Category: Parking

Take the GoBNMC Commuter Survey Today!

by BNMCin Biking, Community, Commuting, Electric Vehicle, Parking, Transportation

GoBNMC Commuter Survey

The BNMC team has launched our bi-annual GoBNMC commuter survey to help with transportation planning for our district. We use this data to continually expand and improve the many safe, cost-effective and accessible ways for everyone to get to work. This year, we’re also hoping to learn more about COVID-19’s current and future impacts on how employees and students choose to get to the Medical Campus.

Please fill out the survey by October 30th to be entered into our raffle to win 1 of 10 $25 gift certificates to the Neighborhood Explorer Business of your choice.

 

 

Editorial: Forward-looking Medical Campus is working on parking crunch

by BNMCin Campus-wide, Community, Employees, GO BNMC, Infrastructure, Parking, Sustainability, Transportation

Editorial: Forward-looking Medical Campus is working on parking crunch

By News Editorial Board
The Buffalo News

Credit is due to the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus for encouraging employees to use greener and healthier means of getting to and from work by taking advantage of public transportation and pedal power.

It is a good strategy for easing the parking crunch that will only get worse with thousands more workers about to join the workforce. And it will help those employees and medical school students develop lifelong habits that will benefit themselves and the environment.

The grounds of the Medical Campus have been bustling. Gates Vascular Institute and the University at Buffalo’s Clinical and Translational Research Center opened in 2012. Conventus Medical Office Building and Roswell Park Cancer Institute’s Clinical Sciences Center opened within the past year.

The John R. Oishei Children’s Hospital and the University at Buffalo’s Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences are scheduled to open by the end of the year.

Credit is due to the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus for encouraging employees to use greener and healthier means of getting to and from work by taking advantage of public transportation and pedal power.

It is a good strategy for easing the parking crunch that will only get worse with thousands more workers about to join the workforce. And it will help those employees and medical school students develop lifelong habits that will benefit themselves and the environment.

The grounds of the Medical Campus have been bustling. Gates Vascular Institute and the University at Buffalo’s Clinical and Translational Research Center opened in 2012. Conventus Medical Office Building and Roswell Park Cancer Institute’s Clinical Sciences Center opened within the past year.

The John R. Oishei Children’s Hospital and the University at Buffalo’s Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences are scheduled to open by the end of the year.

There will be an astounding number of people in a relatively small space. It would be virtually impossible to create the parking infrastructure that would be needed if everyone drives to work.

Instead, the BNMC is taking a proactive wp-contentroach in getting its expected 15,000 employees to work each day. The nonprofit umbrella organization coordinates transportation and other neighborhood initiatives on the 120-acre Medical Campus.

Officials recently hired a new program manager, Thea Hassan, to work on neighborhood transportation initiatives. Hassan is trying to get folks out into the sunshine and fresh air by persuading them to bicycle to work.

For those concerned about which route to take or  who want to brush up on the rules of the road, Hassan is creating the Bike Sherpa. It’s an ingenious buddy system designed to ease the nervousness beginners might feel about a bicycle commute.

GoBike Buffalo and Reddy Bikeshare have been an integral part of the effort to replace pushing the gas pedal with pushing the bike pedals. Reddy Bikeshare had more than a half-dozen rental bikes on campus last year. This year a second station on the Medical Campus is being added, bringing the total to 200 bikes at 35 stations throughout the city. The bikes rent by the hour or through a yearly $55 membership. There will be a free trial membership to encourage employees to bike to work.

The Bike Sherpa service would be available once every few weeks for a limited time and is free and open to Medical Campus employees.

The nonprofit will also work to make it easier for commuters who want to use Metro Rail. The newly renovated Allen-Medical Campus Station is inside UB’s new medical school building, making it very convenient for workers, students and visitors. The Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority is providing even more incentive to take public transportation with a six-month trial of a corporate discount program that could cut the cost of a $75 monthly pass to as low as $38.50 for some bus and rail commuters.

Parking crunches are signs of the growing importance of the Medical Campus. Plans to ease them show forward thinking.

Planning for Growth

by BNMCin Campus-wide, Construction, Development, GO BNMC, Healthy Communities, Member Institution(s), Parking, Transportation, Wellness

Planning for Growth

With over $750 million of investment, three cranes in the air and 700 construction workers on the Medical Campus this past year, our growth is undeniable as we continue to build the New Buffalo! We’re celebrating these developments to our great city and are looking forward to future advancements in the years ahead.

