Buffalo Rising Online

Do we need a sign? I mean, it's going to be obvious to just about anyone that they're in Buffalo once they reach the US side of the Peace Bridge.. think the fact that it's an INTERNATIONAL border -- he boundary between Canada and the US -- is far more important than it being the town line of Fort Erie and Buffalo.

Several years ago, "Buffalo USA" was added to destination signage on the QEW; the highway no longer ended at "Fort Erie / Bridge to USA". Destination signage on expressways in the US still show just "Canada", though, and not "Toronto" or "Hamilton" as well.

How about starting off with relocating the "Welcome to Amherst" sign on Main Street in Grover Cleveland Park. It's in the City of Buffalo proper, about 2000' feet before the actual boundary with Amherst. As far as I know, all of Grover Cleveland Park is still in Buffalo; the city annexed it nearly 100 years ago.

Typos. "think the fact" should be "The Fact"

Dan: are you the type of guy who bitches just for the sake of bitching?

It get's tired Buffalo... it really does.

> Dan: are you the type of guy who bitches just for the sake of bitching

Thank you for your important contribution to this thread.

Isn't queenseyes bitching because of the lack of a prominent "WELCOME TO BUFFALO" sign at the PEace Bridge? What's the difference? Why don't you go flame her too?

I said it's a good thing that Buffalo is now added to destination signs in Canada.

> It get's tired Buffalo

http://www.angryflower.com/bobsqu.gif

Dan: ... still bitter... take a vacation, ok?

I've never noticed the lack of Buffalo signs, per se, but I HAVE noticed that it's pretty darn confusing when you get past customs. It's like you're dumped into a parking lot, with nothing but signs that says 190 North, and 190 South.

> Dan: ... still bitter... take a vacation, ok?

Again, you're making wonderful contributions to this thread. You're right on topic with the thread title "flame Dan".

Asshat.

Not that anyone asked but I for one hate the signs "Welcome to New York, Governor Eliot Spitzer" or "Welcome to New York City Mayor Michael R Bloomberg", "Welcome to Connecticut, Governor Jody Relll", "Welcome to Masussettes, Governor Duval Patrick"... etc. It reeks of political patronage, like the tourism ads featuring Governors and Mayors using state money for self promotion/vanity ads... It drives me nuts and no politicians abused this more than George Pitaki, pre "Gay American" McGreevy of NJ, pre prison John Rowland of Ct, pre savior who told us to "duck tape our windows" Homeland Security Chief Tom Ridge of Pa... I would hate to see Byron Brown chasing that legacy...

I agree that we could do a better job of notifying visitors of the all the things that Buffalo and the ENTIRE WNY AREA have to offer. This area is more than the recovering city of Buffalo, it includes Tonawanda, Amherst, Orchard Park, etc. We lose too much effort with in-fighting and lateral hostility, it is about time we all just got along. We are our own worst enemies, the hostility that Dan shows isn't as much a problem for Amherst (or any suburb) as the mis-information and hostility that suburbanites show for the City. Speaking with people from work, many mentioned that they never, and I repeat NEVER venture downtown except for work, and they do not venture out beyond our parking garage. They are afraid of the city, and they are very open about their feelings. Visitors from NYC and Chicago often hear "I don't live in the city" and "don't judge Buffalo by what you see downtown". They consider themselves Buffalonians, and they could be selling our city better than any sign or marketing campaign. Don't isolate and shut them out, they are the majority in the area and they are the key to the future of Buffalo.

We can either learn to get along and treat this area as one metro region, or we can all take a collective piss on the "welcome to Amherst" sign on Main Street to mark our territory. You choose how you want to proceed, but my decision is to bring everyone a little closer together with good information and a positive message. I hope you choose the same path.

Very interesting post Bradon,

I can remember in the 1970's becoming friends with some suburban kids when I was in grade school. They were primarily from Williamsville and Amherst as I recall. Often times I would invite some of them to spend the night at our house in the Deleware District, most often they would decline in their and thier parents fear of crime and "black people". It hurt then and caused a big childhood prejudice against the suburbs and the general idea of suburban utopia. As being as honest as I can, I must admit that I carry this to this day, having vowed that I will live in rural or urban areas but never in between.

That being said, I agree with you Bradon, there is a scizm (sp?) between city folks and suburban folks. Here in NYC thee subranites are referred to as "Bridge and Tunnel" and people from New Jersey are hated, as are Long Islanders and God forbid if you are from Ct. This may play into the fact that many Manhatanites are in favor of congestion pricing, while suburbanites are against it. I had friends in Detroit who were so terrified by black people that they would never think of going downtown after 5pm.

Growing up in the city of Buffalo, I saw this resentment first hand, I was part of it. We considered people from the suburbs as being racist, granted this was the time of "white flight". The people who stayed in the city had a resentment towards the people who fled... I am not sure if this is still the case, but in my case, that is how I grew up feeling...

