BNMC Transportation’s Happy Hour By Train!

September 30, 2024October 2, 2024 by Maria Morrealein Allentown, BNMC Employee, BNMC Team, Event, Healthy Communities, Transportation

Thanks to everyone who joined us for BNMC’s recent Happy Hour By Train event! It was so nice to welcome all of you, especially those trying transit for the first time. We met at Allen Street Metro Station and took a quick train ride to happy hour at Fattey Beer Co. downtown. Our train group was matched with a driver who left at the same time in a car. Guess who got to Happy Hour first? Of course, it was the crew who took transit.

Here are some photos from the event. We can’t wait to do it again! To learn more about transit, and the incentives available to everyone who works on the BNMC, visit BNMC Transportation.

All pictures by Pat Cray @yungpainkiller.

Bike to Work Day 2024

June 7, 2024June 7, 2024 by Maria Morrealein Biking, BNMC Team, Commuting, Employees, Energy, Healthy Communities, Wellness

Thanks to everyone who braved the elements and joined us for BNMC Bike to Work Day yesterday! We enjoyed a wonderful breakfast by Unapologetic Coffee, followed by an energizing workout with Evolve Fitness. By lunchtime, the sun was out and we joined our friends at GoBike for a ride to their HQ over at 313 Broadway.

Kudos to the University at Buffalo who had the most riders bike to work yesterday. Go UB!

As always, our photographer Pat Cray (@yungpainkiller), was on hand to capture some wonderful images of the day.

Special thanks to our partners at GO Buffalo Niagara.

We can’t wait to do it again next year!

The BNMC Team.

Campus Update: Ellicott Street is Reopened.

November 21, 2022December 15, 2022 by Maria Morrealein Construction

As construction continues at the Trico building located at the corners of Ellicott/Washington Streets and Goodell, The City of Buffalo has advised BNMC that Kandey Corp, one of the contractors working on the project has reopened Ellicott Street, which had been closed since December 1.

About the BNMC

For more than twenty years, the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus organization (BNMC) has been a driving force in Buffalo’s economic renaissance. Throughout its management of the growth of Buffalo’s premier innovation district, the BNMC has foregrounded smart economic, social, and environmental development, prioritizing health & well-being, and sustainability. Today, the BNMC is focused on the next phase of Buffalo’s ongoing resurgence, cultivating inclusive innovation in partnership with our community. In 2021 BNMC spearheaded the initiative to bring the national programs forAll and Eforever to Buffalo. These proven programs support aspiring entrepreneurs from all backgrounds to help them start or grow a business. Program graduates will form the heart of Buffalo’s growing Innovation Community comprised of businesses large and small in an array of disciplines and leading the region’s next wave of economic development and growth.

BNMC & Partners Awarded up to $8.2 Million to Improve Transportation Access.

February 18, 2021 by Maria Morrealein Collaboration, Commuting, Innovation, News

The United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) has selected the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus (BMNC) as one of five U.S. locations to pilot the Complete Trip – ITS4US Deployment Program. The Complete Trip – ITS4US Deployment Program challenges communities to identify ways to provide more efficient, affordable, and accessible transportation options for underserved populations that often face greater challenges in accessing essential services.

Continue reading “BNMC & Partners Awarded up to $8.2 Million to Improve Transportation Access.”

Take the GoBNMC Commuter Survey Today!

September 29, 2020 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 30^th to be entered into our raffle to win 1 of 10 $25 gift certificates to the Neighborhood Explorer Business of your choice.

Considering an electric car? Charge it on the Medical Campus!

March 13, 2019 by BNMCin Electric Vehicles, Energy, Sustainability, Transportation

Considering an electric car? Charge it on the Medical Campus!

Many people are interested in electric vehicles because of their performance, as well as their environmental and consumer benefits. But knowing how and where to charge an EV can be confusing.

The good news is, charging an EV at home and on the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus is easy!

