Buffalo Barrier To Entry: Routing For Five
This evening Common Council Members convened to confront the DOT with its already outdated plan that places another elevated highway along Route 5. Councilman Kearns led the meeting and started off by saying how unfortunate is was that the DOT canceled/declined to meet with The Council on Wednesday. This evening, Kearns asked if there was a representative in attendance in Council Chambers. No one stood up. The council vetoed the DOT plan by 100%. Now there is no response by the DOT. Pretty soon it's going to be too late. The regular people get it. The politicians somehow don't. This is the people's decision that the DOT is not even listening to. The DOT is saying that the time for debate is over? Are we just going to take the plan that an authority hands us? No! Elevated highways are out. The DOT should not be able to choke out progress without the people's consent.
Councilman Franczyk spoke out about the need for a visionary plan. [Summary] Something with access to walking without an obsolete elevated highway. DOT is not supposed to set policy... they are not urban planners... they are traffic experts. The council body has voted exactly opposite what the DOT is handing the public. They are going with the safest, easiest most unimaginative plan. The fact that the DOT is not here tonight speaks volumes.
Councilman Bonifacio talked of the authorities that are making the decisions for the public - the Peace Bridge and Route 5. [Summary] I get paid to listen. The DOT is saying that the debate is over. I have a problem with an authority telling us what we want. Now they don't want to meet with the Common Council. Every option should be considered.
Councilman LoCurto [Summary] The people in Chicago and NY won't think that this is a great city until we do. We need to stand up to fight for the best project. We want to be a first class city with first class projects.
Councilman Golombek [Summary] Black Rock and Riverside lost their waterfront to traffic. Now we have the opportunity to prevent another huge mistake. Have we not learned any lessons from other destructive waterfront decisions?
A number of community activists and organization leaders have now spoken... it was Riverkeeper Julie O'Neill that rang out in Council Chambers. [Summary] We should praise Common Council for making a brilliant choice by speaking for the people. The DOT is outright damaging to the community. There is no beautiful boulevard in their plan... it's just part of the Robert Moses legacy. The Tonawandas, Lewiston, Hamburg... they did it right. It's clear to see what highways do to our waterfront. Everyone wants to see Buffalo revitalized... this project falls short and does not serve the people of Buffalo. Let's show some leadership and do the right thing. The Common Council has learned what the right model is. The DOT cannot move forward with the contracts on Thursday.
Conclusion: It’s too bad that the DOT was not in The People’s House this evening. The sentiment (from the DOT) is clear that if the DOT can avoid the public for a bit longer then the plan will be in place and no one will be able to stop it. Ask yourselves one question... what are the two factions divided on this issue? On one side there are community activists who have nothing to gain other than a better city. On the other side are politicians and authorities that want to see a project pushed through at any cost. Just ask yourselves what it is that both sides have to gain. Where are the political higher-ups and why aren't they listening to the public? Just go see the world-class urban planning project in Hamburg and then ask yourself why the city always gets shafted. Now the ball is in the politicians' court.
-Signing off from Common Council Chambers at City Hall
Photo: Councilman Kearns and New Millennium Group’s Chuck Banas
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Comment Options
urbanesque
DOT, Thruway Authority, Public Bridge Authority, Water Authority, Power Authority, etc. They do not have the public interest in mind. We should have the option of voting on the leadership, projects, and expenditures for these authorities, in the same way that we vote on School District budgets and boards.
I truly hope that someone doesn't pull a trick to get this pushed through without approval or hearing. It has happened before.
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Downtownjunkie
The DOT sux and so does @#$%
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chris69
Well we faced down the Thruway Authority
Well we faced down the state agency that said the Western Terminus of the Erie Canal stones would explode if they were unearthed and it was rewatered
Well we faced down the state agency to save the Richardson
We can face down the DOT!!!!