We’ve been planning and coordinating with our member institutions for many years to accommodate the influx of patients, visitors, employees and students on our transportation system and infrastructure. As the Campus grows, our Transportation Management Association (TMA), a collaboration of the BNMC, our member institutions, and regional transportation-related entities, continually monitors, plans for, and manages parking and transportation options.

We adhere to smart growth principles as we seek to build a dense, walkable urban environment that is attractive to local employers and companies outside the region looking for a wonderful place to relocate and grow. We work with a number of stakeholders to develop better options for the people who work on this Campus, as well as patients, students, and visitors, and our overall community and region.

Here’s a brief overview of our recent transportation planning efforts:

  • We continue to enhance options for people traveling to the Medical Campus, through the NFTA Metro rail and bus, carpooling, ride-matching, pedestrian & bicycle infrastructure and communicate these options as a part of GoBNMC, our campus-wide initiative to create a more sustainable and active transportation system for employees.
  • We are increasing our on-Campus parking supply with a new garage located at 854 Ellicott St., which will double the number of parking spaces at that location and provide a connector bridge to Children’s Hospital. We are also adding nearby surface lots to our system.
  • Through GO Buffalo Niagara, a region-wide community outreach program, we continue to identify and address transportation and mobility issues in surrounding neighborhoods and to share job and transportation information with residents.
  • We’re working together with the city and state to implement multi-modal streetscape enhancements that improve Campus access, promote health and safety, and support our overall placemaking efforts.

Planning for parking and transportation has been a critical component of our work for our 15 year history. Learn more about transportation and parking plans for the Medical Campus on our website.

BNMC Launches New GO BNMC Website

by BNMCin Employees, GO BNMC, Healthy Communities, Member Institution(s), Parking, Sustainability, Transportation, Wellness

Get Going in 2017 with GO BNMC

With 2017 upon us, the BNMC is rolling out several exciting tools with employees in mind. The front of these changes is a new GO BNMC website where employees who work on the Medical Campus can learn more about our program that encourages smart and healthy commuting options; get introduced to the carshare and rideshare options and discounts available; and sign up for your parking pass with ease. Let’s celebrate a healthy lifestyle this year, starting with taking a deeper dive into all that the GO BNMC program has to offer!

Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus, Inc. to Acquire Former Osmose Holdings, Inc. Property at 980 Ellicott Street

by BNMCin Construction, Entrepreneurs, Homepage, Innovation Center, Parking5 Comments on Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus, Inc. to Acquire Former Osmose Holdings, Inc. Property at 980 Ellicott Street

 
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:
Kari Bonaro
202-904-7034/kbonaro@bnmc-old.local

Susan Kirkpatrick
716-866-8002/skirkpatrick@bnmc-old.local

Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus, Inc. to Acquire Former Osmose Holdings, Inc. Property at 980 Ellicott Street

Adding Property Addresses Need for Additional Office Space and Parking

 

Buffalo, N.Y., June 29, 2016 – The Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus, Inc. (BNMC) today announced plans to purchase property located at 980 Ellicott Street on the Medical Campus from Osmose Holdings, Inc. The 4.4-acre site is located on the northern end of the Medical Campus and includes the majority of the block bordered by Ellicott, Main, Best and Dodge Streets. It includes office, laboratory and warehouse space, as well as two parking lots with wp-contentroximately 200 spaces. The deal is expected to close late this summer.

Plans for the property have not been finalized although it will likely include renovations to the existing buildings in order to make it available to current companies on the Medical Campus that are in need of additional office and/or laboratory space, and to new companies seeking to locate to the Medical Campus. The current parking lot will provide additional Campus parking. The property is ideally located adjacent to the Summer-Best Metro rail station.

Matt Enstice, President and CEO of the BNMC stated, “The long term vision of the Medical Campus as an economic driver is now becoming a reality as young companies located here are growing and are in need of more space, and others are realizing the value of locating in close proximity to Medical Campus resources.  We are thrilled to add this property to our portfolio to address two of the biggest needs on the Medical Campus today: additional room for companies to grow and support for our overall transportation plan in the form of both additional parking spaces and proximity to transit.”

About the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus, Inc. (BNMC Inc.)

The Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus, Inc. (BNMC Inc.) is a self-sustaining social enterprise successfully combining innovation, job creation, and urban revitalization. It serves as the umbrella organization of the anchor institutions that make up the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus located within the 120-acre campus bordering Allentown, the Fruit Belt and Downtown. The BNMC Inc. fosters conversation and collaboration among its member institutions, its partners and the community to address critical issues impacting them, including entrepreneurship, energy, access and transportation, workforce and procurement, neighborhoods, and healthy communities, with the goal of increasing economic development and building a strong community. bnmc-old.local.