As someone who works on the Medical Campus, you are in luck – you can also charge at work! The BNMC team has installed EVCS in many of its parking garages and lots, including 12 dual charging stations at 854 Ellicott Street, ten ECVS at 134 High Street*, and four EVCS at 589 Ellicott*, plus two curbside stations across from the Innovation Center at 640 Ellicott Street*, with the ability to charge 40 vehicles at one time. View this map to see locations of our current charging stations. * Scheduled to be upgraded in 2019.

We are committed to ensuring that our infrastructure supports sustainable transportation, everything from making it easy to charge electric vehicles, to installing hundreds of additional bike racks, to providing reduced-rate transit passes. We are building an innovation district known for accessible, environmentally-forward ways for everyone to get here.

All modern EVs sold in the U.S. use a standard charging port for Level I (120-volt) and Level II (240-volt) charging for EVs, the J1772 port. Most EV owners charge at home, either (a) using the plug that comes with the vehicle to plug into a normal 120 volt outlet to add around 5 miles of range per hour of charging, or (b) installing a 240-volt charger to add 10-25 miles of range per hour charging. There is also more public charging available than many people think. You can learn more about charging at home and on the go at drivegreen.nationalgridus.com/charging.

Considering getting an EV? Check out discounts from local dealers through the Drive Green with National Grid program at drivegreen.nationalgridus.com.

Did you know? Upstate NY customers can reduce their costs with the voluntary time-of-use rate by charging their electric vehicle during the off-peak hours of 11pm to 7am. Most EVs can be easily programmed to charge during these hours using an onboard timer, mobile wp-content, outlet timer, or EV charging station.

This content is provided to the BNMC through our partnership with National Grid’s Drive Green program.

May = National Bike Month

May 1, 2013 by BNMCin Biking, Campus-wide, Community, Healthy Communities, Homepage, Transportation, Wellness

A number of events are lined up to celebrate National Bike Month here in Buffalo. Created to promote bicycling as a way to have fun, exercise and get from one point to another, National Bike Month is sponsored by the League of American Bicyclists. As a way to celebrate ways to preserve your health and the environment, enjoy the community at large and join a nationwide movement connecting bike-riders everywhere, this month is sure to offer frequent cyclists and those who just ride for fun the opportunity to help promote active and healthy lifestyles.
Join cyclists in your community by biking to work, school, destinations, and to various events in Buffalo to bring awareness to the importance of bicycle-friendly communities and the benefits that come with biking on a regular basis.

Events:

National Bike to School Day: Wednesday, May 8th

Bicycle Commuter Breakfast: Friday, May 17th 6:30 a.n. – 10 a.m. on the BNMC @ 929 Washington Street

National Bike to Work Day: Friday May 17th

National Bike to Work Week: Monday, May 13th – Friday, May 17th

Download the GObike Buffalo Bike Month events poster for an additional list of events around Buffalo. Visit GObike Buffalo for more information about creating sustainable transportation communities.

GO BNMC Continues to Provide Incentives for Employees to Try Transit

April 30, 2013 by BNMCin Campus-wide, Employees, Homepage, Member Institution(s), Sustainability, Transportation

The “Try Transit This Spring” campaign continues as one of many efforts to encourage employees not to drive alone to work on the Medical Campus. The Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus, Inc. acquired funds totaling $393,432 to produce initiatives and partnerships that promote sustainable access and smart commuting. Various initiatives are underway to increase use of alternative transportation options by employees in order for the 1 million annual patients and visitors to have sufficient parking options.

After well over 200 2-week free transit passes were given to employees on the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus for them to try public transit from April 15th-29th, GO BNMC is now offering subsidized 3-month NFTA Metro Rail & Bus passes. Employees on the Medical Campus that do not already commute using alternative transportation can qualify to receive 3 months worth of passes for a total $60 (less than a third of the total cost of riding the Metro Rail & Bus unlimited for those same 3 months).

The free and subsidized passes are just one of the ways GO BNMC is encouraging employees to take alternative modes of transportation. Incentives are offered to all GO BNMC members who commute to work by walking, biking, carpooling, vanpooling or taking the Metro Bus & Rail on a regular basis. Members can win gift certificates to local retail businesses and restaurants, and transit passes that are raffled off monthly.

