Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - With the Trump Administration pulling federal funding back for transit and bicycle infrastructure, seven states, including New York, are planning on using their road and highway funding to cover the cost.
Deputy Director of GoBike, Kevin Heffernan, says it's disappointing to see the federal government cutting back on funding, however, he believes this will incentivize people to start using greener forms of transportation.
"We are disappointed to see that funds for transit are being pulled back because, you know, anyone who thinks about getting stuck in traffic or things like that, every time you're able to present an opportunity to remove a car from the road, you're going to improve safety, air quality and traffic flow. And when we think about a long term sustainable future, it's not necessarily about cars going from gas to electric, but it's having frequent and reliable transit so that anyone of any ability can be able to travel a long distance," stated Heffernan in an interview with WBEN.
Heffernan explains that there is miles of old rail road tracks in Western New York that can be turned into bike and pedestrian paths that are away from main roads.
"Something that we worked on just this past year was a feasibility study for the Amherst Peanut Line. That would just be a continuation of the Clarence bike path. It goes along the same peanut railway that was Batavia to Niagara Falls, so that that land is out there for trails. Something we were talking about when we did that feasibility study is this would connect to different schools and a bunch of different local businesses. You'd be giving kids and families safer routes to school, healthier routes to school than sitting in the back of mom and dad's car. Or if busses continue to be difficult to fund and find drivers for, you're creating safe spaces for children to get to school safely," stated Heffernan.