 

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City Officials Announce Tentative Agreement re: Long-Term Lease of Ellicott Goodrich Garage

by BNMCin Community, Employees, GO BNMC, Parking, Transportation4 Comments on City Officials Announce Tentative Agreement re: Long-Term Lease of Ellicott Goodrich Garage

Mayor Brown and Council President Pridgen have announced a tentative agreement between the City of Buffalo and the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus for a long-term lease of the Ellicott Goodrich Garage which, if passed, would allow the BNMC to build a new parking garage on that site which is adjacent to the Buffalo General Medical Center, Gates Vascular Institute/CTRC, and the Oishei Children’s Hospital and Jacobs School of Medicine (both currently under construction). This would add parking for patients, visitors, and employees to the current transportation system.
 

Where will the displaced parkers be temporarily located during demo/construction?

Parking occupancy overall the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus is currently at 70 percent, meaning we have ample additional parking to accommodate those who currently park at the Ellicott Goodrich Garage (EGG) in other locations. We have space in the Michigan Goodrich Garage (MiGo) to temporarily accommodate the parking needs of patients and visitors who are currently parking in the EGG. The MiGo is located on the northwest corner of Michigan Avenue and High Street, directly adjacent to the Buffalo General Medical Center (BGMC) and the Gates Vascular Institute (GVI), and provides relatively easy access via walking or shuttle to and from the hospital facilities.

The BNMC Transportation and Parking Project Management Group (including staff from the BNMC, Kaleida Health, UB, and Roswell Park) have been working diligently on a strategy to ensure that that all patients and visitors can easily be relocated to the MiGo, as the garage was built with this additional capacity during reconstruction in mind. Kaleida and BNMC will also operate a complimentary and wheel-chair accessible shuttle service to safely and efficiently move patients and visitors between the MiGo and BGMC/GVI main entrances. Valet services will also be enhanced at both the GVI and BGMC entrances to accommodate an anticipated increase in valet traffic.

No existing MiGo parkers will be displaced from the garage, although employees will be asked not to park on those levels reserved for patients and visitors.

How are you mitigating additional employees parking in the neighborhoods during this time?

We do not expect any of the temporarily displaced parkers from the EGG to park in the Fruit Belt and/or Allentown neighborhoods. The vast majority of people who park in the EGG are patients and visitors of BGMC and GVI.  We will continue to direct them to first-class valet services at the main hospital entrances as well as parking and shuttle options in the MiGo. In addition, the relatively low number of employee permit holders who currently park in the EGG will also be given access to the MiGo.

The BNMC continues to work to mitigate the impact of employee parking in the Fruit Belt.  The BNMC and our partners are also in the midst of a Parking Study funded by the NYS Energy and Research Development Authority (NYSERDA) and NYS Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) to help inform legislation and develop a model residential parking program in the Fruit Belt neighborhood. We are currently in the data collection phase of the Parking Study, working with Fruit Belt residents, institutional partners, and local elected officials to assess current employee parking behaviors and surveying residents to determine their unique parking challenges and needs. The BNMC staff hosted several events and went door-to-door to survey residents, churches and business owners; we expect to have results to share by November 2015.

How will this new garage fit into the BNMC’s overall parking strategy?

This new garage provides a dramatic increase in convenient parking and improved customer service for the growing number of patients, visitors, and employees on the Medical Campus, in particular within the Buffalo General Medical Center, Gates Vascular Institute, the new John R. Oishei Children’s Hospital and the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at the University at Buffalo.  As a quickly growing Medical Campus in a dense and urban area, there is a critical need to ensure ample parking for patients and visitors while at the same time ensuring safe, efficient and sustainable transportation access for employees, students and neighborhood residents alike.

What is the timing for garage construction?

Demolition of the current EGG and construction of the new garage is expected to take 18-21 months depending on start date. The parking facility is expected to be partially occupied in May 2017 and fully constructed by November 2017. The contract will include MWBE construction goals.

How many spaces will this add to the BNMC parking system, and is it enough to accommodate the expected growth in the number of employees?

The EGG will expand from its current 892 parking spaces to just over 1,800 spaces. We are also in the process of acquiring additional off-Campus parking which will provide a modest increase to our overall parking inventory. It is the BNMC’s mission to work with our partners to develop a wide array of parking and transportation options to accommodate nearly all commuting needs for the entire BNMC population.

Currently, BNMC, with the assistance of its Transportation Project Management Group, has been exploring a number of nearby satellite parking options, including those on the NFTA Metro Rail line to the north and south.