For employees that live on the outskirts of the city of Buffalo, the NFTA Express Bus picks up and drops off at two designated Park & Ride locations: Route 69E – Alden, Appletree Business Park, 2875 Union Rd., Cheektowaga, NY 14227 and Route 72E – Orchard Park, ECC South Campus, 4041 Southwestern Blvd., Orchard Park, NY 14127. The express routes arrive on the Medical Campus around 6:40 a.m. and depart the Medical Campus around 3:30 p.m. at the Allen/Medical Campus Station.

To provide a peace of mind for employees that commute using an alternative transportation more than twice a week, there is the Guaranteed Ride Home program. The Guaranteed Ride Home program allows each GO BNMC member that signs up to receive 4 vouchers to use to get home (a free taxi ride for up to $60 excluding tip) from the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus. This means that if there isn't a convenient alternative transportation option immediately available, members can simply pull out the wallet-sized voucher and follow the instructions to get home. It's that simple. Each time a voucher is used and turned in to the taxi driver, another will arrive in the mail until all of the 4 vouchers are used.

To learn if you qualify to receive a subsidized Metro Bus & Rail pass or vouchers for the Guaranteed Ride Home program, call 716.566.2316 or e-mail gobnmc@bnmc-old.local. For more about GO BNMC, visit www.gobnmc-old.local.

Follow @GOBNMC on Twitter for more news and updates.

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

April 8, 2013 by BNMCin Campus-wide, Employees, Parking, Transportation

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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Try Transit This Spring with a Free 2-Week Metro Pass

April 4, 2013 by BNMCin Campus-wide, Employees, Homepage, Member Institution(s), Outreach, Transportation

With warm weather fast wp-contentroaching, there is no better time to join the growing number of BNMC and downtown workers who are commuting by Metro Rail and Bus.
Interested in seeing the benefits? GO BNMC is offering employees who work on the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus free 2-week Metro passes that are good for unlimited Rail and Bus trips, providing the ideal opportunity to see if these commuting options are right for you.

The passes are only for employees on the BNMC who currently do not take transit to work, and can only be used between April 15^th and April 29^th.

To take advantage of this free offer, email gobnmc@bnmc-old.local or call 566-2316 and request your pass.

But hurry! Supplies are limited and passes will be available on a first-come basis.

BNMC Hosts GO Party to Highlight Alternative Ways for Employees to Get to Work

March 5, 2013 by BNMCin Campus-wide, Employees, Event, Healthy Communities, Transportation, WellnessLeave a Comment

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, March 5, 2013

For more information, contact:

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

MEDIA ALERT

BNMC Hosts GO Party to Highlight Alternative Ways for Employees to Get to Work

About 100 Employees Expected to Attend the Transportation-Themed Event Focusing on Smarter, Greener, Healthier Ways to Get to Work

WHAT: GO Party, a free hwp-contenty hour event for employees on the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus (BNMC) who are members of GO BNMC. GO BNMC is a campus-wide movement to connect employees with healthier, greener, and affordable transportation options.

WHEN: Wednesday, March 6^th from 4-7pm

WHERE: Ulrich’s Tavern, 674 Ellicott Street

This free event ($5 for non-members) will highlight innovative and economical ways in which GO BNMC, a commuting and rewards initiative, aims to advance an innovative and sustainable transportation system that focuses on walking, bicycling, Metro Bus and Rail, and carpooling and vanpooling over drive-alone trips to and from the Medical Campus.

Employees will learn about the different transportation options available on the BNMC that can help them save money, get fit, and create a more sustainable environment, with the overall goal to improve employee’s abilities to get around in healthier, greener, and more economical ways.

GO BNMC is a campaign of the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus, Inc. in partnership with NYSERDA & NYSDOT.

About the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus, Inc.

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GO BNMC "GO Party" Member Appreciation Event!

February 18, 2013 by BNMCin Campus-wide, Employees, Event, Member Institution(s)1 Comment

GO BNMC members and employees on the BNMC are invited to attend the GO Party event, a member wp-contentreciation celebration full of fun activities, giveaways, food and drinks!
Learn about alternative commuting methods, mingle with GO BNMC Champions, and enjoy an evening of fun with fellow Medical Campus employees.