HOWEVER, THIS SHOULD BE A MANTRA .... A CALLING....FOR BUFFALONIANS AND WNYERS THAT ALBANY CANNOT CONTROL THE DICTATES OF OUR SUPPOSED REGIONAL AGENCIES AND PROJECTS. WE NEED TO BE DEMANDING LOCAL APPOINTMENTS AND LOCAL CONTROL OVER THE PRIORITIES OF OUR URBAN AND REGIONAL PROJECTS.
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Littleflick
Wait a minute...I think my computer's broken. This was actually a meeting discussing tearing down the current elevated highway, right? Because there's been a lot of talk about tearing down that ugly f&^%#*g thing. Your article is talking about the possibility of putting ANOTHER elevated highway up. That's gotta be a glitch.
Wait another minute...now I get it. This is a grand conspiracy to prevent the Skyway from being torn down. Some will argue that we should tear the Skyway down, others will argue that we should put another Skyway up, and the compromise will be to do nothing. Brilliant!
Please show me where the petition to stop this madness is, so I can sign it.
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sbrof
Great article and summary, I think BRO since it has proven to be an effective means to get information out to the populace of Buffalo should make a habit of attending public meetings. I know it our responsibility to get involved and it would be beyond burdensome to try to attend everything but it is nice to be able to read what the politicians said or feel about certain projects. Especially when election time comes around.
That being said, it is nice to see them come to such a strong decision, and one that actually is backed up by the public. Too bad I think Byron is still quiet on the subject. Higgins are you still whistling "the get it done tune?" I think it does speak wonders that the NYSDOT doesn't think of itself as answerable to the public. These authorities really have gotten a bit overzealous or power hungry. The one council member got it right when he said.. you are not urban planners you are traffic experts.. So why are they in charge of some of the largest Urban Planning decisions in the county or state. Ridiculous, all of it!!!
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RonR
Does anyone know what the options are?
There is a trend on BRO to post what is wrong or what the author does not like but a plan of attack is almost always missing. I am all for standing up to the DOT on this one.
Does anyone know what can be done to prevent the DOT from ignoring the city like they did tonight?
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RobH
I emailed Governor Spitzer. Ultimately, he is the one able to put a stop to this.
http://www.ny.gov/governor/contact/index.html
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DumpsterKid
Again, this is far more important than the Gates circle condos, start up another petition BRO
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MRodgers
Okay, let me get this straight. There are lawsuits vs. the casino, the Gates Condos, and many others. So, why can't the city put a lawsuit out to block this BS?
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nyc
If the dot can forward with a plan and a strategy for taking down the skyway and explained how what they are doing makes sense to meet that end sometime within the next 5 years or so then fine.
but they won't because they don't have a plan and they can't create a plan as it would contradict what they are about to spend $55 million on. idiots.
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Frankster
Spitzer may well be key to halting this but he won't stick his neck out until Higgins does. Since Higgins campaigned on the promise to remove the Skyway, I urge everyone to tell him that he is smart about removing the skyway and that building the boulevard will help him do exactly that.
http://higgins.house.gov/email.asp
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PBK
MRodgers...that is the point. Citizens having to file lawsuits to stop bad plans one after the other. We elect lawmakers to represent our needs and our voices. They have no right to turn over power and control to private developers, transportation authorities, bridge authorities or the Seneca Nation on our backs. The DOT is a no show, The PBA claims to be a 'Compact Entity', the Senecas are a soevreign nation, the Gov. is in Albany, Congressman Higgins is channeling the spirit world since they are the only ones who could possibly know what he is thinking and Lord Byron is to busy rehearsing for his second career singing with the Jimmy Tudini Orchestra. And you and me....well we just keep getting shut out and shot down from every plan we will eventually get taxed on. Thankfully, we are becoming an army of taxpaying voters being lead by honest visionaries like Mickey Kearns and other Common Council members who are drawing a line in the sand. Change is inevitable but growth is optional. The old way of doing business in this town must change or political life is gonna get very painful. P.S. Mr. Or Ms. Politician, we voted you in and we can vote you out.
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kahawa
The DOT plan would waste $55 million to basically make Furhmann Bouelvard two-way. We deserve better bang for our buck. Buffalo deserves to have this elevated highway removed, and that can be done now by simply switching to the Boulevard Alternative.
