BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — Buffalo's parking enforcement officers are taking to the streets on two wheels, launching a new e-bike patrol aimed at cracking down on illegal parking downtown.
Parking Commissioner Justin Booth spearheaded the initiative, purchasing four new e-bikes and training eight parking enforcement officers for the task. The patrol is focused primarily on downtown Buffalo as well as commercial districts.
"You can be a lot more nimble and quick," Booth said.
"We hope that with these guys out on the street we can cut down on the number of cars illegally parking in bike lanes - we can make sure [the enforcement officers] don't need to park illegally to give a ticket to a car parked on the sidewalk," he added.
I joined officers Matt Morse and Nick Schaefer on the bike patrol's first outing, Monday. During a short route downtown, they ticketed several vehicles and moved along others, including one blocking the bike lane.
"We advised them of the parking laws and they were very receptive to us being out on bikes," Matt said.
WATCH: Buffalo launches e-bike parking enforcement patrol to target downtown and commercial districts
Booth says his department has been more active overall since he took over as parking commissioner in January. The department was also allocated double the number of parking enforcement officers in Mayor Ryan's budget which took effect July 1. Booth told me they are in the final stages of filling all of those positions. Despite the increased ticketing activity, Booth says revenue is not the driving force behind the effort.
"Our goal and our purpose is safety. I mean, revenue is a part of what happens when we do our job, but the overall number one goal of parking enforcement is to make sure our streets are safe," Booth explained.
As Matt and Nick wrapped up their ride, Mayor Sean Ryan stopped by to ask for their take on the new assignment, and he offered his own assessment of the program.
"I like it," Ryan said. "It's an easier way to get around downtown rather than driving a [parking] truck around."
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