Sign-up to become a member of GO BNMC today at gobnmc-old.local. #GOParty on Twitter to @GOBNMC if you plan to attend and RSVP to gobnmc@bnmc-old.local.

Business Sponsorships for GO BNMC Help Members Experience Surrounding Communities

February 11, 2013 by BNMCin Campus-wide, Community, Homepage, Wellness3 Comments

Support from local businesses in the area have poured in for GO BNMC, an initiative encouraging employees on the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus (BNMC) to make healthier and sustainable transportation choices.
GO BNMC offers its members opportunities to enjoy the benefits of using alternative transportation methods, giving away rewards and incentives. When employees on the BNMC choose to bike, carpool, walk, take public transit or any other alternative mode to work, they walk the healthier walk and help to mitigate the amount of pollution released into the environment on a daily basis.

Follow @GOBNMC on Twitter for more news and updates.

May’s Monthly Smart Commuting Raffle & Incentives:

1 Gift Certificates to Oliver’s Restaurant

Free 30 Day Metro Pass

GO BNMC Sponsors:

Oliver’s Restaurant offers a wonderful decor and American and Italian food of excellent quality. A premier dining location, Oliver’s re-opened in 1983. Offering a delicious selection of wp-contentetizers, courses, wines and desserts, Oliver’s couples wonderful service with an aura of sophistication.

Betty’s Restaurant is located at 370 Virginia Street. Opening in October, 2004, Betty’s quickly won the hearts and loyalty of Buffalonians with its cheerful, sunny dining room, its friendly and funky staff, and its moderately priced eclectic cuisine. Betty’s food is simple, fresh, and creative, drawing on American and international influences, resulting in food that is wholesome, interesting, and unpretentious.

Located at 41 Virginia Place in Allentown, Fat Bob’s Smokehouse offers great service and our award-winning barbecue food. Authentic smoked meats straight from Fat Bob’s custom built Texas smoker, as well as traditional sides, seafood, wp-contentetizers, and desserts please every customer’s wp-contentetite. Fat Bob’s specializes in authentic barbecue and ice-cold beer.

Located at 33 Virginia Place, Mothers Restaurant main menu features wp-contentetizers such as steamed mussels with red curry and coconut milk broth or spaghetti squash with prosciutto, fresh sage and asiago cheese. Mothers serves unique salads, entrées and specials that are even more intriguing. Specials included two very interesting soups—curried shrimp and broccoli or tomato, sausage, and fennel. Appetizers and salads included freshly shucked Malpeque oysters on the half shell with cocktail and mignonette sauces or a salad of lump crab, avocado.

Located at 32 Allen Street, Madonna’s presents Italy on the plate and Buffalo in the heart. Madonna’s brings the Italian style of simple cooking and perfect ingredients to a city that embodies the same. With Italian style and Buffalo hospitality, this restaurant n Allentown is a great place to enjoy Italian cuisine.

The Dipson Theatres Market Arcade Film & Art Center is located in Downtown Buffalo, across from Shea’s Performing Arts Center. Showing the latest movies and offering concession items to help enjoy a great movie-going experience, the Market Arcade theater includes a cafe area and friendly service.

Located at 3 Symphony Circle, The Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra provides a resident, professional, major symphony orchestra of artistic excellence and integrity to enrich the quality of life in Western New York through the presentation of live symphonic music and other musical events which educate and entertain the broadest po
ssible audiences within and beyond the Western New York region.

Located within the Hotel @ The Lafayette at 391 Washington Street, the Pan-American Grill & Brewery is a restaurant brewery with seating for 300-plus and a new mezzanine-level bar evoking the rich history of the former Lafayette Tap Room.

Located at 777 Main Street, Kaydara Noodle Bar is a restaurant that serves Vietnamese, Lao, Thai, Chinese, Korean and Japanese cuisine, including a centrally located 360 degree bar or seating overlooking the open kitchen or in the far corner with windows looking onto Main Street. Customers can also dine on the elevated platform or up in the balcony overlooking the Main Floor. Kaydara’s menu items include noodle-based dishes prepared in-house with a distinctive southeast Asian flare offering vegan and vegetarian options.