In addition, we continue to work with our regional partners to manage and grow the GO BNMC commuter toolkit, an innovative program designed to provide employees with better access to healthier, greener and affordable transportation options.

Has GO BNMC been successful?

Yes, over the past three years we have developed several programs that have successfully encouraged drive-alone commuters to consider changing over to alternative modes of transportation (e.g. transit, carpool, biking, and walking).  This includes incentive programs, educating employees about their options, and providing infrastructure improvements for safer and more efficient travel modes.  Since launching GO BNMC, we have seen a 4% reduction in the number of employees driving alone to the Medical Campus.  Moving forward, we are also seeing an increase in housing options in the downtown area, in the surrounding neighborhoods, and along the Metro Rail line. BNMC and partners are also working to create programs to encourage employees to live in these areas, which provide greater access to these alternative commuting modes and, in turn, dampen our on-campus parking demands.

Allen Medical Campus Metro Rail Station Temporary Closure

by BNMCin Allentown, Biking, Campus-wide, Community, Construction, Employees, GO BNMC, Homepage, Member Institution(s), Parking, Transportation5 Comments on Allen Medical Campus Metro Rail Station Temporary Closure

metroBeginning on Monday, April 20, 2015 the Allen Medical Campus Metro Rail Station will be temporarily closed. The  station is expected to be closed for wp-contentroximately 3-4 weeks. Between these dates, there will be no passenger access to the Allen Medical Campus Rail Station. The closing is a result of ongoing construction taking place at the Allen Medical Campus Metro Rail Station, as the University at Buffalo continues to build its new School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences facility, which will be built over the existing rail station.
During the temporary closure, there will be free, daily Metro Bus Shuttle service (see schedule) available to avoid disruption of service to Metro Rail customers. Shuttle intervals will coincide with the daily rail schedule at 10- minute intervals during peak periods. Shuttle buses are ADA accessible for individuals with mobility devices.

Here are some tips to help make your commutes stress free:

  • On your way to work get off the Metro Rail at the Summer-Best station.
  • Make sure to have your rail card with you for access to shuttle busses.
  • Take the shuttle bus to the Summer-Best station.
  • Take the Metro Rail to your final destination.

For your safety, NFTA officers will be amping up surveillance along the temporary Metro Bus Shuttle route. Specific attention will be paid at and near all shuttle route stops.

Questions? NFTA Metro staff will be present at rail stations during peak hours between

April 14 – 17 to help answer any questions you may have. Also, for more information, you may call the NFTA at 855-7211.

Looking for a healthier, greener and more affordable ways to get to work? Checkout out GOBNMC.

Public Art Added to the BNMC, Large-Scale Murals Painted by Local Artists

by BNMCin Art, Community, Parking, Renovations2 Comments on Public Art Added to the BNMC, Large-Scale Murals Painted by Local Artists

72810_10151816998138351_342472618_nThe BNMC has installed two two large-scale murals on the MiGo, a parking garage on the corner of Michigan & Goodrich. The  murals (50’ x 20’) were painted by local artists.
A collaboration of artists – William Y. Cooper, James J. Cooper, III (no relation), and Jennifer Fuentes – painted the mural titled “Nexus” on the Goodrich side of the garage. The title is a metaphor for the Buffalo Niagara region’s role in promoting cutting-edge science and medicine, globally.

The art on the High Street side of the garage is titled “Beautiful Health Fphacze,” painted by James J. Cooper, III.

We hope you will stop by and enjoy these wonderful pieces of public art in our community.
Click here to learn about the inspiration for the murals!

View more photos!

Carpool Options Expand for Employees on the BNMC

by BNMCin Campus-wide, Employees, Homepage, Member Institution(s), Parking, Transportation6 Comments on Carpool Options Expand for Employees on the BNMC

GO BNMC has made new Carpool Only parking spots available in the 589 Ellicott Street lot and the Michigan-Goodrich Garage. Starting Monday, May 27th, carpoolers must have a special “Carpool Parking Tag” to gain access to these spots.
If you are a current carpooler or are interested in carpooling, please call 716.218.7351 to register you and your rideshare partners for the new parking tags.  There are no additional costs.

Also, to make carpooling easier, registered carpool parking tag holders can now be given an additional parking tag that they can share with their rideshare partner.  There are no extra costs for this additional tag.

Please keep in mind that only one parking tag will be allowed in the lot or garage at a time to avoid abuse of this system.  The parking gates will not open for the additional tag if the other tag is already inside the lot/garage.

As demand for carpool parking grows, GO BNMC will expand the amount of designated carpool spaces and adjust carpool policies to make it as easy as possible to choose this economical commuting option.