Auburner and Bradon - I agree with both of you, and would like to add that it is time to get over it! We will never see Buffalo move into the future if we are hung up on the past. We need to get out of our own shadows and create a shared vision of our future if we wish to become more than the 'next Detroit' or 'next Baltimore'. We are the New Buffalo, and it is spectacular... if we let ourselves see (and believe) in how great we truly can be. We will continue to wallow in our past and wish that someone gives a wink to the homely girl until that happens. I would like to see us focus on bringing the suburbs closer to Buffalo, on building connections and unifying the area. That is my hope and dream for Buffalo's future.

Wow ... I doin't know this was hostile.

[begin]

Do we need a sign? I mean, it's going to be obvious to just about anyone that they're in Buffalo once they reach the US side of the Peace Bridge.. think the fact that it's an INTERNATIONAL border -- he boundary between Canada and the US -- is far more important than it being the town line of Fort Erie and Buffalo.

Several years ago, "Buffalo USA" was added to destination signage on the QEW; the highway no longer ended at "Fort Erie / Bridge to USA". Destination signage on expressways in the US still show just "Canada", though, and not "Toronto" or "Hamilton" as well.

How about starting off with relocating the "Welcome to Amherst" sign on Main Street in Grover Cleveland Park. It's in the City of Buffalo proper, about 2000' feet before the actual boundary with Amherst. As far as I know, all of Grover Cleveland Park is still in Buffalo; the city annexed it nearly 100 years ago.

[end]

Urbanesque

First, allow me to say that I was not right or wrong in my thinking, it was a self observation prompted by Bradon's comment.

I too agree with you! I think the greatest idea I have heard in years is to share the governmental duties between Buffalo and the suburbs. I think it is the only way to bring the city out of bankrupt status. That is not to say having the suburbs bailing the city out but creating a more pwerful whole out of the sum of it's pieces. Williamsville, Amherst, East Aurora, Tonnawanda, etc, all benefit from being a part of the city of Buffalo and vice versa. The entire area would thrive under such a system, a regional government and tax base. Imagine what Buffalo would be like under a school system managed by Amherst?

Again, I was only being honest about how I felt growing up 30 years ago, during the period when people were leaving the city in droves.

I agree with you, Baltimore and Detroit are fine examples of what not to do!

Auburner - There are many of us on the same page (or at least in the same chapter), question is: What do we do next?

Very simple, Barack and Biden for President and VP... All things will trickle down...

Sam Hoyt does'nt hurt either

In all seriousness Urbanesque,

It is not unprecidented for regional government to be formed. It happened when New York City consolodated Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island. under one police force, one fire department, one school system, library, garbage system, etc. It can be done and it did wonders for NYC. This would not be about annexing but more about colaboration of assets... Each community, in it's own, have something to contribute to the effort as a whole...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consolidated_city-county

Guess the threadjackers were already here, so I'm not the first.

Lots of suburban residents, most vocally BuffaloPundit, whine that they're part of the community too and BuffaloRising shouldn't ignore them and they support Buffalo's regeneration blah blah blah. I'll believe that they really mean it when they vote to dissolve their towns and be annexed into the city of Buffalo. Until then, they're all talk and no walk.

Getting back on topic. My Canadian friends, even those who have been here several times, are always at a loss what to do and how to find my house after they get off the Peace Bridge. The choice to pick a north or a south highway are no help to people who know they need to head east.

I guess it takes a village to create a sign, let alone raise a kid... No wonder Hillary is so popular in Western NY, I give up!

It doesn't take a village to raise a child, because the village can't even look at the child without getting into hot water. Look at the incident at the Amherst Pepsi Center as an example! We are all on our own in this world!

I agree with Lulu's comments, a directional sign would be far more useful than anything that is up there today. I would also like to see a "your wait for customs is XXX minutes / hours" and a toilet put somewhere in the middle of the bridge. I had the distinct displeasure of watching a 9 - 10 year old girl and her mom peeing next to my car after getting stuck in an unmoving line of traffic for almost an hour a few weeks ago. No one needs to see that while waiting for customs.

ok, fun wow, bp vs mc, here's a note of interest, for generations suburbanites considered city dwellers as lesser beings, guess that's where the animosity comes from, not saying that it should be, just realizing the base of the problem here.

as far as the quote bp has noted, this is a complaint used by people who are pissed off when they have realized they've done nothing, get jealous of someone or some group that has done a lot, and have to spout off somewhere. you want to make a change? do something positive rather than criticize those who are.

> Directional signage is more important than a general welcome sign as a welcome sign serves no practical purpose.

Good point. The Buffalo area has always been lacking in effective wayfinding signage and branding, and some of what's out there is quite old. Consider some of the 1960s-era signs identifying a long-gone "scenic route" on Elmwood Avenue, for instance; it's reminiscent of a "connect the dots" puzzle where most of the dots having been erased years ago. The college and university trailblazers are displayed in a haphazard, cluttered fashion, with some critical locations such as turns missing.

On the other side of the spectrum are the ubiquitous Peace Bridge trailblazer and reassurance markers, which I've seen even on dead-end streets. If just half of the Peach Bridge trailblazers were recycled, they could probably provide enough material to build the new Signature Span. There's plenty of signage directing travelers OUT of Buffalo, but precious little guiding them to the city's attractions, presented in a neat, uncluttered manner.

More typos. I can has grammar checkur?