Principle: Accessing Downtown

Accessing Downtown: Context

Problem Statement

Access is a comprehensive issue encompassing many different modes of transportation. Quality access is not an end in itself; but is a service supporting all the other activities that occur Downtown. The challenge is to balance price, availability, and management of the various access options to best support Downtown activities.

For example, workers rely on convenient transit, affordable parking, and pedestrian friendly connections to move to work. Perceived and real deficiencies result in employers choosing to relocate, affecting the Downtown economy. Visitors require understandable street patterns, accurate signage, and convenient access or parking to encourage trips to Downtown for entertainment. Downtown housing also requires access to transit and parking in order to secure tenants. Housing developments near established transit lines may reduce the demand for parking by residents. At the same time, residential units near the office core find it difficult to secure parking due to daytime use by office tenants.

Access Downtown is constrained by many factors. There are multiple agencies responsible for management which leads to a lack of cooperation. Traffic control has been designed to favor automobile trips in or out of Downtown over multi-modal circulation through Downtown. Management and pricing of parking has been the subject of extensive study, ongoing refinement, and is of continuing interest to both public and private sectors as well as Downtown advocates.

Cooperation

There are at least ten agencies involved in providing access in the Downtown area: New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT), New York State Thruway Authority, Buffalo Civic Auto Ramps (BCAR), Buffalo Place Inc., City of Buffalo Department of Public Works Traffic Engineering and Street Design divisions, the Buffalo Division of Parking Enforcement, City of Buffalo Parking Board, Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority (NFTA), and Greater Buffalo-Niagara Regional Transportation Council (GBNRTC). The numerous agencies involved increase confusion and reduce coordination.

As a result there is no comprehensive access plan for Downtown that acknowledges the various modes of access and their interdependence. There is no coordinated pedestrian, bike, bus, rail, car pool, shuttle, and parking management system. Finally there is no single reliable source of data to determine demand and potential use for Downtown access programs and modes of transit.

Transit

Mass transit ridership is declining and operating deficits, as a result, are increasing. Recent transit fare increases were understandable but encourage those with access to an automobile to drive and park Downtown. The community supports Metro Rail expansion but a lack of dedicated operating funding inhibits progress.

Signage, wayfinding and marketing

There is a lack of awareness about access options. Downtown is a destination, yet information about getting to and around it is hard to locate. This is even truer regarding access to the waterfront. While there are multiple routes to the water there is little announcement of them Downtown and none of the urban design supports that would define them as special gateways. Existing Downtown visitor signage is in need of updating. Pedestrian “You Are Here“ signage tied to directory maps has been a long-term goal that needs to be implemented.

Traffic speed and pattern

The remaining one-way streets Downtown are effective at rapidly moving high volumes of traffic. One-way patterns make it difficult to travel within Downtown and are not user friendly to Downtown visitors or pedestrians. The one-way streets linking the Kensington Expressway (Route 33) and the I-190, while preferable to the originally planned grade separated highway, divide Downtown from the BNMC, the 700–800 block of Main St. and the East Side of Buffalo. The relatively high speed and one-way street patterns that result contribute to an unfriendly pedestrian environment and frequently unsafe driving conditions due to excess speeds.

The Buffalo Place pedestrian/transit mall on Main Street limits access to the major properties Downtown and has contributed to the loss of first floor occupancy and Main Street property values. As the "image center" for our region, the "vacant look of Downtown" has been found to inhibit regional efforts to attract new employers even to suburban locations. Main Street’s over-wide sidewalks often seem empty, resulting in security concerns, although actual pedestrian volumes are quite high. Vehicular traffic would add vitality to Main Street and bring sidewalk widths down to a more appropriate, comfortable pedestrian scale.

Parking

Parking is important to the issue of access. There have been five studies focused on parking in the last ten years. Many of the recommendations in these studies have been implemented, or are in progress. There is still work to be done to make the best use of existing parking resources and to coordinate the seven public entities which have parking responsibility. Management of these agencies’ diverse agendas requires ongoing attention.

