Urgent: Your support for Complete Streets needed now
Dear Common Council Member,
I am writing you today to express my support for the Complete Streets proposal submitted to your Legislative Committee by the Bicycle-Pedestrian Advisory Board on February 12, 2008.
Unfortunately, past trends in transportation and urban design have rendered our roadways unfriendly and even dangerous, especially for pedestrians, bicyclists, children and those with physical disabilities. A new movement as sprung up across America to complete our streets.
As clearly outlined in the proposal, the Complete Streets initiative greatly increases the safety and usability of roadways and promises to improve the overall condition of our community. Complete Streets initiatives have been adopted on over 50 localities across the country, including Seattle, Salt Lake City and the state of Illinois. It would be of great benefit to our city of Buffalo to join in this movement towards safer and more functional roadways.
I strongly encourage you to support the Complete Streets initiative. The people of this community will thank you for it.
Sincerely,
Common Council Contact Info:
Chair, Community Development Committee: Council Member Michael J. LoCurto | 1401 City Hall | Buffalo, NY 14202 | (716) 851-5155 | mlocurto@city-buffalo.com
Other members of the Community Development Committee:
Council Member Richard A. Fontana | Phone: 716-851-5151 | Fax: (716)851-5141 | E-mail: rfontana@city-buffalo.com
Council Member Joseph Golombek Jr. – Legislative Committee Chair | 1502 City Hall | Buffalo, NY 14202 | Phone: (716) 851-5116 Fax: (716) 851-5648 | Email: jgolombek@ch.ci.buffalo.ny.us
Council Member David Rivera | 1504 City Hall | Buffalo, NY 14202 | Phone: 851-5125 | Email: darivera@city-buffalo.com
Council Member Demone A. Smith | Phone: 716-851-5145 | 1316-A City Hall Buffalo, NY 14202
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MikeInWNY
What alterations to the streets are necessary and what are the costs???
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sbrof
Where are the rest of the council member's information?
Fillmore District - David Franczyk dfranczyk@city-buffalo.com
Niagara District - David Rivera darivera@city-buffalo.com
Delaware District - Michael LoCurto mlocurto@city-buffalo.com
Ellicott District - Brian Davis brdavis@city-buffalo.com
Lovejoy District - Richard Fontana rfontana@city-buffalo.com
Masten District - Demone Smith (no posted email)
North District - Joseph Golombeck Jr. jgolombek@ch.ci.buffalo.ny.us
University District - Bonnie Russell brussell@city-buffalo.com
South District - Michael Kearns mkearns@city-buffalo.com
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Hoss
I wrote LoCurto about this a month or so ago, and he responded saying he was on the case, and would raise an initiative. I didn't even know he was the Chair of the Community Development Committee. Awesome.
sbrof, the question isn't what it will cost, but what we will earn from this type of progress.
It's been written about several times here at BR. Or check out completestreets.org for further info. They should have included a link in the above post.
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MikeInWNY
After reviewing the information on the completestreets website, the City of Buffalo website and various other sources, it seems that any new street construction, or major overhauls, might merit implementation of the complete streets program. Retrofitting streets appears to be quite expensive for an already overtaxed and overburdened economy.
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bfotk
I also went to the completestreets.org site. I was dismayed by the animated graphic that it prominently features. It shows a rather wide but admittedly stark urban street, one with plenty of room for cars and bikes to share. It then morphs into a view with a painted on strip, apparently for bikes, that is squeezed between a narrowed motor vehicle lane and sharply delineated car parking spaces.
That's not a completed street (in spite of the added greenery), but a rather confused thoroughfare, one that encourages motorists to pay little attention to the cyclists who, after all, have "their space." Except, of course when their space becomes my way of getting into or out of a parking spot.
Frankly the original, non-pretty street view is more practical for sharing.
