downtown buffalo, new york

2015 PEDESTRIAN STUDY

Downtown Buffalo, New York

August 2015

TABLE OF CONTENTS

2015 Pedestrian Study Summary and Findings....................................1

Appendix A – District Map and Charts................................................4

Appendix B – All Count Tables............................................................9

Appendix C – Multiple Count Sites.....................................................14

Appendix D – Acknowledgements.....................................................25

Buffalo Place

2015 Pedestrian Study

INTRODUCTION

The Buffalo Place Inc. Planning Department has studied pedestrian traffic and volume in

Downtown Buffalo, with special attention to Main Street, since 1987. The 2015 study is the first

to be under taken since 2008. Surveying pedestrian volume fits Buffalo Place’s mission of

“improving the economic health and quality of life in Downtown Buffalo.” Additional study

goals are to:

Provide a quantitative measure of the health of Downtown Buffalo.

Identify and explain pedestrian trends within Downtown Buffalo.

Provide information to local retailers, office tenants, property owners, and developers

who are either invested in or considering a Downtown Buffalo location.

METHODOLOGY

For each intersection, pedestrian counts were taken in 10 minute samples twice (once

during the 12:00 pm hour and again during the 1:00 pm hour). These counts were then

multiplied by six and averaged together to formulate the average number of pedestrian trips per

lunch hour. In the past, five minute counts had been used. However, it was found that a 10

minute sample better represents hourly pedestrian volume. A longer 15 minute sample count

was considered but found to be only marginally better.

As a control factor for collecting data, counts were only taken on sunny, warm days in the

months of June, July, and August, on Mondays through Thursdays. This was done despite a

dearth of good weather days during Summer 2015, a factor that may have resulted in lower

counts due to less frequent walking habits developed this summer by downtown employees and

residents, than in previous years. In dryer years, we have seen pedestrian numbers increase,

notably in both 1991 and 1994. This supports the conclusion that seasonal pedestrian volumes

are lower during cooler, wetter summers and increase for warmer, dryer seasons.

Buffalo Place Inc. 2015 Pedestrians Study Page 1 of 25

The counts for some intersections were impacted by special events that took place on

particular days. In each instance, counts were taken on days of the event and days without it and

each have a separate column on the tables. These intersections were:

Niagara Square – Every Thursday between June 4th and August 27th, the City of Buffalo

sponsored Food Truck Thursday in which several food trucks would open for lunch in the

center of the square.

Coca-Cola Field – While most Bisons home games during the week take place in the

evening, the team hosts a Thursday game starting at 1:05 pm approximately once every

month. This directly affected counts at both Washington/Swan and Washington/Seneca.

Downtown Country Market – Buffalo Place’s hallmark summer event, the Downtown

Country Market, took place for its 33rd year in 2015. The market runs between June and

October, every Tuesday and Thursday, with 23 vendors setting up tents along Main Street

between Main Place Mall and the former AM&A’s department store.

M&T Plaza Event Series – For the 46th year, M&T Bank sponsored free performances

on their plaza every weekday for 11 weeks during the summer. These performances take

place between 12 pm and 1 pm. Subsequently, the counts for M&T Plaza are an average

of the hour during the performances and the hour after.

STUDY AREA

For the 2015 Pedestrian Study, counts were taken in the core area of the Central Business

District. In this case, that was all intersections on Washington, Main, Pearl, Franklin, and

Delaware between Edward/Goodell and Erie Canal Harbor. This focus area targets both the

Buffalo Place Special Charge District centering on the Pedestrian Mall, but also includes

Delaware and Franklin in order to gain a full picture of pedestrian movement in downtown’s

center. Staff availability and weather limited the addition of less populated CBD streets

including South Elmwood, Ellicott, Oak, Elm, and Michigan.

