A couple of notes as I did a lunch time walk-thru of the site...

1.There are parts of the ruins where there is a loose pile of brick(ruins closest to the Buffalo River). All last summer was spent making sure what remained was solidified in some manner. What this is supposed to be I don't know. PS There is no signage in the ruins describing what you are looking at. I'm not sure if it located somewhere else, but the signage belongs down by the ruins.

2.The filtration system to keep the debris out of the canal doesn't work to well. Evem on a calm day like today, the debris was getting pushed out to about the halfway point and then circling right towards the back of the slip again.

3. No food vendor cart in site and no bathroom facilities that I could see(unless they are letting the public use the naval park museum facilities).

4.The weeds, out of control shrubs and dead shrubs are throughout the war memorial park. If I was a war vet, I'd be really pissed off. It is a shame that something nice like this park finally gets built and then it is not maintained at all.

5.I hope the PT boat is scheduled to be refubished very soon. It is rotting at every turn and should not even be on display in this condition.

6.More benches and a few picnic tables would be nice in the boardwalk area.

7.I saw a guy walking his bike through the area and he did not seem to be in any distress over the posted rules.

8.I already see rust spots on the bridge and the back of the commercial slip. Good to know that a quality product got installed.

9.The Buffalo Place staffer was making the rounds picking up garbage. Good to see.

All that being said, it's a nice place to take the kids and let them run around for a couple of hours while you relax by the water. I stood back by the Kelley Island Pumping Station(facing the Aud) and tried to visualize what it would look like when developed. Hopefully in 3-5 years, it will look dramatically different from today.

Nice start...this project looks to have a bright future!!!

just put up a sign that says.. no one is allowed to have fun or enjoy this space... Just stand there and look pretty for the camera..

pbm, the newly posted rules, if I understand correctly, are for the entire area. If they pertained to just the bridge, I don't think anyone would have an issue. Thanks for letting us know how things work in a real city like Madison.

The "Central Wharf Plaza" (?) project is a never ending joke. What the hell is wrong with the developers and planners? Have they never stepped outside of Albany to visit cities with a real waterfront? Maybe we should send them on a taxpayer funded vacation (well, another one anyway) to cities with bustling waterfront projects that draw hundreds or thousands of residents a day. A waterfront development that includes attractions and family friendly activities, places to eat, swim, fly a kite, etc. This place is a perfect example of the mediocrity that we have grown to expect in Buffalo. What a joke!

Well, it would make sense not to ride a bike on a bridge made for walking. They just dont want anyone gettiing hurt or run over.

Do we really need to pay a security guard to police the "Whipple Truss Bridge"?

Can someone add a note that says "Don't squeeze the charmin"?

there is one exception, you can ride historically correct bikes across the bridge.

Here's a link to a good picture of the Whipple Truss bridge. It looks way too narrow to accomodate both riding and walking. There should be some bike racks so that people can lock their bikes and walk around.

http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2986700860053478664cfyIfQ

Somehow people are able to walk/bike/blade along the Amherst Bike Path and its thin bridges. If anything, a sign reminding to yield to pedestrians would be useful, but to out right ban everything is over bearing.

What's so wrong about everyone enjoying the area and learning how to co-exist and show some self responsibility?

I guess bikes must be 'super' methods of transportation. Sigh. Cyclists will gripe about being able to use the roads equally with cars and then whine about being considered vehicles by the DOT, having to follow same rules, etc... BUT now they say they are the same thing as a family walking, read multiple pedestrians. Whine. Guess BRO hipsters will never be happy eh Newell and Co?

so you need to take your rollerblades off and walk in your socks across the bridge.. I HATE these kinds of rules, no swimming, no biking, no breathing loudly.. can't we trust people to police themselves and stop the government from trying to be our parents. No spitting in public, no swearing...

Irks my soul...

Wow!! Again the voice of pampered Americans whining about having to get off their bike!!! Yeah! Let the struggle continue!! Fight the power!

Seriously, no biking on the boardwalk? No fishing? Rollerblades must be carried? Lucky for us Buffalo Place doesnt handle the other parks in the city. Is this how other successful harbor fronts get people to visit? No biking or rollerblading? Wow, who really made up these rules and who was consulted? And whats the harm with fishing? The danger of someone getting stuck with a hook? Jesus, you have that danger on many streets in Buffalo, except they're called syringes and nobody seems to give two shitz about that.

You people need to stop bitching and go fly a kite...oh wait, that's prohibited too.

Wow!! Again the voice of pampered Americans whining about having to get off their bike!!! Yeah! Let the struggle continue!! Fight the power!

That sign will last less than a week. Two steps forward, one step back during this 'soft' opening. Why not come out and say it, "we really have no clue how to manage this asset....before we really open, we're going to put signs up (some as tall as four stories) that we really aren't commited to... and we'll make up some arbitrary rules as well...". Does this remind anyone of the red budget 'your parks are now closed'?

Well, if the bureaucrats are into poorly brainstormed lists of 'don'ts', heres an equally poor list of, apparently, allowed behavior.

Pogo sticking, unicycling and tricycling. Stilts, and going topless, bottomless, or lifeless. Frying food, especially anything thats been hunted, gutted, and cleaned right on the bridge (but no fishing). How about spitting, peeing, or holding a sayonce. Uncontrolled dogs on hundred foot ropes, and cats on no rope. Once he's out of jail, we encourage the guy from the 190 to bring some controlled substance, his wife, and a loaded gun, now that's fun. I guess we can smoke while riding our dirt bike, go cart, or four wheeler.

