Partnership for the Public Good (PPG) has drafted a policy brief that recounts the history of Buffalo’s significant transportation mistakes, while pointing out that there is still hope to remedy the problematic issues in the future. The policy brief discusses the “redesign of the Scajaquada Corridor; the capping or full restoration of the remainder of Humboldt Parkway; and relocating I-190 away from the waterfront, redesigning it, or removing it altogether.”
Moving forward, we need to be looking at our past transportation mistakes as prime opportunities to create the best roadway infrastructure possible. If that means that we need to look outwards, to best practice scenarios being orchestrated by other progressive cities, so be it.
Will we continue to battle the New York Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) every time the reconstruction of a major roadway is at hand? Or will we be proactive in our approach, by anticipating the issues before they come to pass? Transportation mistakes continue to be made, time and time again. It’s time that we take a more proactive approach.
For the first time, the community understands that we can no longer sit idly by, watching the decision makers destroy the city. Instead, we are arming ourselves with knowledge, in order to protect our neighborhoods. In order to understand what needs to happen, we need to understand the historic context of the situation. PPG’s policy brief gives us that context.
What’s the definition of insanity? Doing the same thing over and over again, and expecting different results.
To get a better sense about the issues at hand, you can view a recent Scajaquada Corridor talk by renowned traffic engineer Ian Lockwood below:
The policy brief was drafted by Daniel Cadzow, Policy Fellow at PPG and an advocate for environmental justice and equitable traffic infrastructure.
Lead image: The sun sets on the Scajaquada Expressway, summoning a new day and renewed hope – Photo by Robert Nehin