Some intersections with open areas and/or complex pedestrian movement patterns were

counted in subdivisions and their figures combined to constitute a count of the entire site. These

subdivisions were made so that pedestrians and bicycles were counted only in one direction and

that none were double counted as their path crossed the boundaries of each zone. The multiple

count sites for this study were:

Fountain Plaza

Niagara Square

Lafayette Square

Former AM&A’s/Country Market

M&T Plaza

Cathedral Park

Coca-Cola Field (during afternoon ball games)


SUMMARY OF FINDINGS

The 2015 Pedestrian Study was consistent with previously noted trends that the focus of

pedestrian traffic in Downtown Buffalo centers on the Main Street corridor, and that pedestrian

traffic on Main Street builds from both the north and south to reach its peak at Lafayette Square.

Much of this has to do with the linear layout of downtown. Most of the city’s major office

buildings and public spaces center on Main between Swan and Chippewa.

A major theme in the summer of 2015 was construction. Downtown Buffalo has seen

major investments from both the private and public sectors in the last several years leading to

transformations and growth. However, the short term downside is the disruptions from these

projects tend to depress counts. Major projects occurring in the area this summer were Cars On

Main Street work at Fountain Plaza and on the 500 Block (including the reconstruction of

Roosevelt Plaza and Mohawk Street), construction of 250 Delaware, and the completion of

HARBORCENTER.

Despite that, 15 intersections studied in 2015 averaged volumes of over 1000 pedestrians

an hour, the generally accepted threshold for an intersection to support retail establishments. Of

these intersections, 10 were directly on Main Street with a total of 12 located within the Buffalo

Place Special Charge District.

Since the last pedestrian study in 2008, the landscape of Lower Main Street has

drastically changed. With the growth of Canalside and its surrounding attractions, activity in the

area has spiked. For instance, the intersection of Main and Scott, the focal point between One

Canalside, HARBORCENTER, and public spaces on the Great Lawn and South Aud Blocks,

saw a 79% increase in pedestrian volume since 2008. Also, the Marine/Commercial intersection

registered the highest volume of bicycle traffic in this year’s study at 42 bikes an hour. These

gains come as the neighboring Main Street area, the Historic Office District, declined in activity,

likely due to several tenant vacancies, notably One Seneca Tower.

In past years, some of the highest recorded volumes have been in conjunction with

special events and 2015 was no exception as the largest single hour volume recorded took place

at M&T Plaza during the 12:00 pm hour, concurrent with the Plaza Event Series. However,

volume increases are not exclusive to just established events. The City of Buffalo’s Food Truck

Thursdays brought 40% more pedestrian traffic to Niagara Square compared with non-event

days. Similar increases also occurred at the Downtown Country Market and Bisons afternoon

home games.


