Cars Credited with a Comeback on Main Street

Once only accessible to pedestrians and Metro Rail, Main Street in Buffalo is seeing automobile traffic and business investment again.

1 minute read

June 6, 2016, 1:00 PM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


Buffalo

Looking down the Metro Rail tracks on Main Street in Buffalo, New York. | Atomazul / Shutterstock

Mark Sommer writes of a boom for business on Main Street in Buffalo: "The cars came back – and now the diners, renters and shoppers are beginning to come, too."

After listing some of the new businesses opening in the area, Sommer talks to one business owner in particular who credits the return of vehicle traffic to Main Street after it was banned in 1982. The city opened Main Street to cars when it launched the "Cars Sharing Main Street" program in 2009. "As the automobiles, which share the road with Metro Rail, slowly make a comeback, so, too, does the commercial heart of downtown itself," writes Sommer.

While this article, gives credit to the car, a story picked up by Planetizen in 2013 credited Buffalo's Metro Rail system, once touted as a "Train to Nowhere," with the massive investment represented by the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus.

Monday, May 30, 2016 in The Buffalo News

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Get top-rated, practical training

Close-up of "Apartment for rent" sign in red text on black background in front of blurred building

Trump Administration Could Effectively End Housing Voucher Program

Federal officials are eyeing major cuts to the Section 8 program that helps millions of low-income households pay rent.

April 21, 2025 - Housing Wire

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

April 30, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Close-up on Canadian flag with Canada Parliament building blurred in background.

Canada vs. Kamala: Whose Liberal Housing Platform Comes Out on Top?

As Canada votes for a new Prime Minister, what can America learn from the leading liberal candidate of its neighbor to the north?

April 28, 2025 - Benjamin Schneider

Washington

Washington State’s Parking Reform Law Could Unlock ‘Countless’ Acres for New Housing

A law that limits how much parking cities can require for residential amd commercial developments could lead to a construction boom.

May 1 - Streetsblog USA

Bluebird sitting on branch of green bush.

Wildlife Rebounds After the Eaton Fire

Following the devastation of the Eaton Fire, the return of wildlife and the regrowth of native plants are offering powerful signs of resilience and renewal.

May 1 - AP News

1984 Olympics

LA to Replace Inglewood Light Rail Project With Bus Shuttles

LA Metro says the change is in response to community engagement and that the new design will be ready before the 2028 Olympic Games.

May 1 - Newsweek

Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.

Planning for Universal Design

Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.