Located at 175 Allen Street in Allentown, Quaker Bonnet Eatery is the perfect spot for a breakfast meeting, brunch with friends, or lunch before a concert at nearby Kleinhans. Exhibits by local artists dot the walls, and Quaker Bonnet is a great source of information about cultural events in Western New York. All menu items and specials are available to enjoy at home. Specialty sandwiches, salads, soups, fresh pasta and potato salads daily specials (including hot entrees) & desserts are always available.

Tops Friendly Markets is a local grocery chain store that has grown since its establishment in the early 1920s. Located within every Buffalo neighborhood and throughout the region, Tops provides fresh produce, meat, seafood, baked goods, a carry-out cafe, deli and pharmacy services.

Located at 888 Main Street, Coco by Le Metro offers a variety of menu items including delicious sandwiches, soups, salads and more. Coco serves breakfast featuring fresh croissants, sfogliatelle pastries, breakfast focaccia, and egg sandwiches served on their heavenly English muffins, as well as coffee, tea and juice. Lunch features a full menu of salads, pasta dishes, sandwiches, burgers and more. Dinner is served with a basic dinner menu and changing seasonal dinner entrées.

State-of-the-Art Bike Storage Shelter – Coming Soon!

October 29, 2012 by BNMCin Biking, Campus-wide, Community, Environment, Transportation6 Comments

In an effort to continue to encourage employees to bike to work, the BNMC has partnered with GO Bike Buffalo on the construction and management of a state-of-the-art bike storage facility located on the corner of Ellicott and North Oak Streets. The facility will be completed by the end of the year and will open in Spring 2013.
Approximately 20 bicycle commuters will soon be able to securely access and lock their bikes inside the new facility without having to worry about theft, vandalism or inclement weather. Other amenities and maintenance items will also be made available. The creation of bicycle commuter storage facilities is a natural extension of our goal to promote the use of alternative transportation modes for a more active, sustainable and healthy BNMC.

Commuting by bike presents a fun way to exercise, improve your mental health and reduce stress. It also saves money! As a GO BNMC member, cyclists get rewarded for biking to work. Members receive a free GO Bike Buffalo membership, the opportunity to enter raffles and win prizes, and can participate in the Bicycle Commuter Tax Program. Help create a sustainable environment by reducing gas emissions as you choose to bike to work rather than drive.

Funding for the facility was made available by the Federal Transit Administration. Visit www.gobnmc-old.local to learn more to become a member of GO BNMC today. To sign-up to gain access to the storage shelter, contact us by e-mail at gobnmc@bnmc-old.local or by phone at 716.566.2316. Access will be given to cyclists on a first-come, first-serve basis.

GO BNMC Rewards Your Smart Commuting Choices

September 21, 2012 by BNMCin Biking, Campus-wide, Environment, Healthy Communities, Homepage, Member Institution(s), Outreach, Parking, Transportation, WellnessLeave a Comment

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.

Safe Routes to School Program Launches at PS 74

August 27, 2012 by BNMCin Biking, Community, Healthy Communities, Homepage, News, Outreach, Transportation, WellnessLeave a Comment

GO Bike Buffalo has launched the Buffalo Safe Routes to School Program (SRTS) at Hamlin Park School 74 . A part of a national program promoting the benefits of walking and biking to school for students, SRTS seeks to help students become more physically active. SRTS also aims to reduce vehicle congestion around schools, resulting in safer access and lower exhaust emissions.
Through a technology class at Hamilton Park, the Recycle-A-Bicycle (RAB) program will be incorporated into the curriculum. At Hamlin Park, students will learn how to build bicycles using salvaged parts and they will be taught how to make environmentally sound transportation choices which will undoubtedly have an impact on the health of the communities they live in. As they grow in their understanding of the importance of being physically active, the SRTS program will also teach them how to ride bicycles safely.

With the support of City Hall representative, Council Member Demone Smith, the program’s success will most likely be included into additional Buffalo Public Schools as a useful educational program. Smith stated that “Instituting healthy lifestyles and behaviors early in life are essential to developing healthy young people and communities. We will continue to work with GO Bike Buffalo to make improvements in the District as well as among our youngest residents.”

