Robert Moses was a horrible human being

A week after the meeting about the impending removal of Niagara Scenic Parkway, there is no recap online at https://www.niagaraparkwayreimagined.com/

There are two options left being considered to remove the nightmare left by Robert Moses dividing Niagara Falls from its river.

There will be 3 roundabouts involved no matter which option is chosen. One roundabouts at Hyde Park Boulevard at Devils Hole, one by Military Road and Route 104 and another near Artpark.

Moses loved entitled urban planning for the benefit of cars and white people. He built expressways on Long Island, in New York City and in Niagara Falls that were tone deaf to the people who lived there.

Who cares about DeVeaux when the businessmen who have moved to Lewiston need to get to their jobs in downtown Niagara Falls?

Why build a bridge tall enough for a bus on Long Island when you can keep black people from the beach by making it low enough a bus can’t fit under?

And that neighborhood in the Bronx is never as important as the need for cars to get through it? Build a highway down the middle. Besides, it keeps the poor people in their place. They are poor for a reason.

Oh and about those homes on Whirlpool Rapids Boulevard overlooking the river? They are in the way. Besides, we can mow down the old growth forest at the southeast corner of College Parkway and Lewiston Road and move them there. Who needs trees? We can make College Parkway, Van Rensselaer and Madison happen. Boring homes are more exciting than trees. Who needs trees? All they do is make leaves.

Another thing: If the privately owned power plant in Niagara Falls slides into the river and takes 25% of the tax base with it, New York State should take advantage. Build a new plant owned by the State. We don’t have to spend money on property taxes. It’s only Niagara Falls.

Oh and what about a reservoir? Oh wait, why not take land on the Tuscarora Reservation owned by private parties. We can get it for cheap and build a monster plant. Besides, they are just Indians. Fuck them.

No cost estimates have been released for the project but a good guess would be $100 million for NYPA to replace its dams and another $100 million for parkway removal. Add in revitalization of Main Street, the city market, redevelopment of the Schoellkopf building in DeVeaux Woods and USA Niagara projects downtown and it is easy to arrive at $500 million in spending in the next decade. If that doesn't turn Niagara Falls around nothing will. That also goes without mentioning Centennial Park which originally had a price tag of $150 million but might be $250 million if it ever gets built.

A curious design element occurs adjacent to Niagara University. Lewiston Road crosses the dams about 15-feet above the parkway. Thus a bike path below would not be easy to connect with from the NU campus. The design shows two paths, one below and one above.

A consistent planning feature as well is a “road diet” eliminating unneeded lanes and infrastructure. Right now, by car, it takes us 8 minutes to go down the hill into Lewiston (12 minutes by bike). When all this planning is done, and parkway removal is completed it will still be 12 minutes by bike, and about 10 minutes by car. Bob Baxter would be proud.

Sacrificing two minutes of drive time to erase a bit of Moses’ horrific legacy is a bargain. Now if we can get NYPA to rename the power plant.