Do you want to try carpooling, but need to find someone that to rideshare with? As a GO BNMC member, you can connect with other potential carpoolers that work on or near the Medical Campus. All you have to do is sign-in to your account, see where interested carpoolers live, determine if their work schedule coincides with yours, and see what their ridesharing preferences are. Once you have found a potential match, you can send them a message to jumpstart the conversation. It’s easy, safe, and can be a great way to meet new people.

For more information or to register for carpool parking tags, please call 716.218.7351 or email gobnmc@bnmc-old.local. Visit www.gobnmc-old.local to learn more about carpooling and other alternative transportation options for employees on the BNMC.

NOTE:  The above carpool information does not wp-contently to employees who park in the Roswell Garage on Michigan and Carlton.

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Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus, Inc. Secures Nearly $400,000 to Support Alternative Transportation Efforts for 12,000 Employees

by BNMCin Campus-wide, Employees, Parking, Transportation

Banner Letterhead
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, April 8, 2013

For more information, contact:

Kari Bonaro, Director of Communications
kbonaro@bnmc-old.local or 716.218.7157

Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus, Inc. Secures Nearly $400,000 to Support Alternative Transportation Efforts for 12,000 Employees

Initiatives Designed to Reduce Employees Driving By Themselves to Work, Ensures Ample Patient Parking

(Buffalo, NY) – The Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus, Inc. (BNMC, Inc.) has secured $393,432 through a combination of cost-shared research agreements from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) and the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT), and two separate grants from the Federal Transit Authority (FTA) Job Access-Reverse Commute (JARC) program over the past two years to advance alternative transportation efforts on the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus and surrounding neighborhoods.

The Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus is a 120-acre home to the region’s top clinical, research, and medical education institutions, including Kaleida Health, Roswell Park Cancer Institute, and the University at Buffalo, and nearly 60 private sector companies. More than 12,000 people come to work at the Medical Campus every day, an increase from 8,500 in 2008. An additional two million square feet of clinical, research and development space has been added in the past few years, with another two million square feet (and 5,000 more employees) slated to come online in the next five years.

This rapid growth has encouraged the BNMC, Inc., the not-for-profit charged with coordinating the sustainable planning, development, and enhancement of the growing urban campus, to get creative with the diverse ways they can encourage people to access the campus.

Some of these efforts include:

  • Launching GO BNMC, a campus-wide movement to support smart commuting;
  • Forming a transportation management association, a stakeholder group of both Medical Campus and community partners;
  • Strengthening partnerships with Buffalo CarShare and BikeShare and GObike Buffalo;
  • Conducting a mitigation study helping prioritize complete streets infrastructure projects around the Medical Campus to make the area more accessible by modes other than cars;
  • Forging a continued relationship with the NFTA that has already resulted in route changes and additions to better serve the BNMC population; and
  • Collaborating with other businesses and partners off of the Medical Campus, such as the Buffalo Sabres, to develop mutually beneficial transportation options.
  • Increasing the number of neighborhood residents employed at BNMC institutions by better informing them of the career and training opportunities available on and around the Medical Campus.

“Creating an accessible destination, including ample parking, for the more than one million annual patients and visitors is our first priority,” according to Bill Smith, Director of Campus Access. “To make this hwp-contenten, we realized we have to reduce the number of employees driving by themselves to work. It starts with changing behaviors. We were extremely fortunate that NYSERDA came on as a partner early on in this process. They’ve really enabled us to get our initiative off the ground and find additional funding partners to expand our offerings, including the federally-funded Guaranteed Ride Home program we will launch next month.”

At the beginning of 2012, wp-contentroximately 88 percent of the employees on the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus drive to work by themselves.  However, surveys have shown that about 75 percent of employees would consider ridesharing and taking public transit if a ride home was guaranteed in an emergency. Another 50 percent of employees said that financial incentives and rewards would help make a difference in changing their commuting behavior.

“The alternative transportation options being offered to Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus employees complement the innovative transportation programs the state is utilizing to reduce the consumption of fossil fuel,” said Francis J. Murray Jr., President and CEO, NYSERDA. “Governor Cuomo has stressed that public-private partnerships like this one are the cornerstone to creating a more robust economy and a sustainable environment.”

For this incentive program, NYSERDA had partnered with the New York State Department of Transportation.

“By expanding the transportation options available to employees at the Buffalo Niagara Medical campus, we will enhance safety and mobility for thousands of commuters each day and improve their quality of life,” said Department of Transportation Commissioner Joan McDonald. “Under Governor Cuomo’s leadership, innovative partnerships like this one are making transportation improvements that have lasting benefits, improving highway safety, encouraging economic growth and protecting air quality and the environment.”

