Two years ago, Buffalo was awarded bronze status by a national group advocating for bicycle-friendly communities. Mayor Byron Brown has issued a challenge: skip the silver and work towards gold.
The city hosted state and national experts on Tuesday, who went on a bicycle ride through the city to observe what Buffalo has done to become more bike-friendly, and offer recommendations for improving further.
"The mayor has made a commitment of adding 10 miles of bike lanes every year, 100 bicycle racks per year and he's lived up to that commitment," said Justin Booth, executive director of GObike Buffalo. "The Public Works Department has adopted national guidelines for designing our streets to make them more bicycle-friendly."
The mayor's effort to expand bicycle access is mapped out in a bicycle master plan. Bill Nesper, Vice President of Programs for the National League of American Bicyclists, said he had not yet seen the master plan but got to observe firsthand Buffalo's bike lanes as he participated in a cycling tour.
It's the League which awarded Buffalo its bronze recognition in 2013. In addition to discussing infrastructure changes, Nesper told WBFO of how education can help improve the city's status. Not just the health, economic and recreational benefits of biking, but also improving safety. That includes a mutual respect between bicyclists and motorists.
"I don't think that the bicycling community here necessarily feels us versus them," said Nesper. "That said, we have to make sure people are obeying the speed limit, that bicyclists aren't blowing lights or blowing stop signs. Everyone needs to behave within the law."
Buffalo has, according to U.S. Census figures released by GOBike Buffalo, increased its bicycle traffic by 270 percent since 2000. Nesper says even a northern city like Buffalo can become a community where people can ride a bike year-round. He noted that Minneapolis and Madison, Wisconsin have both achieved gold status.