Media Alert: BNMC Hosts Summer Block Party for Employees (8-20-12)

August 20, 2012 by BNMCin Biking, Campus-wide, Community, Environment, Event, Healthy Communities, Member Institution(s), Outreach, Transportation, WellnessLeave a Comment

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Tuesday, August 20, 2012

Contact

Kari Root Bonaro, BNMC

716.218.7157, kbonaro@bnmc-old.local

MEDIA ALERT

BNMC Hosts Summer Block Party for Employees

Hundreds of Employees Expected to Attend the “GO BNMC” Transportation-Themed Event Focusing on Smarter, Greener, Healthier Ways to Get Around

WHAT: GO BNMC Summer Block Party, a free event for employees on the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus (BNMC)

WHEN: Thursday, August 23^rd from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. (Rain or shine –party will be under a tent)

WHERE: 941 Washington Street Lot (behind the Allen/Medical Campus NFTA Station)

This free event will highlight innovative and economical ways in which GO BNMC, a new commuting and rewards initiative, will promote healthy lifestyles and active living for employees on the Medical Campus.

Features educational videos and materials, demonstrations, and hands-on activities, including:

– Bicycle obstacle course sponsored by GO Bike

– Pedi-cab pick-ups (at Kaminski Park & the corner of high & Ellicott)

– Buffalo CarShare and BikeShare, including a sneak peak at the new bikes

– Segway tours

– Test drive an electric vehicle

– Public safety information

– The Fender Blender from the Community Foundation of Greater Buffalo

– Lunch from Whole Hog Food Truck

This event is sponsored by NYSERDA and the NYSDOT.

ABOUT THE BNMC

The Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus is dedicated to the cultivation of a world-class medical campus for clinical care, research, education, and entrepreneurship on 120 acres in downtown Buffalo. It is home to the region’s top clinical, research, and medical education institutions, including: the University at Buffalo, Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Olmsted Center for Sight, Kaleida Health, Hauptman-Woodward Medical Research Institute, Buffalo Medical Group, Buffalo Hearing & Speech Center, Unyts, and the Center for Hospice and Palliative Care. There are over 40 public and private companies on the BNMC. More than 12,000 people come to work at the Medical Campus every day, and BNMC institutions see over one million patients and visitors annually. The Campus has an annual economic impact of $1.5 billion on the region. The Medical Campus consists of more than 6 million square feet of research, clinical, and support space. bnmc-old.local

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BNMC Summer Block Party 2012

July 31, 2012 by BNMCin Biking, Campus-wide, Community, Event, Healthy Communities, Outreach, Transportation, WellnessLeave a Comment

Hundreds of employees on the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus (BNMC) are expected to attend this year’s BNMC Summer Block Party, a BNMC Fit spinoff themed GO BNMC: Smarter, Greener, Healthier Ways to get Around.
The event’s theme will focus on active living and alternative transportation this year to promote healthy and sustainable options that are best for individuals and the environment. The event aligns with the launching of the new BNMC transportation campaign called GO BNMC.

From 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. on Thursday, August 23 at the 941 Washington Street Lot, GO BNMC: Smarter, Greener, Healthier Ways to get Around will motivate, inform, and empower employees throughout the Medical Campus to enhance their quality of life by making practical commuting choices.

GO BNMC aims to create an innovative and sustainable transportation system for Medical Campus employees. The initiative is a part of the GO Buffalo campaign, a greater project exploring and promoting better ways for Buffalonians to get around, in addition to creating safe streets for pedestrians, cyclists, and transit riders. Through GO BNMC, employees are offered a menu of options to choose from to determine how they will get to and from work. This initiative will help expose employees on the campus to commuting alternatives available such as walking, bicycling, Metro Bus and Rail, carpooling and vanpooling.

The event will feature displays and demonstrations related to the GO BNMC campaign, including bike and pedestrian safety and education, and car-sharing demos. The new Social Bicycles called SoBi will also be unveiled and employees will be able to test drive electric vehicles. There will be transportation related raffles and giveaways, including raffles for free monthly passes.