The demand for parking exceeds the current supply in the core of Downtown, according to both the multi-agency Destination Downtown 2002 report and the ongoing work of Buffalo Place Inc. In addition, approximately 28 percent of the surface area of Downtown is dedicated to off street parking with less than 5 percent of that in structured parking. Only 27 percent of the surface area of Downtown has buildings on it. The result endangers aspirations for a dense, urban, and pedestrian friendly Downtown.

However, office tenants, who constitute the major economic engine of Downtown, require parking before they will commit to lease space. The inaccurate perception that parking is free in the suburbs creates a problem in attracting new business Downtown. The reality is that such parking is incorporated into commercial rent structures and not passed on to individual users, as it is Downtown.

Current Status

• There is a shortage of structured parking in the core relative to current market demands. Inexpensive parking charges designed to support office occupancy result in overuse of limited parking in the Downtown core while there is a surplus in the periphery.
• The NFTA Strategic Transit Assessment completed in April of 2000 indicates that there is potential to leverage public/ private opportunities to support improved transit even as federal sources are increasingly constrained.
• A final environmental assessment was completed for multi-modal access and revitalization of Main Street. The preferred alternative was for vehicular traffic to share the trainway with Metro Rail. Metro stations will be redesigned to be smaller and thinner and around 125 short term curb parking spaces will be provided. These changes will result in Main Street sidewalk widths in the 19 to 25 foot range, similar to Court Street; wide enough to accommodate Main Street’s impressive pedestrian volumes and pedestrian amenities, but small enough to feel comfortably occupied throughout the year.
• North/ south connections in Downtown are strong – east/ west connections are weak. There is a need to facilitate the movement of people between the periphery and the core.
• The Elm-Oak corridor is not pedestrian friendly and acts as a barrier to the East Side neighborhoods.
• Parking is still essential in securing office tenancies and countering the continued movement of business to suburban locations that offer easy parking. Much work has been done to help address the imbalance of parking in the CBD. Many of recommendations of the Destination Downtown Buffalo 2002 Study have been implemented, and gains have been made. But until the question of the management of the parking system is addressed problems will continue.
• Downtown access solutions involving public transit cannot proceed due to lack of funding. These potential solutions include extension of Metro Rail south to Mississippi Street or Michigan Avenue, a Downtown free-fare bus zone, and circulator bus service linking employment in the core and available parking at the periphery of Downtown.

Strategies

• Create a single access management system that includes all of the access service providers.
• Build on the strength of previous work.
• Encourage the use of car-pools, bicycles, and Live-Near-Your-Work programs that reduce single occupant vehicle trips.
• Encourage the use of transit while providing an opportunity to use a car for those who may need to do so during the day.
• Express the gateways to Downtown and access points to the water with quality signage and streetscape amenities.

Back to Accessing Downtown navigation

Accessing Downtown: Action Items

Short Term Policy (6 months to 1 year)

• Use the Access Infrastructure Task Force as a forum for identifying issues, coordinating access providers and implementing solutions. Membership should be expanded to include all access providers and groups that focus on bicycle and pedestrian access.
• Open closed streets and convert the majority of one-way streets to two-way. Streets closed for the pedestrian mall should be opened. There are many reasons to convert one-way streets to two-way streets. The conversion can improve pedestrian access, increase safety, eliminate confusion in traffic patterns, and enhance accessibility to businesses. Currently 39.6 percent of streets in Downtown are one-way. This should be reduced to less than 10 percent.
• Research systems for integrating transit costs into commercial rents. Suburban office parks have free parking, or so it seems. Parking spaces and the maintenance of the lots is built into the commercial rent; therefore it is not passed on to the worker or customer. In Downtown, the cost of parking or transit is paid by the worker or customer. If commercial rents included the cost of transit for workers it would eliminate the pass on of cost and encourage more people to take transit.
• Ensure public access to the waterfront from Downtown and from the waterside. Access needs to be improved for boats, pedestrians, bicyclists, motorists, and commercial traffic.
• Promote and expand the Park and Ride programs. Assess the market demand and create more frequent rail or shuttle bus service.

