Buffalo Rising Online

Arrogance at it's best. Yes, it's the role of government agencies and authorities to ensure that everyone, no matter where they are, are directed to Elmwood VIllage. Unreal.

I have to agree that this is an excellent topic for discussion but I would take it one step further in at the same time requesting signage but also closing the Erie Street Access Ramp.

This would benefit Niagara Street greatly

The entrance to downtown would be the West Village/LaSalle Park exit (which would again benefit development between Niagara Street and the Niagara Expressway)

The Allentown/Porter with signage for Elmwood Strip exit

Westside/D'Youville University exit

The Scajaquada Exit (Buffalo State, Elmwood Strip and Museum District)

Black Rock

Riverside

Tonawanda and Grand Island all need to be included.

The more signage we have to tell people the amenities within close proximity to the Peace Bridge and Niagara Expressway...the more those neighborhoods and businesses will benefit.

LAST COMMENT: We can tell people of the wonderful attractions but if property owners (residents and businesses) continue to refuse to wash windows, clean gutters, paint homes, mow lawns, etc.....if the state continues to waffle on the Richardson....if Howard continues to ignore Grant and Amherst and Tonawanda and if the City of Buffalo continues to maintain streets at the level of Beirut or Iraq then the visable appearance of the environment will stop anyone from getting out of their cars.

I also want directions posted from the Peace Bridge to Ulrichs, Dunn Tire Park, HSBC Arena, the Tap Room, LaNova, North St. Subway, the Anchor Bar, the medical campus, city hall, Issa's Tower(oops!), the Erie Basin Marina, Canalside, Tim Tielman's house, the Darwin Martin House, etc...

The people who are going to these destinations should be able to google the directions ahead of time and the people who are not headed there are not going to change their mind when they see a sign that says "Elmwood Village" this way.

PS I liked it better when it was just the Elmwood Strip instead of Allentown, EVA and probably 16 other mini-districts that I am not even aware of.

weiner...I am proud of you. Making it through a post without typing the words "light rail" must have been really tough. lol.

Clear signage and direction to desirable locations in Buffalo?!! Who wants that? I hate it when I am on vacation and there are signs guiding me through foreign streets and neighborhoods. I much prefer to get lost, wander around and get frustrated. What a terrible proposal. In fact, we should remove all signs to all cultural attractions in Buffalo so people can google them.

thinker - read the entire article, it clearly stated downtown and allentown in addition to the EV

Ken, I understand your concern that its to much information but I have to disagree.

I have been to cities where they have a big sign with name & number, then below they have maybe 4 descriptors (bullet items)

heck on the thruway they do something similar with exit and hotel, gas, food, phone, etc. It would be no different with regard to these signs.

I agree getting to specific with individual buildings is over-kill but major colleges and districts are extremely important.

If I were a canadian or an international visitor coming to Buffalo, then I most certainly would appreciate descriptors like downtown, west village, allentown, westside/D'Youville, blackrock.

Furthermore, I think the Scajaquada would benefit from Buffalo State, Museum District, Medaille/Canisius, Airport or

north to blackrock, riverside, tonawanda, grand island, amherst/UB

Your absolutely correct, naming Elmwood is probably overkill but the other particulars are very helpful. Plus I think it gives each of those neighborhoods/mentioned free advertising to build community pride to actually do something in their communities.

How about the signs posted around downtown that are completely useless. I mean when was teh last time there was any meaningful shopping downtown? The shopping signs should be pointed towards elmwood and tehre should be signs for chippewa arena baseball park, lafayette square etc.

well it wouldn't be asking too much for people arriving in the US, maybe for the first time, to know that downtown Buffalo is only about 2 miles to the right. Or that the EV \ Museum district is another way.

Not everyone knows where they are going ahead of time and even if they do maybe some proper signs could show them stuff they didn't know about before and give them a reason to both come back.

also agree with downtownjunkie.. outdated, duplicate or useless signs should be removed..

