Let me tell you a story:
Last week I left my wallet at home while having my car serviced. I was about a mile from home. I thought to myself, well, shit, I’ll walk home and then bike back. I got to my house and realized I left a part of my bike that I need to actually USE the bike, in the car. I rollerbladed instead. However, when I bike around my house, I’m relatively safe from cars hitting me, (live in a low traffic, wide spaced area where bikes can be used on the road).
However, when I am at work (I work around University Heights), I have a bike here I will take to go to lunch or do errands with, and let me tell you, I’m taking my life into my own hands when I’m cycling down Main Street or Bailey, because 1) The City of Buffalo refuses to time the lights properly (try going from Minnesota to UB South on Bailey and you’ll see what I mean), 2) there are no bike lanes, 3) cars are parked on the shoulder as they are supposed to be, so I’m competing with weaving traffic. I wear a helmet on my bike, but Christ, one day I’m going to eat it while I’m cycling, and it’s going to be because some driver isn’t mindful of their surroundings. Also, bicyclists, don’t use your cell phone on the bike, morons.
This scenario is commonplace throughout the city of Buffalo.
One of the things Buffalo sorely lacks is an infrastructure that doesn’t require a car to get around. Our subway just goes down one street, our buses are only useful inside the city, People want to use their bikes in the streets, but feel the streets aren’t safe, 60% of people in Buffalo would use their bikes in the city but are concerned, I would guess, safety the primary concern.
For example, if I wanted to commute to work, I have to take Bailey Ave to work, and that street in a car is a deathtrap because of the poor marking, poor lights, the weaving in and out that cars do, the poorly timed lights, and unnecessary lights (Byron Brown, put a flashing yellow in front of the VA already). I sure as hell won’t take my bicycle to work. Buffalo’s streets aren’t safe for cyclists right now.
Meanwhile, over at the Buffalo News, Rod Watson basically declares that because 1.6% of Buffalonians commute to work (from a 2013 study) using their bikes primarily, that we should not install more bike lanes. Not sure how many people actually use a bicycle as their primary mode of transportation here in Buffalo, but using a stat with people commuting to work on bike from 2013 is pretty reaching there. Watson also uses the eye test to determine that no one is using bicycles. Sure, did he look out his office window over at the News building and notice no one is using their bikes out in front of Harborcenter on a weekday? Go sit outside on a bench on Elmwood on a Saturday, go to Allentown and see how the bike lanes on Linwood are in use. Go take a look at any city campus in Buffalo and you’ll see rows and rows of bikes parked. Go see how popular cycling is in the region.
Watson also cites a ‘law of engineering’ that two lanes are better than one. As someone that studied at an engineering school, this is a new law to me. He really didn’t do his research prior to writing this article. He probably hoped those who would read the article would agree with him and just continue their harmful vitriol against anyone not in a car.
The bike lane program is supposed to encourage people to use their bikes in the city; however, the question of usefulness is not under question. The question is, can the the city government of Buffalo make the other needed safety measures to make bicyclists feel safe? Because right now, it’s still pretty risky out there. Once you do make cycling safer, word will spread and your ridership will grow.
Watson’s article is a dangerous, sensationalist message that is driven to get clicks on the Buffalo News website. A paper desperate for webclicks as its subscriber numbers have gone down, again, will publish any hot take that will get people to buy or click on their articles. This is irresponsible and dangerous, putting money over the truth, but it isn’t the first time.
Buffalo is moving forward, however slowly, and we should be encouraging other modes of transportation, not discouraging. A part of a vibrant city is people cycling, walking around, able to get to places without using a car. Why would Watson be against this?
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