The bad news is that The City of Buffalo has removed 50% of the parking meter poles to date. The good news is that there are more than enough parking poles left to attach plenty of bike locking rings. And the news gets even better. The City has agreed to temporarily cap the remaining poles in order to initiate a program that will eventually go towards making Buffalo a more progressive and bike-friendly city.
The CIty has even agreed to find a solution for the areas around town where the poles were yanked. That means that there will be a combination of racks and rings in our commercial districts. Councilman David Rivera was excited to learn that the parking poles on Grant Street that were not even in jeopardy of removal (due to the new Pay and Display system) can benefit from the project. During Friday’s meeting at City Hall, Justin Booth (Blue Bikes – photo) announced that the sum of $25,000 will immediately be secured for the rings and racks. Plus, The City is going to pony up some cash as well. And if the program works we have a good shot at securing even more dedicated money from programs that assist cities attempting to combat pollution through green measures. From Councilman Michael LoCurto who was also in attendance:
“The City is going to use the existing meter poles to begin bringing bike parking to business districts. The plan is to develop a list of which meter poles to keep. Councilmembers will consult with business association leaders to determine this. We have to put this out of bid, but hope to have them installed in August.
In the long term, the City will pick locations without meters for future placement of bike racks. This will probably not happen until next year.” – Mike
For those of you who may know Justin Booth, just seeing his eyes light up as the good news was announced was priceless. Here is a guy who has worked tirelessly to make Buffalo a progressive and bike-friendly city. Thanks to LoCurto, Rivera, Len Sciolino, and The Mayor’s office for realizing the opportunity. And the select few at City Hall who speeded up this effort (you know who you are)… you made it happen. Thanks also to Alan Oberst from Rochester for his support and insight into the artistic side of the parking pole project. And to Tom Krehbiel and everyone else that stayed on top of this issue – you guys (and gals) rallied with your joint support.
Now it’s time to get busy getting this plan into action.
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