Bookmark this site, join our mailing list and follow us on social media for regular project updates. Submit a comment or question to Ashley Smith, project manager, at ashley-at-gobikebuffalo.org.

Communication and outreach regarding the planning process will include:

• Posting regular updates to this website.
• Sending regular email updates.
• Hosting a series of public meetings during the planning process and attending local events and community gatherings in the project area throughout the next six months. We’ll post event details to this website and our social media.
• Presenting information about the project at local forums and community meetings on request.

Our project team is happy to respond to questions from adjacent landowners. The best way for property owners to contact us is by emailing ashley-at-gobikebuffalo.org.

The project team is also available to meet on-site with adjacent landowners where appropriate to share information and discuss landowner issues (adjacent landowners should include their contact information when submitting comments on the website). Please view the proposed trail route to determine if you are an adjacent landowner.

Many studies have found that multi-use trails are an amenity that increases property values and improves the quality of life for nearby residents. For a sample of studies, please see our trail benefits section.

Rules will be posted informing trail users to stay on the trail and not enter the adjacent property. Trail design features, such as allowing vegetation to grow, establishing a natural boundary, and installing signage or fencing in specific locations where warranted, will reinforce trail behavior. New York State, like most states, has a Recreational Use Statute (General Obligation Law Section 9-103) that protects property owners from liability from hikers, bicyclists, and other trail activities on private property. The general experience of rail-trails across New York State is that users stay on the trails and respect adjacent private property.

Addressing concerns of adjacent landowners is a critical component of this planning process.

Based on experiences on other rail-trails, there typically are not significant problems with people leaving the trail and entering private property. Trail users understand that adjacent land is private property and should not to be entered without permission. 

Measures currently in consideration include reinforcement of the requirement that users respect private property, including posting rules at trailheads emphasizing no trespassing. In special circumstances, the Southern Tier Trail project team is considering the installation of additional screening, fencing, or vegetative plantings. If you are an adjacent property owner with concerns about proximity to the proposed facility, trespassing, or other safety concerns, please contact Ashley-at-gobikebuffalo.org.

We’re not sure yet. Typically, walkers, bicyclists, joggers, in-line skaters, cross-country skiers, dog walkers, bird watchers, parents with baby strollers, and people in wheelchairs generally use multi-use trails. In some places, equestrians and snowmobilers enjoy the trails. In trails along rivers or lakes, anglers and boaters will be present. Decisions about trail use will be reached through our public outreach process. If you have a comment or concern regarding a specific trail use, please let GObike know by adding a comment to our public input map, linked above. 

Trailheads, access points, parking, and other amenity locations are still to be determined. Draft plans will include recommendations on access points, amenities, and parking. 

If you have locations in-mind that would make good access points, or conversely, that would not make good access points, GObike and Alta ask that you share those locations with our project team for review through the public input map, link above.

Municipal responsibilities will be defined through the feasibility study currently underway. For multi-use or rail-trails across the nation, regular maintenance needs are modest. As the trail crosses through more than 20 towns and villages, the impact on any single municipality will be minimal. In addition, the feasibility study will include an assessment of potential partners in trail management and maintenance, including nonprofit and user-group organizations.

ECRT has been named Trail Manager by the Surface Transportation Board for a railbanked 27-mile portion of the Buffalo Pittsburgh Rail Corridor extending from Orchard Park south through the Village of Springville.

GObike has received a grant from Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation to complete a feasibility study for the Southern Tier Trail. The Southern Tier Trail is a proposed 80-mile trail connection between Buffalo and Hinsdale, which may incorporate all or parts of the Buffalo Pittsburgh Rail Corridor under lease by ECRT.

ECRT and GObike are separate legal entities.

Alta Planning + Design has been hired by GObike to complete the feasibility study. Alta is a nationally recognized planning firm with extensive experience in New York State, including work on the Empire State Trail, Genesee Valley Greenway, and more.

The Buffalo & Pittsburgh Railroad owns the railbanked property under ECRT’s management. It is a federally-regulated transportation corridor that has been approved for use as a multi-use trail to preserve the integrity of the rail corridor.

The feasibility study will outline the design and construction of a shared-use pathway between the City of Buffalo and the southern end of the Genesee Valley Greenway in Hinsdale, NY. The study includes public outreach to gain community input on trail route alternatives, trail uses, and preferred design features. The final report will also include construction cost estimates for the selected route along with maintenance and management recommendations.