Clean Mobility Buffalo is an alliance of 10 like-missioned organizations and neighborhood leaders, working together to raise awareness of current transportation options and bring forward new environmentally friendly and health-conscious options that prioritize safety, reliability, and accessibility for all who call the East Side home.

The Clean Mobility Initiative is funded by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) under the New York Clean Transportation Prizes Program.
One of the deliverables of the East Side Healthy Streets Initiative is to implement temporary “pop-up” installations that will calm traffic and make it easier to walk, bike, or use a wheelchair. We’re asking for the East Side community’s input. Please share your experience and how you move from A to B in your neighborhood. Is there a location in your community where you wish you felt safer when traveling outside of a vehicle, like when walking or biking, or where you wish you could more comfortably access bike share and transit services? We’d like to hear about it!

For nearly two years, GObike and GO Buffalo Niagara have been working with the Clean Mobility Coalition of organizations, the Neighborhood Leadership Group, and various block clubs, churches, and community centers to better understand the challenges people are encountering, and to serve the community with Bike Rodeos, Mobile Repairs, bikes, helmets, lights and locks giveaways, and other events inviting those in attendance to answer questions, raise concerns, mark up maps of the region, and more.

The interventions mentioned below are created with simple materials – like paint, plastic bollards, and rubber curbing – and allow residents to “test” the changes and provide feedback on their experience. GObike then takes that user feedback under consideration before providing recommendations for more permanent installations to Erie County and the Town of Hamburg.

Bike Lane/Cycle Track: A portion of the roadway that has been designated by striping, signage, and pavement markings for the preferential or exclusive use of bicyclists. Bike lanes enable bicyclists to ride at their preferred speed without interference from prevailing traffic conditions and facilitate predictable behavior and movements between bicyclists and motorists. (More information)

A cycle track places all bike activity on one side of the roadway and provides two-way travel for bikes that are physically separated from vehicles. (More Information)

Sidewalk Extension: Provides additional pedestrian space at street corners by extending sidewalk space into the roadway, thus narrowing driving lanes and creating a shorter distance for pedestrians to cross the roadway safely. (More Information)

Crosswalk & Pedestrian Island: Using white paint to demonstrate the path pedestrians should take when crossing the road, crosswalks should be designed to offer as much comfort and protection to pedestrians as possible, while helping to facilitate eye contact by moving pedestrians directly into the driver’s field of vision. (More information)

To supplement crosswalks, a space can be installed partway through the crosswalk using rubber curb barriers and bollards to create additional protection for pedestrians as they cross, called pedestrian islands. (More Information)