FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 19, 2015
BNMC Statement in Support of Parking Permit Legislation for Fruit Belt Residents
The BNMC, the not-for-profit organization formed to address shared issues among institutions on the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus and our adjacent neighborhoods, strongly supports legislation proposed by State Senator Tim Kennedy and Assemblymember Crystal Peoples-Stokes and supported by Buffalo Common Council President Darius Pridgen, that would ensure that Fruit Belt residents have access to parking in their neighborhood through a new parking permit system designed specifically for the Fruit Belt.
We are very cognizant of the fact that as the Medical Campus grows, the need for an adequate parking and transportation system for local residents, employees, patients, and visitors will continue to grow as well. We have been working diligently with a number of local stakeholders including our neighbors, the Medical Campus institutions, the NFTA, Department of Transportation and the City of Buffalo to develop overall strategies and programs to address parking and transportation needs, including providing various parking options, enhancing and creating new alternative modes of transportation, and programs aimed at incentivizing use of carpooling, public transit, biking, and walking.
The BNMC, working closely with nearby residents and local elected officials, has secured funding from NYSERDA/NYSDOT to facilitate the planning and implementation of a residential parking benefits district that will effectively manage the on-street parking supply and demand as well as improve the access, mobility and quality of life of Fruit Belt residents.
For the Medical Campus to be successful, we must consider the needs of our adjacent neighborhoods as well as the needs of the employees, patients, and visitors. We believe this legislation will help to ease the current situation that often leaves local residents with few options for parking near their homes. We wp-contentlaud the work of Senator Kennedy and Assemblymember Peoples-Stokes and the rest of the Western New York delegation, as well as Councilmember Pridgen, and urge the New York State Legislature to pass this legislation.
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