As two Buffalo council members push for speed limits on the Scajaquada Expressway to be increased, a local advocacy group is saying 'not so fast.'

It’s been four years since the speed limit on the 198 was reduced to 30 miles per hour following a deadly crash. 

Some say the change was a detriment to traffic safety. 

While others like Justin Booth, the Scajaquada Corridor Coalition co-chairman, refer to existing data by the New York state Department of Transportation.

"There's been a 35 percent reduction in crashes along the corridor," said Booth. 

Council members Joseph Golombek and Joel Feroleto have called on the state to raise the speed limit and seek bids for a new design via a national competition. 

"Except through the park where I am fine with it remaining at 30 miles an hour, but the common council members and I are thinking alike in our belief that the speed limit should go back up until there is some finalized plan by the state," said Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown. 

In their resolution, the council members say that vehicles on the 198 were not meant to travel so slowly and could become a safety hazard. 

"The other major concern that the city has is spilling traffic into the residential neighborhoods because people now want to avoid the 198 and the 30 mile per hour speed limit," added Mayor Brown. 

The Scajaquada Corridor Coalition says its vision for the corridor closely aligns with the original plans of Frederick Law Olmsted. The Coalition wants the new design that will reconnect the neighborhoods that have been divided by the 198 and 33.

"In the past, the focus has been how quickly can we move vehicles from Point A to Point B. I think we need to change the conversation — (it) should be how to we support people in their daily needs and not just move vehicles," said Booth. 

This month, the Buffalo-Niagara Regional Transportation Council has been given the green light by Gov. Andrew Cuomo to oversee planning and changes to the 198 between Parkside Avenue and Grant Street. 

It's a process that will welcome the input of all of Buffalo's residents. 

"The community has been really focused on getting the corridor design for 30 miles per hour as a way to make sure that it is safe for all uses of the parkway system in that neighborhood," said Booth.

The Coalition agrees that changes are necessary for the 198, however they believe increasing speed is not the best option.

"We know that at 40 miles per hour if someone is hit by a vehicle, they have a 90 percent chance of not surviving that crash," added Booth. “Where at 20 miles per hour, they have a 90 percent of surviving that crash. So speed makes a significant impact on the number of crashes, the severity of those crashes."