The BNMC, Inc. has set goals to reduce the percentage of employees driving to work by 13 percent over the next five years and up to 25 percent by the year 2030. Since launching the GO BNMC, an online alternative commuter toolkit, in September 2012, more than 360 employees have already signed up. BNMC, Inc.  plans on at least doubling this number with a full scale marketing campaign coming this spring.

Providing as many quality transportation options as possible not only begins to help solve the looming employee parking challenge, it also supports the overall BNMC sustainability goal of ensuring employees have the ability to choose greener, healthier, and more affordable options to get to work.

A breakdown of the three grants include:

Transportation Management Association (TMA) and TDM Toolkit  ($120,999 cost-shared research agreement  through NYSERDA/NYSDOT ) This is for the establishment and first year activities of a Transportation Management Association (TMA) that works to advance the Transportation Demand Management (TDM) strategies of the BNMC. Members of the TMA include: BNMC, Inc., representatives from the Medical Campus institutions, NYSERDA, NYSDOT, NFTA, GBNRTC, BUDC, GoBike Buffalo and Buffalo Carshare. The TMA works to demonstrate the effectiveness of TDM strategies in reducing the number of vehicle miles traveled, enhancing alternative transportation options, and increasing mobility of the BNMC community.  This is done through the development and production of marketing and educational materials and a web-based toolkit (online at www.gobnmc-old.local) to educate employees on their options, enhancing these transportation options, providing free and reduced NFTA transit passes to incentivize new riders, and free Buffalo CarShare and GoBike memberships.

Guaranteed Ride Home  ($36,253 funded through FTA JARC ) The program will provide employees of the BNMC who do not drive alone to work with a timely and free means of transportation (i.e., taxi rides)  in the event of a personal or family emergency, illness or unexpected employment-related delay, such as an unscheduled overtime. This program is designed to promote the use of transit, ridesharing, and alternative modes among BNMC employees by providing a safety net for those who do not drive to work.

Community Transportation Program ($206,180 funded through FTA JARC and $30,000 in local donations) This program is a collaborative effort between the BNMC, Inc., Buffalo CarShare, and GoBike Buffalo to facilitate and encourage the use of alternative transportation modes and public transit among employees on the BNMC and residents of the surrounding neighborhoods. In addition, the Program aims to increase the number of neighborhood residents employed at BNMC institutions by better informing them of the career and training opportunities available on and around the Medical Campus. This grant includes funding for a state-of-the art, secure, and dry bicycle storage facility located at the corner of Virginia and Ellicott Streets, designed by local architect Brad Wales and currently under construction.

About the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus, Inc.

The Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus, Inc. (BNMC, Inc.) is the umbrella organization created in 2001 by the anchor institutions located within the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus. The BNMC, Inc. is a not-for-profit organization that fosters conversation and collaboration among its member institutions, the 55+ private sector companies on the Medical Campus, 12,000 employees, and the community; coordinates activities related to sustainable planning, development and enhancement of its 120-acre space; and works to create a distinct, innovative environment that provides opportunities for entrepreneurship and active and healthy living. The BNMC, Inc. also works with partners throughout the community to develop healthier, greener, and more economical transportation solutions to meet the needs of our growing urban campus and the region as a whole.

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Medical Campus Makes Sustainability Improvements to 589 Ellicott

by BNMCin Construction, Environment, News, Parking7 Comments on Medical Campus Makes Sustainability Improvements to 589 Ellicott

Bio-retention Facility
The BNMC continues to make significant sustainability improvements to its largest surface parking lot at 589 Ellicott Street, including a bio-retention facility, solar/wind powered lighting, and a bicycle storage shelter.

The bio-retention facility, one of the largest in the region, was completed this spring at the south end of the surface parking lot. It significantly improve the quality of storm water exiting the parking lot prior to entering the sanitary stormwater sewer along Ellicott and North Oak Streets. Often referred to as a rain garden, the bioretention facility actually goes above and beyond the mere slowing of the movement of water from surface to sanitary sewer as in a rain garden. The bio-retention facility will retain the first 1.25” of rain on site. This significantly reduces the stress placed on the sanitary storm water management system that usually accompanies a heavy rainfall. The retention of 1.25” of rainfall on site will be a requirement of the City of Buffalo’s upcoming Green Code.

