BUFFALO, N.Y. — Since the summer began, five Western New Yorkers have been hit by cars.
Last month, a cyclist was injured after being hit in Amherst and another was killed on East Ferry in Buffalo.
Then just this week, a 21-year-old pedestrian was killed on Elmwood, a 22-year-old cyclist is recovering after being the victim of a hit and run on Elmwood and an 11-year-old is in critical condition after being hit while riding her bike in Niagara Falls.
Now it's prompting groups like East Side Bike Club to hold a 'Safer Streets' ride and raise awareness to prevent the list from getting any longer this summer.
"I look at (all those who have been hit). That could be me. I'm a rider," said George Johnson, founder of East Side Bike Club. "We're really in the peak of the summer and we have to be more conscious and aware of what we're doing and especially in terms of the rider and the driver."
Johnson says there also needs to be better infrastructure to minimize the number of injuries and fatal crashes.
"We need paint on the street, we just need barriers. We have more people riding bikes now than there ever were before," he said.
"We need roads that are narrower and they'll help drivers automatically slow down because you don't feel so confident speeding on a very narrow road," said Kevin Heffernan, communications director at Go Bike Buffalo.
Some roads in the City of Buffalo have seen improved infrastructure for bike safety, including Niagara Street, where there's a protected cycle track.
Heffernan says it keeps cyclists away from cars and pushes pedestrians even further.
"This is a leading example in the nation of safe bike infrastructure and a lot of cities will look at that like woah you have that. But it's loaded with cars," he said. "We have cars parking in them all the time and they block the entire thing."
Heffernan says last summer, the City of Buffalo made it illegal to park in a shoulder lane or protected lane.
"But there's been no enforcement of that," Heffernan said. "So by not enforcing cars on sidewalks, by not enforcing cars in bike lanes, we're essentially saying that these facilities are optional and people out walking, rolling, riding, you're on your own."
Heffernan says that does have consequences.
He says a Go Bike Buffalo volunteer broke their collarbone trying to avoid a car in a bike lane.
2 On Your Side reached out to the City of Buffalo to find out how many tickets they've issued related to drivers blocking bike lanes but hasn't heard back.
Heffernan also says it's not a good idea for drivers to park in a bike lane because if you do, and a cyclist gets hurt by another driver because your car was blocking the bike path, you can be held liable too.