Local lawmaker, high schooler raise awareness of unsafe traffic conditions at West Seneca West

WEST SENECA, N.Y. (WIVB) -- A Buffalo lawmaker and a rising senior are working together to address the lack of sidewalks at West Senior High School in West Seneca.

Students and community members are coming together to show their support for a new proposal that has the opportunity to save lives.

Assemblyman Pat Burke said students at the high school are incentivized to walk towards the intersection of Seneca Street and Ridge Road after their dismissal from school. The area is full of traffic with no sort of pedestrian safety precautions, he said.

"There are no sidewalks, no cross walks, no walking signals," Burke said. "Something at some point will probably happen."

Burke wasn't the first person to bring this issue to light.

Richie Schack, an incoming senior, realized there was a major issue at the intersection since he walks it himself almost every day. He started a petition that already has over 400 signatures from concerned students, teachers and community members.

"I was concerned for students and residents who run across the intersection. It's a safety violation," Schack said. "I would rather stop something before it happens, especially an accident."

According to Schack and Burke, this has been an issue for years. Schack told WIVB News 4 that some teachers have even spoken out about how dangerous the conditions are.

"A few teachers have told me stories of their colleagues or friends being in accidents with serious injuries," Schack said. "There has been nothing to take care of that."

The goal now is to install sidewalks and crosswalks. Burke has also proposed the idea of adding a traffic button that stops traffic from all directions so students can cross carefully and safely.

"I don't want to be the elected official who recognizes a problem and didn't try and do something about it," Burke said. "I don't want it on my conscious when some kid gets hit there because their government wasn't responsive."

Talks with the school district, the New York State Department of Transportation, the Town of West Seneca, Erie County, and the New York State Assembly are already underway.

Burke said he is going to continue to have conversations with engineers to determine what changes are actually possible at the intersection. He is also going to work on determining where the funding for this project will come from.