Congressman Higgins, step up the plate or step aside! You promised a removed Skyway. Are you now flip-flopping and taking the side of NYSDOT?
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RisingDamp666
New and improved! It's Skyway Lite! And for a mere $55 million- that's just pennies a day for people who have to deal with the hideous piece of condensed fecal matter for the rest of their lives. Get this route reclassified as a city street and get the State out of this sad state of affairs!
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TheNextMayor
Current situation: Highway with a frontage road on our waterfront that has been blocking development and reducing property values for decades.
$55 million later....
A rebuilt highway and a frontage road. Simply visionary Mr. Higgins.
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Jay
Ugh. These damn entities are getting in the way of democracy. PBA, Thruway Authority, and the DOT all have plans contrary to the needs and voice of the public and yet all proceed as if they don't care.
The people do not want another highway on their waterfront! Higgins start acting like you're an elected official!
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Jay
Oh and where's Byron Brown?
The DOT is spending 55 million on a half baked plan on our waterfront and you're mum!
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Buffalopundit
@urbanesque: The DOT is not an Authority. It's a state agency under Spitzer's jurisdiction.
Instead of pleas to Higgins, who is now a federal representative, people should be pleading with the local delegation in Albany, and also contacting Spitzer's WNY representative, Laura Monte, about this problem. There needs to be a rational discussion about this and the rest of the outer harbor projects - not anyone shoving something down somebody else's throats.
Also - there was a public comment period.
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scully
I think the money should be spend on building things on the water front, and not on taking down the skyway.
Toronto, has something similar along the Lake. I think you need to have the highway to get people threw the area that want to. You wouldn't want to have to stop at red lights on 190, 33, etc. every block. The problem now is the one way Fuhrman and there just needs to be another bridge at Michigan or Erie.
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Joshua
Basically, not demolishing the Skyway is going to be a huge mistake. The Skyway must come down.
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kahawa
Scully, folks in Toronto are desperately trying to find ways to take down the Gardiner Expressway, and have already taken down large portions of it north of downtown.
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Spaulding97
This is how it now, unfortunately. Remember when the citizens had a voice and were listened to? Remember when politicians said "for the people"? Isn't that what our Government/ Country was based upon?
This is a joke, it's the same old sh*t isn't it. What do we do? Stand in the way so they can't do this? A Petition? Call, email, write to the Governor or others? We could do that all day everyday, but will it work? Who is FINALLY gonna listen to our voice's and make a difference?
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Adam726
This is so ridiculous. Spitizer said so himself that the leaders of our government need to listen to their people, even if it is against their own views. Like he has already came forward and changed his mind about the driver's license plan, leaders can do the same thing for this. We have been vocal and spoke out already, with the backing of our local politicians. No excuses for this. We don't need some extra environmental survey or anything like that. Any chance we can get another petition online here to stop this monstrosity? It's a shame that the DOT has too many cowards that none of them wanted to show up for the meeting
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RisingDamp666
If DOT succeeds, name the piece of air-cooled excreta after Elliot Spitzer.
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Joshua
Sign the petition for the Blvd alternative at: http://whynotbuffalo.blogspot.com/ --- the link from the blog is: http://www.petitiononline.com/blvd4buf/petition.html
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Adam726
Excellent now we finally have a petition! Everybody sign it please!!!!!!
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Joshua
I can't understand why my comment get 1 star for 1) Trying to help get another BRO reader's blog out there; 2) Trying to support the Blvd. Alternative for Rte. 5. It would have been better with no stars. Thanks.
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SonnyDayz
Joshua, you are absolutely right. There are trolls out there who attempt to difuse a righteous uprising by playing with the stars (rating system) but we all know that the ratings aren't important. What is important is the context of the comments and yours are solid, man.
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Joshua
SonnyDayz - I sort of figured that, sometimes I get a bit upset over little petty things like those stars. Anyways, I appreciate you replying to my comment.
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