In the windows of many University Heights businesses hangs a simple sign, designed with a twist of humor and irony. The sign, which features a Harring-esque depiction of a person being hit by a car within the borders of a stop sign, reads: "Save Our Streets." These signs are being displayed to oppose the City of Buffalo's plan, under the New York State Department of Transportation (DOT), to completely overhaul a three-mile long stretch of Main Street which runs between Bailey Avenue to the Scajaquada Expressway. Why would the residents and business owners in the Heights oppose a plan to improve the roads? It isn't merely because of the fact that from the start of the development of this project, the DOT has turned a deaf ear to the wishes of the community. It isn't merely because the City of Buffalo wants the roads to be improved primarily to move people through the area more efficiently-people who want to make it from the suburbs, into the city, and back more quickly. It is because almost every single aspect of the original four proposals that were put before the people simply do not serve the people who live there and work there. Yet, the DOT managed to narrow those four disagreeable alternatives down to two, and in March, one of these proposals will be approved.

No one in the Heights will tell you that the streets don't need attention. The City of Buffalo first submitted a Project Initiation Request to the DOT in 1988 due to the deteriorating condition of the pavement. Since that time, the DOT has been evaluating the area and developing design ideas for its improvement. The DOT identified more needs in the area, including safety, capacity, bridge structure and drainage. The people of the Heights agree that all of these issues need attention. As was stated in a document prepared by the DOT for the public hearing on the project, "several signalized intersections within the project limits exhibit higher accident rates than the statewide average." The causes for the accidents are cited as: "poor signal timing, the lack of signal coordination, narrow lane widths, lack of dedicated turn lanes and poor pavement markings." The foundation of the road has not been changed in 65 years, and its ability to support the pavement is failing. During the morning and afternoon rush hours, Main Street is very congested within these areas. The entire City if Buffalo Sewer system is outdated and in need of replacement. The disagreement, however, stems from the manner in which Buffalo and the DOT have proposed to deal with these issues.

Both of the DOT's proposed plans would be completed in two phases. The first stage would focus on the area between Hertel and Bailey Avenues, and construction would begin in early 2002 and be completed by early 2004. The second stage would focus on the area between Hertel Avenue and the Scajaquada, and would begin in early 2004 and end in early 2006. Both would completely reconstruct the road from its foundation up, as well as repair the existing sewer systems. Both plans would realign Kenmore Avenue to form a "T" intersection with Main Street. Both would include left turn lanes at some of the signalized intersections. New granite curbs and concrete sidewalks, of at least five feet wide will be installed. Bicycle-safe drainage grates, improved signage, improved pavement markings and coordinated traffic signals are the proposed added safety measures, as well as the addition of decorative lighting throughout the project area.

The main differences between these two plans, known as Alternative 1 and Alternative 3 (named for their place in the list of the original four proposed alternatives), is that Alternative 1 does not widen the street at all, leaving it at its current width of 60 feet. The roads would look similar to the ones that exist currently-two 11 foot-wide travel lanes in each direction with 8 foot-wide parking lanes on both sides of the street. Alternative 3 would widen Main Street by 2.5 feet on each side, this space being taken from the curb and sidewalk. This would be used to form one 11 foot-wide travel lane and one 14 foot-wide shared travel lane in each direction, as well as an 8 foot-wide parking lane.

Along Main Street in the Heights, businesses are displaying petitions the call for another alternative. The petition cites, amongst other issues, that, "Alternatives 1 and 3 do not address the social, economic, and aesthetic needs and values of the community. . . Do not show any flexibility in road design that would blend the design with the community environment. . . .Eliminate on-street parking that is critical for the businesses in the community. . . Do not improve the safety or our residents, especially the elderly, children, and the disabled." The petition recommends that a new alternative be offered which would, "reduce the number of existing travel lanes to two lanes, one in each direction, plus a continuous two-way left-turn lane, two designated bicycle lanes, and two parking lanes providing maximum on-street parking." All of this is to be constructed within 60 feet or less.

