The month of May is Bike Month. That means that GObike Buffalo will be posting 31+ events throughout the course of the month, while teaming up with 32 partner organizations in the process. The intent of this exercise is to create a more dynamic bike culture in Buffalo. In recent years we have seen some advancement, but we still have a long way to go, especially when it comes to ongoing safety concerns.
After posting the city of Buffalo High Injury Network Map last month, GObike Buffalo set out on a three-week mission to break down the dismaying results, district by district. Here are the results (35,000 crashes between cars, pedestrians and cyclists, from 2017 until now), listed in alphabetical order:
Delaware – Feroleto – 3201 Crashes
Ellicott – Pridgen – 5288 Crashes
Fillmore – Nowakowski – 6196 Crashes
Lovejoy – Bollman – 3482 Crashes
Masten – Wingo – 4164 Crashes
Niagara – Rivera – 2912 Crashes
North – Golombek – 3977 Crashes
South – Scanlon – 1937 Crashes
University – Wyatt – 3944 Crashes
Needless to say, there is work do be done. If you’re wondering what you can do to help, consider contacting your representative about the problems at hand.
If you’re wondering which streets to be mindful of while biking, here’s a handy-dandy map that spotlights the most dangerous streets in the city.
The following breakdown from GObike Buffalo, was conducted over the course of three weeks – click on the links to visit the maps:
March 29, 2022 Delaware District is up first. We’re working with some, not all, City Council members on the lowest-hanging fruit which is their most dangerous streets to enact solutions from their recently doubled discretionary budgets, or with increased state or federal funding. As injuries and deaths skyrocket in Buffalo and across the state since 2017, redesigns can most effectively solve this deadly problem that costs us all millions while left unaddressed, not to mention the unnecessary deaths.
March 30, 2022 Ellicott is our 2nd district in this 9-part series. Between 2017 and today, there have been over 35,000 crashes in the city of Buffalo, and Ellicott District was host to over 5,200 of them. Ellicott has some of Buffalo’s fastest streets, which correlate with the highest injury and death rates in the city. Council Member Darius G Pridgen, along with the rest of the Common Council, saw his discretionary budget double this year. Let’s push the Council into action to develop solutions for the worst of these streets, contributing to these alarming numbers of injuries and deaths, making headlines nearly every day.
March 31, 2022 6,196 crashes between cars and people walking, biking, rolling, and driving in Fillmore District since 2017. Fillmore District in Buffalo is massive, and so are many of its roads, which encourage high speeds and reckless driving. Council Member Mitch Nowakowski has already begun working with us on certain projects like West Village to enact traffic calming. This is just the start! We need to press the Buffalo CC to pass a resolution (voting April 5) that supports the Crash Victims Bill of Rights so that the additional funding that comes with it can help the city afford to redesign our most dangerous roads into something much safer.
April 5, 2022 Since 2017, there have been over 3,400 crashes between cars and people, structures, and other cars in the Lovejoy district. As Common Council discretionary budgets were doubled this year, we are asking you to call your representatives and ask that they tackle the lowest hanging fruit, the most dangerous roads in their districts, and develop safety solutions now. – Bonus: Today Buffalo Common Council and Bryan Bollman for Lovejoy will vote on a resolution of support for Crash Victims Rights and Safety Act, a series of bills up in Albany that would increase funding for making these safety improvements. We’re hoping to see that resolution pass.
April 6, 2022 Over 4,000 crashes have occurred in Masten District, especially along Delavan Ave, since 2017. Council Member Ulysses Wingo successfully led a resolution through the Common Council yesterday that voiced the city’s support of the Crash Victims Rights and Safety Act in Albany. Next step – redesign the most dangerous streets in the district with slowing traffic and protecting people walking and biking in mind.
April 7, 2022 Niagara District saw the death of 12-year-old Marcell Yanders last November while walking home from his school that had no crosswalks on any of its surrounding intersections. This report highlights all the dangerous roads in the district. We’re inviting you all to work with us and Council Member David A. Rivera to use discretionary funding directly, or as leverage in grants to address these fatal safety issues.Credit where credit is due to date: – Council Member Rivera’s Chief of Staff has joined the Bike/Ped Board. He worked with us and Senator Ryan to spearhead a complete street re-design on Grant Street. He has championed the transformation of Niagara Street one. He was one of the original sponsors of Buffalo’s Complete Streets policy all the way back in 2008.
April 13, 2022 Here’s Councilmember Joseph Golombek’s North District injury map since 2017. One action Golombek has begun already is developing a sidewalk snow removal pilot in order to make it easier for people walking to get off the road and back onto sidewalks and safety after a storm. But there’s plenty more to do. Check it all out here.
April 14, 2022 Nearly 2000 crashes since 2017 in Chris Scanlon ‘s South District. 143 people were injured and 4 were killed. The map clearly shows some low-hanging fruit, and we encourage you to contact CM Scanlon to get some projects started to improve safety on South Districts roads right away.
April 15, 2022 4,000 crashes since 2017. 5 dead. 364 injuries. University District has some serious problems with speed and reckless driving that we are seeking to solve through redesign and implementation of traffic calming along the district’s worst roads. Please contact Council Member Rasheed NC Wyatt to voice your enthusiasm to get these projects done.
The Common Council did pass a resolution that shows Albany their support for the Crash Victims Rights and Safety Act in New York which would help myriad ways – between cars, pedestrians and cyclists – to improve safety for EVERYONE by allowing municipalities to lower certain speed limits to 20-25mph, give crash victims a day in court, and provide greater funding for construction and maintenance when a city or town actually redesigns their streets with safety, not car speed, in mind.