Organizations attending the event include: GO Buffalo, NYSERDA, NYSDOT, NFTA, Buffalo CarShare, GO Bike Buffalo, the Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo with the Fender Blender, R&R Pedicabs, and more. R&R Pedicabs will be giving employees free rides from Kaminski Park and a stop on the corner of High and Ellicott Streets. Information tables and booths will be set-up for employees to view the services available.

GO BNMC offers employees smarter, greener, and healthier options to get around and incentivizes these options through its member rewards program.

To become a member of GO BNMC and get rewarded for smart commuting choices, click here to create a profile.

The popular campus event, BNMC Fit, will adopt an active living and alternative transportation theme this year to promote healthy and sustainable options that are best for individuals and the environment.

Support for Bike Lanes Sought to Increase Safety for Riders

July 12, 2012 by BNMCin Biking, Campus-wide, Community, Environment, Healthy Communities, Homepage, Outreach, Transportation, WellnessLeave a Comment

GO Bike Buffalo is helping to create a city where people of all ages can safely bike to work.
Through a push to create awareness of the need to establish safe streets for all users upon roadways, GO Bike is looking to increase safety on Buffalo’s streets through the Bicycle Lane Request Form. Unfortunately, most people choose not to ride their bicycles because they do not feel safe doing so. The initiative is a part of the Complete Streets campaign to promote health, safety, community, environmental sustainability, and quality of life for all, in every season.

GO Bike seeks to have parents in the City of Buffalo feel comfortable about allowing their children to bike to school and ensure fellow citizens have realistic alternatives to automobile transportation. By replacing drive-alone trips with alternative methods such as biking, individuals will not only improve their health, but the health of the environment and the health of the greater community will be improved as well.

Working with the City of Buffalo, Go Bike is looking to build safe and well-designed bicycle facilities throughout Buffalo. Join GO Bike by signing the Bicycle Lane Request Form in order for the demand and need for bike lane locations to be made known.

The goal is to reach 1,000 signatures by the end of July! For more information on how to increase safety on the streets for cyclists, visit the GO Bike Buffalo website, a GO Buffalo partner helping to increase alternative transportation options in Buffalo.

Help create a more bike-friendly city today!

Buffalo CarShare Opens Up Transportation Options

July 3, 2012 by BNMCin Biking, Community, Parking, TransportationLeave a Comment

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.

Higgins and Supporters Advocate for Creation of Western Gateway

June 25, 2012 by BNMCin Allentown, Amenities, Community, Construction, Homepage, NewsLeave a Comment

Congressman Brian Higgins expressed his support of the creation of a Western Gateway welcoming patients, visitors and employees of the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus (BNMC) into the historic Allentown neighborhood. The City of Buffalo’s Mayor Byron Brown and the President of the Allentown Association, Ed Castine are in support of the project as well.
With a total of $6.8 million from the Federal Highway Administration and other resources, the Allentown Association and the City of Buffalo supports the enhancement of the urban experience at the intersection of Allen and Main Streets connecting the Allentown neighborhood and business district with the Medical Campus. The University at Buffalo’s (UB) School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences will bring 1,200 new employees to the Medical Campus, this in addition to other planned developments will more than double the 2012 employee base of 8,500 to more than 17,500 by the year 2016. The City of Buffalo’s 2012-2013 Capital Budget has $100,000 designated for design work for improvements on Allen Street. Nearly $2 million will be needed for the conversion of Kevin’s Walk to the public right-of-way with enhanced amenities for pedestrians from Washington Street to North Oak Street. The remaining funds will be used for additional infrastructure development moving from Main Street westward along Allen Street.

Higgins encouraged partners who will make the gateway possible to move forward with zeal and urgency since the funds designated for the Allen Street Extension have been redirected. “The rapid growth of the Medical Campus brings exciting new opportunities for Buffalo and Western New York. We must act urgently to harness the good things hwp-contentening here. There is great potential for local business and job growth as well as quality of life enhancements” stated Higgins. “Improvements to the western gateway would tap into that potential and significantly benefit the Allentown community.”