There is a lot of cluttered signage around the city. It is unsightly.

Before we add any more, we should clean up what we have.

If they are going downtown why send them through neighborhood streets instead of staying on the 190 and get off at elm st?

As far as signs for anywhere else(top 10 neighborhoods??), as soon as the signs go up, some neighborhood activist will no doubt get all fired up and will start screaming about all the extra traffic directed down his street that is unwanted!!

that traffic is good for business and that translates into property values!

Yeah I think that this is a good idea, however you have to remember one thing: If you are not from Buffalo you will not know what "Elmwood Village 2mi

Damm, my above comment get messed up - dumb html :~)

Yeah I think that this is a good idea, however you have to remember one thing: If you are not from Buffalo you will not know what "Elmwood Village 2mi <-" means. Doesn't it sound like a residential area? Maybe it should say something like "Elmwood Village Shopping and Entertainment District 2mi

One More Time?

Damm, my above comment get messed up - dumb html :~)

Yeah I think that this is a good idea, however you have to remember one thing: If you are not from Buffalo you will not know what "Elmwood Village 2mi <-" means. Doesn't it sound like a residential area? Maybe it should say something like "Elmwood Village Shopping and Entertainment District 2mi <-" I actually dated a girl from Toronto for 2 years, let me tell you if you didn't already know, most people that come here just get on the I-190 and never go into the city at all. They just head direct to the malls. I think that an even more important place to have this sign is before they have the chance to get onto the 190. You know you don't have to get out to Porter to get on the 190 right? There are ramps directly after customs. If the 1st thing people saw was a sign like this: ^ Elmwood Village Shopping and Entertainment District 2mi ^ Hertel Avenue Shopping and Entertainment District 5 mi ^ HSBC Arena 3mi ^ LaSalle Park .25 mi <- Boulevard Mall Shopping District x mi -> Walden Galleria Shopping District x mi -> Ralph Wilson Stadium x mi etc...

You might have the chance to capture some of that Canadian money in the city... The girl from Toronto didn't know what to make of Buffalo at 1st, because ti is just SO different then Toronto, but in the end she loved it for the same reason.

I agree with buffaloweiner. How about some signage help? Okay, the Allentown Association will be installing a Welcome to Allentown sign on Porter Avenue at the western border of the Historic District this Friday morning just in time for Secrets of Allentown this Sunday. Tim Tielman and his cohorts would have had a cow if we had placed it anywhere near Symphony Circle. Placing the sign in Olmstead's Front Park would have been poopooed as well. Instead it'll be next to Klienhans. My biggest stink is the piece of crap building sitting next to the Porter Ave at Baird St. traffic light that is the property owned by the Duty Free store. It's a windowless,fenced in fortress. It doesn't exactly say this is a great place to be at now that you've crossed the border.

Exactly right. We are getting more Canadian tourists due to the strength of the Canadian Dollar we need to encourage them to stay in the city. The city must do more than provide roads that carry those visitors out of town or to the mall. Canadians know about the Mall but they don't know what the city has to offer. This is a simple and excellent solution that I hadn't thought of.

I have to take issue with the commenters who accuse this idea of being some sort of hand-out to the Elmwood Village. The simple truth is that you want to give visitors the best impression of our city possible. If they head toward Main Street, or wander around the Peace Bridge exit area, or maybe downtown after business hours, they're not going to be impressed. They're not likely to go poking around in the nooks and crannies of the city like us locals do to find Ulrich's or Santasieros. You can drive around Buffalo all day and not find the waterfront if you don't know where you're going.

Encouraging visitors to stay in the city and spend money is common sense. Once Canadians find the Elmwood Village they're likely to tell their friends about it. They can find lots of things to do in that area, it will keep them coming back.

This is an excellent idea, and a simple solution. We need to get this done as soon as possible. Great article, thanks for making those phone calls.