The purpose of the bio-retention facility is to remove a wide range of pollutants, such as suspended solids, nutrients, metals, hydrocarbons, and bacteria from storm water prior to entering the sanitary sewer system and ultimately stopping these pollutants from entering the Buffalo River. It also adds to the greenspace on the Campus.

In addition, resources are also being deployed to enhance access and safety for employees, patients, visitors and neighboring community members.

LSImageAdditional infrastructure enhancements include the upgrading of existing lighting systems in the parking lot. Existing wooden poles will be replaced with galvanized steel poles. Existing energy consumption intense metal halide lamps will be replaced by energy efficient 31 watt intelligent LED lamps. The lamps will be powered by a 1000 watt, 5’ tall vertical wind turbine which will sit 25.5’ off the ground atop the pole. Additional renewable energy for the lamps will be produced by a 200 watt, 3’ by 5’ photovoltaic panel located 21’ off the ground. Once installed, these lamps will no longer be tied into the electrical grid. The illumination will result from electricity produced by solar and wind and lithium ion battery storage located in the pole’s base.

The hybridized wind and solar street lighting system is technology developed by the Lumisolaire company based in NYC. The solar bed which will hold the photovoltaic panel system will be manufactured locally by Ontario Specialties Corporation. CIR Electrical Construction Corporation is the contractor installing the system.

The bicycle storage shelter is being constructed at the north end of the lot at Ellicott and Oak Streets. This secure facility is designed to increase bicycle ridership on the BNMC, supporting our GO BNMC initiative to encourage employees to take alternative modes of transportation to work. This structure is complete.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

GO BNMC Rewards Your Smart Commuting Choices

by BNMCin Biking, Campus-wide, Environment, Healthy Communities, Homepage, Member Institution(s), Outreach, Parking, Transportation, WellnessLeave a Comment on GO BNMC Rewards Your Smart Commuting Choices

GO BNMC offers employees on the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus incentives for choosing to save money, improve their health, and help the environment by utilizing alternative transportation options. Now BNMC employees can get rewarded for choosing greener and healthier ways to commute to and from work.
A plethora of incentives including the monthly Smart Commuting Raffle, subsidized Metro Bus and Rail monthly and weekly passes, free GO Bike Buffalo memberships, discounted and free trial Buffalo CarShare memberships, and more are available. Sign up today at www.gobnmc-old.local.

Did you know that other than walking, biking is the greenest way to get around? There are bike racks throughout the Medical Campus. Coming soon will be the walk-in secure bike stations that can be accessed by GO BNMC members, allowing bikes to be stored in a dry location. Bike shelters that will be added to the University and LaSalle Stations in the near future, and a walk-in storage facilities will be added on the BNMC for those who want to store their bike out of the elements.

Signing up to become a GO BNMC member is quick and easy. Employees simply create a profile, begin logging commutes and voilà! Once the profile is created, members can enter into the monthly raffles.

Buffalo CarShare Opens Up Transportation Options

by BNMCin Biking, Community, Parking, TransportationLeave a Comment on Buffalo CarShare Opens Up Transportation Options

Buffalo CarShare is making it easier to have access to reliable and convenient transportation without having to own a car. CarShare members have the option to choose from vehicles that best suit their needs and use them on an hourly basis. Whether at work or at home, if there is a CarShare hub nearby, members can easily reserve a car and use it to run errands.
For affordable monthly or yearly dues, members can use a CarShare vehicle located at 1 of the 10 hubs throughout the city. Members near the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus (BNMC) can find 2 vehicles to choose from in the Washington Street parking lot near the BNMC/National Grid Model Energy Home. Hub locations are near many communities, colleges, and business districts. The options for memberships vary and can be extended to families and businesses, and there are even discounts for non-profit organizations. Flagged with the noticeable green leaf attached to a key ring logo,  many of the cars can also be easily identified by the blue-colored paint.

It is very easy to reserve a CarShare vehicle which can be done 1 of 3 ways. Members can go to the Buffalo CarShare office located at 14 Allen Street, call 716.898.0850, or go online to reserve a vehicle. Once it is reserved, members go to a hub, use their personalized key fob to gain access to the car in order to drive it. The car has technology within it that tracks the time it is taken out, the time it is brought back, and the number of miles traveled. When done, all members have to do is park it back at the same hub they drove it from.

An opportunity to bring another transportation option that is less strenuous on the wallet and the environment to the Medical Campus and other locations has been created through grant funds received by Buffalo CarShare. In August, BikeShare will be introduced through a beta program which will be tested by 200 bike riders. In partnership with Go Bike Buffalo, CarShare will launch bike-sharing by offering the use of 75 new social bicycles, all equipped with GPS systems and locks operated by access codes.

