WNY Non-Development Discussion

[DallasTexan]

Oh?

Well here in Birmingham, it's been perfect as usual.

[Sabretooth]

I thought that was what the Genesee-Moselle neighborhood looked like.

[steel]

Originally Posted by DallasTexan

Oh?

Well here in Birmingham, it's been perfect as usual.

I always imagined you living someplace creepy looking like that.


In other news here is a spectacular thread I came across recently
http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/show...42#post3303942

Here is the Buffalo contribution to the thread
image hosted on flickr

[DallasTexan]

Awesome.

image hosted on flickr

[steel]

That was my favorite picture

[Sabretooth]

Wow, so devoid of street life...not even any tumbleweeds! And I don't even want to know what is up with that leftmost building...

Though seriously, that's Buffalo's problem with chains all over. We don't even have a Bible Hardware.

FWIW, Buffalo and Pittsburgh probably have the best, most in-your-face grit and density of any of the pictures in those phototours.

[DallasTexan]

Jerome and George H are having lunch together again!

[steel]

I never figured Jerome for tattoos. Pretty radical for Wheatfiled

[ECoastTransplant]

Originally Posted by DallasTexan

Jerome and George H are having lunch together again!

Ooooooo.

[Sabretooth]

How can I become a state legislator?

Spitzer wants to give them all raises. Evidently $80,000 + lulus isn't enough compensation to sit with your thumbs planted firmly up your ass a few days a week a few weeks a year and do absolutely nothing. Crap, they're paid more per accomplishment than most if not all professional athletes.

If this happens with his support, count me on the side of Spitzer critics. 11 more years of this and I may even draw comparisons to the "P" word.

Good example of a broken legislature:

Gov. Backs Red-Light Cameras For Buffalo, Beyond
Thursday, January 24, 2008 06:33 AM - WBEN Newsroom

Buffalo, NY (WBEN) - Gov. Eliot Spitzer is backing a red-light camera plan that Buffalo officials say could raise millions and put more officers on the street, but the measure still faces opposition from the transportation committee chair who intends to let it die in committee.

When he announced his budget plan earlier this week, Governor Spitzer said he backs Buffalo's plan to install 50 traffic cameras throughout the city. The devices would record when people run red lights, snap a photo of their license plate and generate a traffic ticket.

Spitzer - in his budget message- floated the idea of expanding the program beyond New York City, to include 50 cameras each for Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, and Yonkers. The governor says the increased revenue could lessen property taxes.

"I think that's a tremendous help to the cause, when you have the top officer inthe state coming out for it," says Michael Lo Curto, Delaware Dist. Councilmember. " I think there's already a lot of support for it so this can only help."

LoCurto authored a home rule message to get those cameras installed. It was unanimously backed by the Common Council, the mayor, the Police Commissioner and the entire WNY delagation. They say the cameras would raise $3.5 million

The measure however is stalled. Rochester Assemblyman David Gantt , chairs the Transportation committee. and he refuses to allow the bill to report out.

"It's frustrating and incredible that one guy can hold this thing up," Lo Curto tells WBEN's Steve Cichon. ["but I would probably do the same thing myself somewhere else"] - editorial comment

The Governor would like to see traffic cameras throughout upstate New York, but the assemblyman with all the cards says he doesn't care what the governor says

Seriously, WTF? Democracy, eh? Guess we have some insight into who one of the surely many red light runners in the Rochester area is.

Or how about ratifying that Great Lakes accord?

[Jerome]

Middleport enjoys being on list of ‘best places’
Event tonight focuses on national rating
By Teresa Sharp NIAGARA CORRESPONDENT
Updated: 01/24/08 6:54 AM

MIDDLEPORT — Local leaders and residents will gather tonight to celebrate the choice — by an international business magazine — of this small, canalside village as one of the top spots in the country to raise a family.

BusinessWeek recently ranked Middleport No. 11 of its Top 50 “best places to raise kids for less” — with an eye toward safety, community and education.

Mayor Julia A. Maedl said she was “blown away” when she learned of the designation, “but it really wasn’t a surprise because we have a beautiful little community here, and it’s affordable.”

State Sen. George D. Maziarz, RNewfane, is scheduled to read a proclamation during today’s 6:30 p.m. gathering at the Middleport Scout House, 131 Telegraph Road. A host of other government and community leaders have been invited to attend the ceremony, which is open to the public.