Emphasizing the desire to spread the fruit of the economic development taking place on the BNMC, the campus’s President and CEO, Matt Enstice, stated that “This project will facilitate that and reassert the importance of sustainability – both in supporting the built environment that already exists and leveraging new investment to create a modern, walkable environment unlike anything Buffalo has seen in this post-industrial era.”

The streetscape and infrastructure improvements will help to further connect businesses, restaurants, and residents in the Allentown neighborhood with the large population of patients, visitors, employees who travel to the BNMC daily. This development will bring new life and economic activity to the already lively Allentown neighborhood. The Western Gateway will serve as a welcoming presence to the historic neighborhood and compliment the significant opportunity the relocation of UB’s Medical School represents for the Allentown neighborhood, the Medical Campus, the City of Buffalo and the Western New York region.

Canvassing in the BNMC Surrounding Neighborhoods

June 4, 2012 by BNMCin Allentown, Community, Fruit Belt, Healthy Communities, Homepage, TransportationLeave a Comment

Canvassing is taking place in the Allentown, Fruit Belt, Linwood and downtown Buffalo neighborhoods because of each community’s proximity to the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus. The canvassing will conclude October 2012. Go Buffalo-a partnership between the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus, Buffalo CarShare, and GO Bike Buffalo- is looking to learn how residents are getting around.
Five canvassers have been recruited to help spread the word about how residents can use alternative modes of transportation that are environmentally friendly and healthy. The different transportation options include biking, walking, public transit and car sharing.

In addition to sharing more sustainable ways to commute, the canvassers will share information about how local residents can find out about job openings and job training opportunities for future positions on the campus.

GO Buffalo will have a table at the Allen West Festival June 9-10, the Juneteenth Festival June 16-17, and the Fruit Belt Coalition’s National Night Out August 7.

For more information or if you would like to become a GO Buffalo Champion (a leader in sustainable transportation) please call Holly Hutchinson, Street Team Leader, at 716.566.2314.

Check out testimonials from people who cycle, use Buffalo CarShare, or walk to various destinations.

Buffalo Green Code Open House Meetings

May 31, 2012 by BNMCin Community, Construction, Environment, Event, Healthy Communities, Homepage, Transportation, WellnessLeave a Comment

Buffalo Green Code open house meetings for the community will take place June 4 until June 9. Through the City of Buffalo’s new zoning ordinance, a land use plan that was created last year will be improved upon as specific and detailed laws will govern development that takes place throughout the city.
The open house meetings will offer community members the opportunity to learn more about how the zoning ordinance will work and benefit their neighborhoods. There will also be Youth and Family Sessions. The BNMC and Healthy Kids, Healthy Communities (HKHC) partners have organized and will lead the family sessions at the meetings. Healthy Kids, Healthy Communities Buffalo will help kids and parents provide input into the process and fully understand the zoning initiative.

HKHC Blog.

Visit the Buffalo G reen Code website for more information.

Community	Date	Time	Location	Address
West	Mon, 6/4	6-8:30 pm	Lafayette HS	370 Lafayette Ave.
Northwest	Tue, 6/5	6-8:30 pm	Riverside HS	51 Ontario St
South	Tue, 6/5	6-8:30 pm	South Park HS	150 Southside Pkwy.
Ellicott	Wed, 6/6	6-8:30 pm	Montessori School #32	342 Clinton St.
Northeast	Wed, 6/6	6-8:30 pm	Bennett HS	2885 Main St.
North	Thurs, 6/7	6-8:30 pm	North Park Academy	780 Parkside Ave.
Central Morning	Fri, 6/8	8-10:30 am	Central Library	1 Lafayette Square
Central Afternoon	Fri, 6/8	Noon-2:30pm	Central Library	1 Lafayette Square
E. Delavan-Masten	Sat, 6/9	9-11:30am	East HS	820 Northampton St.
East	Sat, 6/9	1-3:30pm	Matt Urban Center	1081 Broadway Pkwy.

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

May 18, 2012 by BNMCin Campus-wide, Construction, Homepage, Parking, RenovationsLeave a Comment

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.