The Department of Transportation and NYS Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) granted funds a total of $284,000 in to Buffalo CarShare, BNMC, and GO Bike Buffalo.

“One thing that CarShare does and what BikeShare will do for the Medical Campus is to provide employees who take transit, carpool or use alternative modes to get to and from work easier,” said William Smith, who is working hard to enhance access to the BNMC. “Both help to create added-mobility options for things such as wp-contentointments, errands, meetings and lunches once employees are already at work.”

As a collective, Buffalo CarShare, the BNMC, Go Bike Buffalo, and other partners form GO Buffalo, an initiative to enhance and promote the transportation options in Buffalo. CarShare received $143, 000 to create the bike-share program. The BNMC is using the awarded $121,000 to create the Transportation Toolkit through GO BNMC and to incentivize use of transportation alternatives, and GO Bike Buffalo is using the $20,000 awarded to help create Complete Streets throughout the City of Buffalo.

To see the cost for your vehicle each day, month, and year, use the Car Cost Calculator to determine how much money you could be saving if you were to join Buffalo CarShare. For more information about the BikeShare program, contact Buffalo CarShare at info@buffalocarshare.org.

 

 

The Transformation of the New BNMC Employee Multi-Modal Transportation Structure on High Street

by BNMCin Campus-wide, Construction, Homepage, Parking, RenovationsLeave a Comment on The Transformation of the New BNMC Employee Multi-Modal Transportation Structure on High Street

The new BNMC Multi-Module Transportation Structure located at 134 High Street contains more than two thousand parking spaces. The first five levels are currently open and it has more and more cars stationed in it every day. When fully open next month at nine levels, employees are sure to find a safe place to park their vehicle away from the extreme elements of the scorching sun and heavy snow. The structure was built as a partnership between the University at Buffalo, Kaleida Health, Roswell Park Cancer Institute, and the BNMC to meet demand created by the new developments on the campus.
Managed by BNMC Parking, LLC, the facility offers the safety of pass-only access. There are different ways to pay for employees. To fill out the wp-contentlication and learn about the different options, download the wp-contentlication.

Features include:

  • An enclosed waiting area on the first level coming out of the High Street entrance. The enclosed space is near the  shuttle stop which takes passengers anywhere on the Medical Campus.
  • LED lighting for clear illumination of pathways throughout the entire structure.
  • A windshield cleaning station on the first level.
  • 10 Electric Vehicle charging stations on the first level.
  • Soon-to-be-installed bike racks on the first level.
  • Emergency blue-light call stations on each floor.
  • Security cameras on each level.
  • Soon-to-be-installed solar trees on the top 9th level.

Take a look at the construction transformation that took place over the past several months.

  

  

 

Laying the foundation.

 

It’s up, standing strong and tall.

  Now it’s time for the accessories.

 

 

Allpro Parking, LLC

by BNMCin Innovation Center, ParkingLeave a Comment on Allpro Parking, LLC
Allpro Parking provides hassle-free parking throughout eight cities for daily transient and monthly parkers. Allpro makes your parking easier by offering services such as online reservations, pay-by-cell and valet parking. 

Allpro provides top-of-the-line service, whether it is a surface lot or parking garage, healthcare building or airport parking. In addition to parking facility management, Allpro offers consulting and site planning, customer service and maintenance, transportation services (valet parking and shuttle bus), and construction parking mitigation. Allpro Parking can design a contract that meets any organization’s specific needs.

Allpro Parking’s talented staff of 200+ employees all dedicated to service excellence, handles demanding parking needs for such premier facilities as Ralph Wilson Stadium for the Buffalo Bills and event parking at First Niagara Center. They also operate and manage 90+ parking facilities in eight cities totaling over 39,000 parking spaces.

Types of Parking Facilities Allpro Parking Operates:

  • Structured garages (above and below ground)
  • Valet parking services for hotel, hospitals and banquet facilities
  • Park-and-lock and attendant style facilities
  • Surface parking facilities
  • Sport stadium and arena parking facilities
  • On and off street meter collection services
  • Festival and even parking management
  • Parking layout and pre-construction design consulting

Customer Amenities:

  • Umbrella Loaner Program
  • Downtown Maps
  • Windshield Washer Stations
  • Emergency Road Service Kit
  • Gift, Flower and Candy Distribution for special occasions and/or holidays
  • Car Concierge

Other Services Available:

  • Valet Parking
  • Special Event Parking
  • Parking reservations online
  • Pay By Cell
  • Wedding Parking arrangements
  • Property Maintenance

Website: www.allproparking.com