For many residents of Buffalo, the NASCAR-like driving of too many motorists is a continuing aggravation or danger on residential streets. One summertime solution is speedhumps, but the city has only nine of them.
State law allows speedhumps, or speed bumps as many call them, to be used in warm weather. Snowplows don't do well going over asphalt speedhumps.
University District Common Councilmember Rasheed Wyatt wants more of the traffic-calmers. Of the nine in Buffalo, three are on University Avenue in Wyatt's district. Ray Reichert lives there and said they do slow traffic, although they also slow him on his bicycle.
Reichert said there is competition for slower drivers.
"I think it is. My understanding is that there's a great demand for them in the neighborhood and we probably should have lost these already to Allenhurst," he said. "Whether it's Allenhurst or Larchmont or some other of the blocks in the neighborhood are slated to get them. I don't know when, but I think it's overdue."
Wyatt wants the Council to scrape some money together to install more speedhumps scattered around the city. He told WBFO City Engineer Mike Finn has 200 requests for the speedhumps.
"I'm looking for a more comprehensive plan to address the issue, but while we are looking for a comprehensive plan, we have put something in place that has shown to work and that was the speedhumps," Wyatt said. "So I'm hoping that we can put some funding together to purchase at least triple the number of speedhumps that we currently have."
However, Wyatt admits Buffalo may not see more speedhumps until the next decade.