Short Term Implementation (6 months to 1 year)

• Continue to implement the recommendations of the Destination Downtown Buffalo 2002 Report. The report focused much of its attention on parking and public transportation. Many of the recommendations have been implemented or are underway. One recommendation, which is a public priority that has not been implemented, is the expansion of Metro Rail.
• Complete two-way conversions of Franklin Street from Court to Church and Washington and Ellicott Streets between Goodell and the BNMC.
• Secure funding and complete preliminary design for Multi-modal Access and Revitalization of Main Street.
• Develop a Downtown Access marketing campaign including a comprehensive access map – online and hard copy. There is often confusion about parking (how much and where), Metro Bus and Rail, Amtrak, pedestrian and bicycle routes. A comprehensive campaign and physical improvements could help to eliminate the perception that it is hard to get around.
• Create an Access Fund to support Downtown transportation-related projects. An alternative funding source that could be used for innovative transportation projects such as a circulator bus or free-fare bus zone is needed. This fund could be supported through public and private resources. The goal is to use the money for improvements to the transportation system that cannot be financed through traditional budget lines.
• Increase focus on bicycle and pedestrian access. This includes creating new bicycle lanes and parking options, working with the NFTA to get bike racks on buses, enhanced crosswalks and other walkability enhancements.
• Encourage car-pooling and ride sharing. Incentives to people agreeing to car-pool can include reduced rates for parking, preferred parking spaces, decreased time on wait lists for ramp spaces or other ideas. The goal is to make car-pooling/ride sharing not only an option but also something that has a tangible benefit.

Medium Term Analysis (1 to 3 years)

• Conduct transportation study on Elm-Oak Corridor for potential improvements. The Elm-Oak corridor is an excellent way to move cars quickly through Downtown. It is designed and timed so that a car traveling 30 miles an hour will not be stopped by a red light. Unfortunately, the corridor often has cars traveling significantly faster than 30 miles an hour. The timing of the lights is not conducive to pedestrian crossing. the corridor is also a significant barrier both visually and physically between the East Side and the Downtown core. A study that analyzes how the road is used and how the community wants it to be used would include recommended improvements.
• Determine the demand for access services and infrastructure. This study should look at the optimum price for parking, the demand for circulator buses, free fare zones, additional parking spaces, expanding metro rail, and other improvements to the access system that could be undertaken. This study could form the foundation of a comprehensive Downtown Access Master Plan.
• Explore creating a Downtown free fare bus zone using existing Metro Bus routes. This would serve to move people around the Downtown area as well as to periphery parking lots. Consider this in concert with the circulator bus program.
• Develop a comprehensive Downtown Access Master Plan. A comprehensive plan would determine needed improvements for all modes of transportation including automobile, bicycle, pedestrian, bus and light rail. Many transportation and access agencies prepare capital budgets five years in advance. Working with the necessary agencies to prepare a plan that can then be worked into their capital budgets is the best way to move most projects forward.
• Develop a study of the feasibility of intra-city passenger rail linking Niagara Falls, Buffalo, and Toronto.

Medium Term Implementation (1 to 3 years)

• Convert selected one-way streets to two-way. Continue the program of two-way street conversions with Seneca Street west of Washington Street, Swan, Pearl, Tupper, and Goodell Streets.
• Secure funding, complete final design and build Phases 1 and 2 of the Main Street Multi-Modal Access and Revitalization Project. Phase I includes converting the 700 block of Main Street to a two-way street, and shared vehicular use of the train way between Tupper and Huron Streets. Phase 2 would be design and construction between Huron and Church Streets.
• Coordinate transportation efforts with the BNMC. There are many opportunities for the traditional Downtown core and BNMC to cooperate including a circulator bus, expanded parking opportunities and coordinated traffic patterns.
• Create one coordination entity responsible for managing Downtown’s access system including on- and off-street parking and a shuttle or circulator bus system. Currently there are at least ten organizations that are directly involved in managing parking and access. One entity that could coordinate and manage the various aspects of the system would increase efficiency, decrease duplication and reduce costs.
• Develop and implement a circulator bus program. A circulator bus would be used to both move people around Downtown and to move people to periphery parking lots. Consider using compressed natural gas or other alternative fuels. Use of alternative fuels increases the opportunity to obtain funding from alternative sources such as the U.S. Department of Energy and makes the service more marketable to environmentally conscious users.
• Improve HSBC event station. This light rail rapid transit station is used only during events at HSBC Arena. Expanding availability and improving this station will enhance access to the waterfront and lower Main Street.
• 
  Begin renovations of Metropolitan Transportation Center. This center for intra- and inter-urban transportation is long overdue for renovations to improve the look and efficiencies. Renovations will make this arrival point to Buffalo more attractive, modern and inviting.