APPENDIX A

DISTRICT MAP & CHARTS


0 500 1000 1500 2000 2500 3000 3500 4000

Main & Scott

Main & Seneca

Main & Swan

Cathedral Park

M&T Plaza

Main Place/AM&A's

Lafayette Square

Main & Mohawk

Main & Huron

Fountain Plaza

Main & Chippewa

600 Block

Main & Tupper

Main & Goodell

Pedestrians/Hour

Main Street


0

500

1,000

1,500

2,000

Chippewa &Delaware

Chippewa &Franklin

Chippewa & Pearl Chippewa & Main Chippewa &Washington

Ped

estr

ian

s/H

ou

r

Chippewa Street

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

3000

3500

4000

Niagara Square Court & Franklin Court & Pearl Lafayette Square

PEd

estr

ian

s/H

ou

r

Court Street


0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

3000

3500

4000

Church & Delaware Church & Franklin Church & Pearl Cathedral Park M&T Plaza

Ped

estr

ian

s/H

ou

r

Church Street

0

500

1,000

1,500

2,000

Marine & Commercial Scott & Main Scott & Washington

Ped

estr

ian

s/H

ou

r

Scott Street


APPENDIX B

ALL COUNT TABLES


Main Street Zones and North/ South Street

2015 Pedestrian and Bicycle Counts

Organized North to South, West to East Location

Peds @ 12

Peds @ 1 Average

Average Bikes/ Lunch Hour

Theatre District

Main & Goodell 312 210 261 12

Washington & Goodell 108 60 84 12

Pearl & Tupper 342 78 210 6

Main & Tupper 354 348 351 9

Washington & Tupper 144 120 132 9

Main St. 600 Block 762 642 702 36

Washington & Chippewa 312 306 309 6

Main & Chippewa 1260 1422 1341 15

Pearl & Chippewa 966 558 762 9

Fountain Plaza

Fountain Plaza 1692 1338 1515 24

Pearl & Huron 648 534 591 15

Roosevelt Plaza 984 1212 1098 21

Washington & Huron/Genesee 438 426 432 9

Shopping District

Pearl & Mohawk 468 258 363 3

Main & Mohawk 1428 912 1170 33

Washington & Mohawk 426 276 351 3

Pearl & Court 1302 1218 1260 27

Lafayette Square 4026 3408 3717 24

Washington & Broadway 840 384 612 30

Washington & Clinton 1170 558 864 21

Pearl & Eagle 984 1110 1047 15

Washington & Eagle 636 474 555 9

Main Place/AM&A's (Market) 3390 3246 3318 36

Main Place/AM&A's 2232 1144 1688 24

M&T Plaza 5124 1974 3549 39

Historic Office

Pearl & Church 882 858 870 12

Cathedral Park 1410 1458 1434 39

Pearl & Swan 522 378 450 12

Main & Swan 1116 1062 1089 6

Coca Cola Field (Game Day) 1620 498 1059 3

Coca Cola Field 444 378 411 12

Pearl & Seneca 378 252 315 0

Main & Seneca 624 426 525 12

Washington & Seneca (Game Day) 852 1104 978

0

Washington & Seneca 186 192 189 6


Main Street Zones and North/ South Street 2015 Pedestrian and Bicycle Counts continued

Continued

Organized North to South, West to East

Location

Peds @ 12

Peds @ 1

Average


Erie Canal Harbor

Washington & Exchange 174 144 159 0

Marine & Commercial 824 624 724 42

Main & Scott 1038 984 1011 9

East Canal Park 96 120 108 0

Washington & Scott 504 756 630 6

Washington & Perry 396 324 360 9

Delaware Ave.

Delaware & Edward 198 120 159 9

Delaware & Tupper 366 174 270 12

Delaware & Chippewa 1182 864 1023 18

Delaware & Huron 642 654 648 12

Delaware & Mohawk 648 516 582 9

Niagara Square (Food Trucks) 2622 1800 2211 24

Niagara Square 1326 1812 1569 27

Delaware & Eagle 720 732 726 9

Delaware & Church 216 210 213 3

Franklin St.

Franklin & Edward 78 156 117 21

Franklin & Tupper 306 138 222 21

Franklin & Chippewa 966 582 774 9

Franklin & Huron 300 168 234 15

Franklin & Mohawk 426 390 408 9

Franklin & W. Genesee 258 228 243 18

Franklin & Court 1086 1182 1134 18

Franklin & Niagara 750 702 726 12

Franklin & Eagle 708 756 732 15

Franklin & Church 606 420 513 12

Franklin & Swan 420 324 372 15

Franklin & Seneca 84 72 78 6

S. Elmwood Ave. S. Elmwood & Edward 24 72 48 18

S. Elmwood & Tupper 150 60 105 24


Cross Street 2015 Pedestrian and Bicycle Counts


Location

Peds @ 12

Peds @ 1

Average


Edward/Goodell

Edward & S. Elmwood 24 72 48 18

Edward & Delaware 198 120 159 9

Edward & Franklin 78 156 117 21

Goodell & Main 312 210 261 12

Goodell & Washington 108 60 84 12

Tupper St.