I fear greatly that this completing process could result in less rather than more accommodation for various transportation modes. We've done quite well for many years by providing streets for bicycles, cars, and motorcycles and sidewalks for pedestrians and those who use wheelchairs for mobility. (As an aside, I often wonder how a wheelchair traveler feels when he or she hears the "confined to a wheelchair" phrase. Isn't a wheelchair an anti-confinement item?)
it's not like the technology for streets and sidewalks has remained static for the past 100 years or so. For example, we now have curb cuts which help those in wheelchairs or those who have physical difficulties with their walking. Of course those same cuts seem to have encouraged uninformed bicyclists to think that sidewalks are their territory, but that's a matter of education.
Bike lanes, unless very very carefully considered and unusually well designed tend to cause more problems than they solve. That certainly has been the case in Buffalo.
I support sharing streets. My preferred transportation is my bicycle. And I worry a lot when someone looks at me and says "I have some wonderful ideas for helping you." There's a strong whiff of that surrounding the Complete Streets initiative.
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mattgo
sidewalks are for people and bikes streets are for cars.
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mattgo
sidewalks are for people and bikes streets are for cars.
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sbrof
I slightly disagree with the notion that bike lanes on the roadways are bad for both bikes and cars. It is important for many drivers to be away that they share the road and bike lanes for their ills do make many drivers think about others besides themselves, even if just slightly. While I do agree it is a baby step in the right direction and there are much better solutions out in the world we need to start somewhere, and in a cash strapped city it is easier to get some lines painted during a resurfacing then require an in depth transportation plan and curb changes to accommodate raised lanes etc.
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sbrof
mattgo, it is just as illegal for my ride my bike down a sidewalk as it would be for you to drive. It is dangerous and NYS law; whether you want to admit it or not.
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300miles
mattgo... bicycles are not allowed on sidewalks.
As for this article - it's too vague on what they're asking for. I can't sign a petition or hand in a form letter to an initiative I know nothing about. How do they want to redesign the streets? Which streets do they want to change? What changes are for pedestrians? What's the need? What's the goal?
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sbrof
300miles, I think the movement is much broader than specifics still. It wouldn't mean this street or that street get changed but that when reconstructing, any / all streets that more than cars and parking spaces are important.
I haven't done the research on their site yet that I plan to do tomorrow, but I assume that means, bump outs, bike lanes (raised or at street level) signage, trees, benches etc.
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300miles
What site? There is no website listed in the article.
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bfotk
The main site is www.completestreets.org.
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300miles
Thanks.
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onestarmartin
according to the short vid clip on the website, when we do the bike path, all new building and full growth tree's come with it, so I say go for it!
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lulu
It is completely irresponsible to ask your readership to support a proposal and NOT INCLUDE any details about the proposal in the request. Please add this to the list of things NOT TO DO ever again on BRO.
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phenimore
Lulu, I completely agree, I was baffled by this post at first but should have been far more annoyed at this attempt at sheep calling.
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davvid
right on LULU! Its amazing that they don't even include a website link in the article. Very sloppy!
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sbrof
lulu, while not in this specific article there were several complete streets posts and discussion in the recent past.
February 15th www.buffalorising.com/story/lets_complete_our_streets
March 4th www.buffalorising.com/story/healthy_transportation_options
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SLEEPL8
The law should restrict cyclists from riding on streets with speed limits greater than 35mph. If that were the case then people and little kids could pedal away on low traffic, low speed, safer side streets without becoming foolish hazards to themselves and motorists on busier roads.
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SLEEPL8
The law should restrict cyclists from riding on streets with speed limits greater than 35mph. If that were the case then people and little kids could pedal away on low traffic, low speed, safer side streets without becoming foolish hazards to themselves and motorists on busier roads.
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bfotk
SLEEPL8: Your intention is absolutely correct. Your idea of passing a law isn't so good. A combination of education and personal responsibility would do the job better than legislation.
After all, there's nothing stopping anyone from pedaling on low traffic, low speed side streets. In fact, most experienced cyclists do that as often as possible. In the city, the general speed limit is 30 mph anyway.
Parents who live in areas where there are a lot of high-speed streets can help their kids work out calm and safe routes in their neighborhoods. If such routes are very difficult to find, passing a law prohibiting riding on faster roads would not make safer routes become available. If that's the case for you, you should lobby to establish some lower speed limits so that usable roads actually exist for you.
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