Almost 100 inches of snow bury UB’s campus and the surrounding Buffalo area each year, and though the freezing temperatures and bitter winds are a constant source of misery, it’s the icy, slippery roads that wreak true havoc – and endanger lives.
UB does an admirable job of protecting its students on campus. It seems like students see more snowplows than Stampede buses and there’s no shortage of salt on the sidewalks, which keeps them clear of snow and ice.
But despite their best efforts, multiple drivers still lost control on the icy roads near campus last week.
As conditions worsen, more responsibility falls on student drivers to slow down. The need for slower speeds isn’t only relevant on the roads, but also in the treacherous battleground of UB’s parking lots.
Students carelessly competing for spaces on campus and hurriedly navigating around mounds of frozen snow could be inviting trouble – or at least fender benders.
But off campus, as the safety of on-campus roads abruptly ends, students are left to their own devices. Students in the University Heights, for example, have to contend with the risks of black ice and slippery streets on their own, and risk their safety getting to class each day.
Throughout Buffalo, as students commute from the area’s vast array of towns and villages, there is no guarantee of safety on the roads. That was made all too apparent during November’s infamous snowstorm, when drivers ended up stranded on the New York State Thruway.
While UB garners praise for the management of their streets and sidewalks, Gov. Andrew Cuomo and the Thruway Authority are facing endless criticism and a long list of challenges surrounding the state’s roadways.
The Thruway, now 60 years old, is under increasing scrutiny not only because of the poor management of the roadway during November’s storm, but also because of sudden and unexplained resignations of the authority chairman, executive director and chief financial officer.
With new leadership and a $1.3 billion dollar budget – thanks to an unexpected influx of money from legal settlements and fines – Cuomo has the opportunity to usher in a new era of effective management of the state’s roadways.
He has no excuses, and no room for error.
Somehow, the Thruway is no longer financially self-sufficient – Cuomo managed to find the necessary funds this time around, but he cannot rely on surprise settlements to fund the road forever.
Cuomo pledged he would not support increased tolls, which leaves him in a tough spot. The Thruway must be maintained – and improved – but New Yorkers shouldn’t have to pay any more than they do already.
And even more importantly, the incoming leaders of the Thruway Authority must develop a consistent, effective response to severe winter weather. November’s storm needs to serve as a reminder – the only reminder – of what is at stake, and what cannot happen again.
UB keeps its students safe on campus, and Cuomo and the Thruway Authority have to figure out a way to protect the state’s drivers.
email: editorial@ubspectrum.com
