street

Consistently ranks #1 among small cities for walkability. Cycling accounts for a larger share of commute trips than any comparable US city.

Portland

Oregon  ·  Pop. 650,000

Platinum Walk Friendly Community — one of only 4 nationally

Comprehensive connected bike network; strong zoning reform for mixed-use; decades of political consistency

Highest Walk Friendly Community designation. The national benchmark that Rye should target for its 2036 goal.

Madison

Wisconsin  ·  Pop. 270,000

1,200mi of sidewalk; 200+ miles of biking and hiking trails

Pedestrian-scale block structure; school crossing guard program; experimental car-free street pilots

Gold-level Walk Friendly Community. Ranked among safest cities for pedestrians in the country. Model for school safety infrastructure.

Decatur

Georgia  ·  Pop. 25,000

Gold Walk Friendly Community — closest in size to Rye

Dense mixed-use downtown walkability plan; active transportation emphasis in all zoning; proof that small cities can lead

Cited nationally as the model for small-city pedestrian planning. Proves Rye's scale is a feature, not a limitation.

Deep dive · Most applicable model

How Hoboken went 7 years without a traffic death

Hoboken's transformation was deliberately incremental. Rather than expensive multi-year reconstruction projects, the city embedded safety improvements into every routine maintenance cycle. Every time a block was repaved, it received curb extensions, high-visibility crosswalk paint, and daylighting — removing corner parking that blocked sight lines. The 2022 citywide speed limit reduction to 20 mph was the single highest-leverage action. Studies show pedestrian fatality risk drops from 45% at 30 mph to just 5% at 20 mph.

Key lesson for Rye Embed pedestrian improvements into every routine maintenance project. When a street gets repaved, it also gets safer crosswalks and better curb extensions. This multiplies impact without multiplying budget.

Deep dive · The suburban transformation model

How a car-dependent suburb built itself a downtown

Carmel, Indiana proves that even a pure American car suburb can be completely reimagined. Starting in the 1990s with 30,000 people and no walkable downtown, Carmel built 152 roundabouts, created a downtown from scratch along the Monon Trail corridor, and attracted serious mixed-use investment — all while reducing accidents. The political constant was a mayor who pursued the same strategy for 25 years, outlasting every objection.

Key lesson for Rye Rye already has what Carmel had to build from scratch: a real downtown, historic buildings, a train station. The lesson is political will and consistency across administrations — embedded in policy, not dependent on any individual.

Rye-Ways accountability

Peace of mind
is a metric.

These numbers measure something specific: the daily freedom of every Rye resident to walk, ride, and cross the street without dread. Every target is publicly reported annually. If a metric falls behind, an engineering review is triggered automatically.

50% reduction by 2030

Pedestrian & cycling crash rate

Every fatal or serious crash triggers an automatic engineering review and physical intervention within 90 days. Non-negotiable.

Baseline 2026Target 2030
30% of trips by 2030, 50% by 2035

Residents walking or cycling for daily trips

Measured by annual travel survey and counting stations on all major corridors. Commute trips, school trips, and errands tracked separately.

Est. 10% todayTarget 30% by 2030
30mi of Rye-Ways complete by 2035

Rye-Ways network completion

15 miles of the Rye-Ways network activated by 2028 (Phase 1 + 2). 30 miles fully connected by 2035. No gaps allowed — a disconnected network is no network.

0 mi today30 mi by 2035
2× pedestrian count increase by 2030

Foot traffic on Purchase Street

Monthly pedestrian counts establish baseline in 2026. Weekend Open Streets pilot expected to show 50%+ increase immediately. Permanent pedestrianization targets double baseline.

Baseline 2026Target 2× by 2030
5,000 bike share trips per month by 2030

Bike share ridership

Bike share launches at Rye Station in 2027. Docking stations added at Purchase Street, Town Hall, and Playland by 2029. Tracks real adoption, not just infrastructure build.

Program not yet launchedTarget 5,000/mo by 2030
50% of eligible students by 2030

Children walking or biking to school

The most powerful long-term culture change. Measured at all 5 schools. Safe Routes audit and school zone redesign in 2027 establishes baseline. School Streets program by 2033.

Est. <10% todayTarget 50% by 2030

Objections to Rye-Ways

We've heard
the concerns.

Every transformative project meets resistance. Here's how the evidence responds to the most common concerns about Rye-Ways.

We'll lose business if Purchase Street closes to cars.

Every major pedestrian street conversion — from NYC's Broadway plazas to Oslo's city center — showed retail revenue increases of 20–40% after car removal. Rye will pilot the closure on weekends for six months, measure business revenues, and let the data make the case. Businesses that survived the removal of traffic signals on Purchase Street will adapt.

Residents need cars to commute to NYC and beyond.

Rye already has 39-minute Metro-North service to Grand Central. This plan doesn't eliminate cars — it makes them one option among many. The goal is that no one is forced to drive for local trips. Inter-city commuters can park in peripheral garages and walk or bike to the station.

This is a wealthy suburb — people here want to drive.

High-income residents are often the most vocal supporters of walkable urbanism once they experience it. Research shows walkable neighborhoods command significant property value premiums. This is an amenity upgrade that increases home values and quality of life, not a restriction on how people live.

Removing parking hurts residents who can't bike.

The plan doesn't eliminate parking — it prices it dynamically. Space is reclaimed only where demand allows (Purchase Street's parallel parking). Elderly and disabled residents get accessible drop-off zones, subsidized car share, and improved sidewalks. The plan specifically designs for those who will never bike.

Funding Rye-Ways

Four funding
streams.

No single source funds Rye-Ways. A diversified strategy combines federal grants, local revenue, state programs, and developer contributions.

🏛️

Federal: RAISE & SAFE grants

USDOT's RAISE grants fund transformative street projects. SAFE Streets grants specifically target pedestrian safety improvements. Rye should apply annually with a dedicated grant writer and coordinator.

💰

Parking revenue reinvestment

Revenue from dynamic downtown parking pricing and any future congestion pricing is legally dedicated to the pedestrian and cycling improvement fund — a self-reinforcing loop where driving funds walking.

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Developer impact fees

New development near the station pays into a Transportation Demand Management fund. Buildings without parking minimums contribute to bike share and pedestrian infrastructure instead.

🗺️

NY State TAP & CMAQ funds

NYS Transportation Alternatives Program and Congestion Mitigation Air Quality funds are specifically designed for active transportation. Westchester County can co-apply for regional connectivity projects.

Peace of mind for everyone

Streets safe for a 9-year-old
are safe for everyone.

That is the standard. A senior walking to Purchase Street. A commuter biking to the 7:12. A neighbor crossing Milton Road without calculating traffic. When streets are safe for the most vulnerable Rye resident, they are safe for every Rye resident. Activating Rye-Ways requires residents, business owners, parents, cyclists, and city officials to push together. The best time to start was 2008. The second best is now.

Explore Rye-Ways Get involved

Get in touch

Ready to
get involved?

Rye Forward is a citizen-led effort. If you're a resident, business owner, parent, cyclist, or public official who wants to help shape the plan, contribute expertise, or start a conversation about Rye's streets — please reach out directly.

Whether you agree with every page or want to challenge specific proposals, the conversation is what moves this forward. Peace of mind for Rye starts with more Rye residents at the table.

Author & Organizer

John Nugent

Rye resident · Creator of Rye Forward

✉
☎
Phone 336-403-0102
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