Tucker Curtin, owner of the popular Main Street bar, The Steer, has been a leading force in this battle in the Heights. He sent a letter to the DOT's project director and project manager in August of 1999. Speaking on behalf of many of the small business owners in the area, he described the major concerns of the business owners in the community; starting by emphasizing that traffic on Main Street should be slowed down, instead of being facilitated to speed up. "University Heights is a multi-faceted community comprised of public and parochial grammar schools, a large high school, the University at Buffalo South Campus, and dozens of small businesses," argued Curtin. With the safety of pedestrians already coming into question, these business owners feel that making this section of Main Street faster will endanger its pedestrians. He suggests that the portion of Main Street between Bailey and Depew Avenues should be designated a school zone, reducing the speed to 25 miles per hour. He stated that the synchronization of traffic signals will discourage speeding as fewer people would gun it to avoid getting caught up by the erratic lights. He emphasized the need for greater lighting of both the streets ad sidewalks, and the need for crosswalks at each intersection as well as pedestrian activated streetlights. Most importantly, he encouraged the DOT to study the negative effects of the construction on the businesses.

Two years later, he has still heard little from the DOT or the City of Buffalo about the economic impact of the project on the community. Curtin explained, "Their studies don't account for residents moving out. They claim it will have very little effect on business. They have no numbers." According to Curtin, business will decrease by 30%, although for individual businesses those numbers would fluctuate in the range of 10-75%. The length of the project compounds this concern, with construction in the area for four years. He's hopeful for his own business, due to its patronage which is largely made up of students and local residents. "Main Street is just coming around from the subway project. Big projects should come through every 50-75 years," he said. Another large concern is that the proposed project does not address the main sewers. "They tell us the sewers appear to be in working conditions, but in 5 to 10 years, that sewer is going to need to be replaced." Curtin would like to see a well planned out project that is designed to last 75 years, is done in a more timely fashion and that addresses the needs of the community.

The owner of nearby Osaka restaurant, David Jun, agrees with Curtin. "Buffalo plans sporadically; there's no cohesive plan for the city." Jun envisions for the Heights the development of an atmosphere more like that of Elmwood Avenue-a community rich with the type of small businesses that have prospered in the Heights. "There's congestion, but people go there expecting that. It's a vibrant community, and we'd like to see if we can create that here," explained Jun. He picked this location for his restaurant because of its unique and culturally dense neighborhood. "The businesses have a synergistic effect on each other," he said, "If we don't band together, there won't be any businesses here." Jun agrees that the roads need work, but not the plans that the DOT are pushing. He feels that the suburban residents-the ones who want to move through the area more quickly-should take on the burden of the extra traffic. "We're losing people in the City of Buffalo. Why would you want to move more through here?" asked Jun. He supports the more pedestrian-friendly, slower traffic patterns outlined by Curtin. He would also like to see the bicycle lanes, having been involved with a bike accident when a cyclist ran into his open car door. Another big issue for both of these businesses, but especially Osaka, which does not have its own parking lot, is the on-street parking lanes. Jun would like to see the utilization of a diagonal on-street parking lane, which would create two parking spaces for every one currently existing.

An open public hearing, which took place on January 9, 2001, was attended by many business owners and group leaders from the community who spoke out about the plans for construction. One of these speakers, Dennis Galucki, commented that the hearing's comments should be considered, not merely recorded. The DOT agreed to evaluate the impact of the alternative that these groups are proposing. Gary Gottleib, who is the DOT's Project Director, stated that the DOT is having a model run by the regional transportation council to estimate traffic volume figures for the new street plan. When the plan is decided on in March, he said that the state will have input, but the decision will ultimately lie in the hands of the City of Buffalo. "We'll be meeting with the Public Works Department and the district councilmen to make sure we're going in the right direction.," he said.

Heights residents are hoping that the City doesn't decide the right direction is away from Buffalo.