Get real. Let's enforce real laws on real streets, where people with bad intentions act on innocent people. I think Marv Levy had a phrase..."over officious jerk"... guess that would fit the bureaucrat with the laminator. The idea of a recreational area is that people might, well, actually have fun? Can't help but think the Cellino and Barnes crowd has got everyone second guessing themselves to the point of doing nothing that has greater than one percent chance of causing a hang nail.

What the hell, might as well put a toll on the little bridge, then we'll all feel right back at home.

I'm glad I went down there on the first Saturday, about 7 AM, with my son. It was quiet, a few runners, a few bike riders, some people reading the historical signs. And believe it or not Mr. Bureaucrat, we had it all under control.

Seriously...Is it really that difficult to walk a bike over the bridge or down the boardwalk? My guess is there isn't room for pedestrians and bikers on the boardwalk just as there isn't room for both cars and bikers on the roads...i think all BRO people would agree...but maybe not.

"If crowds are large enough, pedestrians rule. Period. If 'crowds' are thin, let everyone coexist."

"Somehow people are able to walk/bike/blade along the Amherst Bike Path and its thin bridges. If anything, a sign reminding to yield to pedestrians would be useful, but to out right ban everything is over bearing."

Worth hearing a second time. There is a over Cornelius creek that is MUCH thinner than this bridge... without such a sign and also without any problems. These rules only make people feel like they are unwelcome and that certain groups of people don't belong here.

Lively boardwalks and downtown public spaces are places where everyone is allowed and the larger the variety the better. For some reason we have this suburban mentality around here that we need to separate uses and people all the time.

Let people mix, have fun and actually enjoy our city.

Or how about a sign that says quit whining???

My girlfriend and I actually rode our bikes across it this past week competitively. I won.

Some of these rules will be short-lived. My assumption was the security guards would be there to protect the suburbanites from hoodlums. Who knew the hoodlums would be sporting rollerblades. Funny my brothers and I are traveling the Erie Canal on bike from Albany to Buffalo. I guess the last few hundred yards we'll have to walk to the finish line. http://bflotees.blogspot.com/2008/06/buffalo-t-shirts-hits-erie-canal.html

The "Central Wharf Plaza" (?) project is a never ending joke. What the hell is wrong with the developers and planners? Have they never stepped outside of Albany to visit cities with a real waterfront? Maybe we should send them on a taxpayer funded vacation (well, another one anyway) to cities with bustling waterfront projects that draw hundreds or thousands of residents a day. A waterfront development that includes attractions and family friendly activities, places to eat, swim, fly a kite, etc. This place is a perfect example of the mediocrity that we have grown to expect in Buffalo. What a joke!

Ditto rydog71, you put it perfectly

Wouldn't it make sense to allow people to use their own discretion? If there are people on the bridge then a biker should yield by going around or walk the bike, if the bridge is open why shouldn't someone be allowed to ride across?

As for bikes on the road that isn't even a discussion since both have the same and equal rights under the law to use of the road. Neither should be put above the other.

You people need to stop bitching and go fly a kite...oh wait, that's prohibited too. While I agree that people need to be told to respect the rights of others all too frequently, I also feel that a sign like this one gives the entire area a very unwelcoming feel. Can you imagine visiting from the 'burbs, only to be told that your kid can't use his radio controlled car?

In real cities where a huge number of people use bicycles to commute, bikes are prohibited in many places, such as sidewalks. In Madison, WI, you will be ticketed by police officers if you are caught riding on a sidewalk. The cops would make a killing in Buffalo. People on bikes do not own the space where they ride. What's the big deal to get off the bike and slow down on a PED bridge?

atleast they let me take my dog there at all - last i checked i couldn't walk my dog at the erin basin marina - and no fishing? i think you need to let people actually connect with the water, not just look at it - and i thought a fishing store was going to be down there right? - and the bikes? i'm disappointed i can't ride on the boardwalk - i ride my bike a lot and it would have been a nice destination - all forms of transportation need to be taken into consideration ya know

Predictable response...

I think we can all thank sue happy America and the injury attorneys.

I'm sure these rules were required by an insurance company.

What about non competitive sports?

Sonds like "No fun" to me. Glad to see dogs are allowed on a leash. When we went there with my dog last week i Iwas just waiting for someone to tell me we had to leave.

So it is okay to run 3 or 4 across on the Erie Basina Marina Road(ignorant if you ask me), but you can't ride a bike on a boardwalk that wide?

PS Don't blame the security guard for enforcing the rules, blame the knuckleheads who came up with the rules.

Lame - I rode my bike over it last weekend and wondered if it would become an issue. How about a bike rack so people can at least lock up their bikes?

in regards to rule #6......how would one define a competitive sport? ones that involve contact... or is hacky sack allowed? I'm sure its competitive in some circles....

Buffalo Place also sponsors an alcohol free new years celebration downtown....which I've heard is fantastic....hmmm... but for some reason still sells beer at its Thursday at the Square concerts??? ($$$) I guess money is the answer here so maybe they could put up a toll for cyclists wanting to cross the bridge and all will be happy.

While flipping through a Buffalo Visitor Guide publication yesterday, I saw an ad for Canalside which included a website...

http://canalsidebuffalo.com/

The bad news...it is "under construction".

The good news...it will have a message board. If the waterfront discussions here on BRO are any indication, that message board should be rather "lively".

Hey, Bruja, Im a fisherman first. And a motorist second. Happily, theres no rule about cars.

Or how about a sign that says quit whining???

Aren't blogs great. I can freely express my point of view whether it be right or wrong, moral or unethical and have no accountability. I say we blow the bridge up by dawn!!! That or tort reform

I'm sorry, but the rules seem to be Common Scense. This is a public area, yes, but geared towards as an attraction for everyone to enjoy and to not follow the guidelines can cause a problem when you think about what can happen when the area is busy with alot of people.