The village, in the northeast corner of the Town of Royalton, has a population of 1,917 and a median household income of $36,464, according to 2000 U.S. Census Bureau data.

BusinessWeek and national real estate researcher OnBoard of New York City used this and other data to create the list.

The list weighed the five criteria it felt every family should consider in selecting an area to live: school test scores; cost of living; recreational and cultural activities; number of schools; and risk of crime.

Its findings were reported in the magazine’s Nov. 16 issue.

Paul D. Bona Jr., superintendent of Royalton-Hartland Schools, said the school district was “very proud and pleased to get the recognition that we’ve always felt has been an important aspect of the Middleport community.”

About 1,600 children attend Roy- Hart’s three schools: the elementary, middle and senior high.

“I’ve been here 10 years and have raised my own three children here, and it’s a marvelous place to raise children,” said Bona, who previously served as a superintendent of schools in the Adirondacks region.

BusinessWeek ranked Middleport the highest of the four places named in Western New York. The others ranked were: 24th, Sherman, population 714 and median household income of $30,583; 31st, Friendship, with 1,176 residents and a median household income of $25,524; and 34th, Clarence Center, with a population of 1,747 and median income of $66,311. The nation’s top spot, according

to the magazine, was Groesbeck, Ohio, with a population of 7,202. The Cincinnati suburb has a median family household income of about $49,000.

Tonight’s meeting also will mark the unveiling of an artist’s renderings of new signage planned for the village to denote the honor.

“We’ll have two big signs, one on Route 104 and one on Route 31, as well as a couple of smaller ones,” Maedl said. “These will probably go up in the spring. Local organizations will be donating money to help with the cost.

“This village is wonderful. You really don’t have to leave the village for anything. We have the schools, stores, post office, doctors, cultural events — even our own police force — every amenity the large cities have, without the hassle.”

niagaranews@buffnews.com

[xzmattzx]

There are about 20 red-light cameras in Delaware, the majority of them in the Wilmington and Newark area, and a study from back in November or October showed that car accidents increased at about half of the intersections since the cameras were installed. Fatalities have even increased at about 4 or 5 of the lights, if I remember correctly.

[Sabretooth]

How could having a camera at an intersection increase accidents? People too busy looking for the camera to pay attention to the road? That makes as much sense as if I say went out and did a traffic count at any particular intersection, and for that day the accident rate spiked. Or saying accident rates increase when a patrol car is parked off the side of the road.

They ought to put extremely bright flashing blue lights on the top of them. Ones you can see from 5 blocks away, like the surveillance ones in downtown Buffalo. You know, so that the potential criminal can see them and knock them out before committing their crime.

I have no problem with them, generally. User fees are generally more equitable than taxation. Balance the budget on the backs of those who technically should be getting fined and are placing others' lives in jeopardy anyways. Similar to that, we wouldn't have any taxes if police were able to fine everyone who speeds through a construction work zone. Several hundred $$ a pop, thousands of times a day. And that's just one site. We'd be using gold instead of concrete to pave roads!

Reaching into my rear end....$400 /infraction x 10000 inf/day/site x 1000 sites x 365 days/yr = $1,460,000,000,000/yr. How big is the US budget?

[ECoastTransplant]

Accidents increase because people slam on their brakes when the light turns yellow thinking if they proceed they're going to get a ticket. People behind them assume there is plenty of time and the car in front won't be stopping- and WHAM!

[bjfan82]

Originally Posted by DallasTexan

Jerome and George H are having lunch together again!

I always thought Jerome was black.

[DallasTexan]

I wish.

[bjfan82]

You would.

[Sabretooth]

Originally Posted by ECoastTransplant

Accidents increase because people slam on their brakes when the light turns yellow thinking if they proceed they're going to get a ticket. People behind them assume there is plenty of time and the car in front won't be stopping- and WHAM!

Yeah, I suppose.

So you program in a 2 second "grace period" or something. Or you just don't tell people, nor make it obvious, where it is (increases the value of the deterrent if you don't know where to expect it). Of course that will get the "invasion of privacy" people all up in arms.

Also, properly timed signals that minimize the amount of "dilemma vehicles" also wouldn't hurt. On that note, maybe we shouldn't install them here. Just catch the speeders in the work zones instead!

[Jerome]

Originally Posted by bjfan82

You would.

Who said I wasn't?

[DallasTexan]

me.