Long Term Implementation (3 to 5 years)

• Implement recommended changes to the Elm-Oak corridor.
• Complete the final design and construction phase of the Main Street Multi-modal Access and Revitalization project between Church and Division Streets and Scott Street.
• Complete Erie Canal Harbor infrastructure and inter-modal transportation center project.

Back to Accessing navigation

Accessing Downtown: Snapshot

Current Status

• Three expressways lead into the CBD.
• Approx. 43,000 cars enter the CBD daily.
• 39.6 percent of the linear feet of Downtown streets are one-way.
• Daily Metro Ridership to/from Downtown
  • Bus 13,400
  • Rail 9,950
• One light rail line
• 17 local bus routes
• 17 express bus routes
• Buffalo Place Park 'n Ride has 1500 registered parkers.
• 25,175 off-street parking spaces exist in the CBD.
• 1,881 on-street parking spaces exist in the CBD.
• 28 percent of the surface area of Downtown is devoted to off-street parking.

Accessing In Brief

Measures of Success

• Increased Metro Ridership Into Downtown
• Increased and Better Use of On-Street Parking
• Maintain High Ramp Occupancy
• Decrease Percentage of One-Way Streets
• Increase in Park ‘N Go Ridership
• Ratio of Parking Spaces to Occupied Square Feet, City vs. Suburbs
• Reduced Total Area of Surface Parking
• Reduced Single Occupant Vehicle Trips to Downtown Through Car-Pool, Transit Use, Bicycle, Walking, etc.

Top Rules for Accessing Downtown Action Plan

• Use common sense approach that recognizes fiscal reality.
• Create an intermodal system.
• Make more efficient use of real estate and infrastructure.
• Access brings mobility brings opportunity.
• Establish access priorities; parking is not the only issue.
• Seek better coordination between access providers and modes, inter- and intra-agency.
• Emphasize relationship between access and business development.
• Improve signage, wayfinding, and gateways.
• Reduce surface parking and increase use of multi-use/pedestrian friendly parking facilities.

Work to Date

• Planning/Organizational Completed
  • Short-Term Parking Plan
  • Destination Downtown Buffalo 2002
  • Desman Associates Report
  • Report of the Mayor’s Parking Advisory Committee
  • Report of the Downtown Parking Committee
  • Feasibility of Cars Sharing Main Street
  • 1995 Central Business District Parking Study
  • Cars Sharing Main Street Staff Analysis
  • Main Street Multi-Modal Access and Revitalization Project Final Environmental Assessment
  • Park N’ Go Shuttle
• Planning/Organizational Under Development
  • Implementation of the Access Infrastructure Task Force Work Plan
• Capital Projects Completed
  • Improve Lighting Downtown
  • Two-way Street Conversions of Huron, Ellicott, Franklin and Washington
• Capital Projects Under Development
  • Expansion of the Adam Parking Ramp
  • Expansion of the Augspurger Parking Ramp
  • Chippewa Street Improvements
  • Erie Canal Harbor
  • Street Circulation Revisions
  • Metropolitan Transportation Center
  • Intermodal Transportation Center
  • Main Street Multi-Modal Access and Revitalization Project

Back to Accessing Downtown navigation