Tupper & S. Elmwood 150 60 105 24

Tupper & Delaware 366 174 270 12

Tupper & Franklin 306 138 222 21

Tupper & Pearl 342 78 210 6

Tupper & Main 354 348 351 9

Tupper & Washington 144 120 132 9

Chippewa St.

Chippewa & Delaware 1182 864 1023 18

Chippewa & Franklin 966 582 774 9

Chippewa & Pearl 966 558 762 9

Chippewa & Main 1260 1422 1341 15

Chippewa & Washington 312 306 309 6

Huron St.

Huron & Delaware 642 654 648 12

Huron & Franklin 300 168 234 15

Huron & Pearl 648 534 591 15

Roosevelt Plaza 984 1212 1098 21

Huron/Genesee & Washington 438 426 432 9

Mohawk St.

Mohawk & Delaware 648 516 582 9

Mohawk & Franklin 426 390 408 9

Pearl & Mohawk 468 258 363 3

Mohawk & Main 1428 912 1170 33

Mohawk & Washington 426 276 351 3

Court St.

Niagara Square (Food Trucks) 2622 1800 2211 24

Niagara Square 1326 1812 1569 27

Court & Franklin 1086 1182 1134 18

Court & Pearl 1302 1218 1260 27

Lafayette Square 4026 3408 3717 24


Cross Street 2015 Pedestrian and Bicycle Counts continued

Continued


Location

Peds @ 12

Peds @ 1

Average

Average Bikes/

Lunch Hour

Eagle St.

Delaware & Eagle 720 732 726 9

Eagle & Franklin 708 756 732 15

Eagle & Pearl 984 1110 1047 15

Main Place/AM&A's (Market) 3390 3246 3318 36

Main Place/AM&A's 2232 1144 1688 24

Eagle & Washington 636 474 555 9

Church St.

Church & Delaware 216 210 213 3

Church & Franklin 606 420 513 12

Church & Pearl 882 858 870 12

Cathedral Park 1410 1458 1434 39

M&T Plaza 5124 1974 3549 39

Swan St.

Swan & Franklin 420 324 372 15

Swan & Pearl 522 378 450 12

Swan & Main 1116 1062 1089 6

Coca Cola Field (Game Day) 1620 498 1059 3

Coca Cola Field 444 378 411 12

Seneca St.

Franklin & Seneca 84 72 78 6

Seneca & Pearl 378 252 315 0

Seneca & Main 624 426 525 12

Washington & Seneca (Game Day) 852 1104 978

0

Washington & Seneca 186 192 189 6

Scott St.

Marine & Commercial 824 624 724 42

Scott & Main 1038 984 1011 9

Scott & Washington 504 756 630 6


APPENDIX C

MULTIPLE COUNT SITES


Boundaries for Multiple Sample Count Sites

Location # of Subcounts

Cathedral Park 2

M&T Plaza 3

Lafayette Square 5

Main Place/Former AM&A’s 2

Main Place/Former AM&A’s (w/Market) 4

Fountain Plaza Area 2

Niagara Square 2

Coca-Cola Field (game day) 3


Key

Indicates Pedestrian Direction Counted

Indicates Boundary of Location

A Indicates Location


Cathedral Park Area

Location A, B


M & T Plaza Area

Location A, B, C


Coca Cola Field

Coca Cold Field

Lafayette Square Area

Location A, B, C, D, E


Main Place/Former AM&A’s


Main Place/ Former AM&A’s During Country Market


Fountain Plaza Area

Locations A & B


Niagara Square


Coca Cola Field Area

Locations A, B, & C


ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Mitch LaRosa: Binghamton University planning student and Buffalo Place 2015 summer

intern who conducted the pedestrian survey, analyzed data, prepared maps, graphs, and

the final report.

Thank you to Drew Walier: Clarkson University student and Adam Rubin: Buffalo State student

who helped collect counts.


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