GObike and Old First Ward volunteers pitched in to paint temporary traffic-calming features on South Park Avenue, the first of many to come in 2018!

By Kevin Jolly
May 26, 2018
Originally published by Spectrum News

BUFFALO, NY- This intersection here at the corner of South Park Avenue and Hamburg Street is one of the busiest in the city. Everyday thousands of cars, trucks, and even 18 Wheelers pass through this busy intersection used by pedestrians and cyclists. Rebecca Riley of GObike Buffalo says that’s a formula for disaster.

“Largely the problem is that motorists have a lot that they’re doing at once when they’re in an intersection, and adding cyclists and pedestrians to the mix makes it very difficult. Especially when streets are not constructed in a way that’s very pedestrian friendly. That’s why we have Complete Streets on the books here in Buffalo, New York,” said Rebecca Riley [sic], GOBike Buffalo, Tactical Transportation and Volunteer Coordinator.

Complete streets is an ordinance aimed at making city streets more cycle and pedestrian friendly. That’s why these volunteers from GObike Buffalo and the WNY Land Conservancy are teaming up to make this First Ward intersection safer for cyclists and pedestrians.

“So, we partnered with GObike today to add these safety crossings and were gonna add a bump out at another intersection. All of those things will make it safer for people who are walking and biking in the neighborhood,” said Nancy Smith, WNY Land Conservancy Executive Director.

Some people wonder why volunteers are doing the work and not city workers.

“Because the city quite frankly they’re having a hard time staying on top of just potholes. You have a bad winter and you have millions of potholes to fill. So, yes I believe it should be the responsibility of the city, but I do understand that is incredibly hard to cover all the work with the tiny budget that they get,” said Riley.

Last year Riley says they did about 40 crosswalks between Buffalo and Niagara Falls, this year she says they have about 140 requests to do the same throughout the city.

“It just reminds motorists and everyone else to be a little more careful,” said Riley.