BUFFALO, New York — Taking a bike ride down Niagara Street isn’t supposed to end like it did for Alan Romano on Wednesday.
“It's such a low-risk activity,” he said. “I couldn't believe it.”
Romano told 2 On Your Side he was riding down the bike path along Niagara Street Wednesday afternoon, like he does every week, when all of a sudden, he heard a car honking and was nearly ran off the path.
“He gets out of his car, and he starts confronting me, like, ‘What'd you call me? What'd you call me?’ Like, if I called him something, but I didn't. … Then he approached me, and then he punched me once, and then he punched me again.”
The driver then allegedly pulled out a knife and attempted to strike Romano again before fleeing the scene.
Romano said he was able to run to a nearby shop for safety and call the police, who later arrested and identified 35-year-old Renier Uranta as the driver. Uranta is now facing several charges including assault.
“I never thought this is where anything bad would happen,” Romano said. “I always thought that this was the safest kind of bike path in all of Buffalo.”
That’s a thought many others shared. DPW officials and bike advocates across the city held a closed door meeting Monday night to discuss possible solutions like removable bollards to help prevent situations like this from occurring in future — 42 of which have been deadly across Western New York in the last year.
“While this is an isolated incident, we want to emphasize the City of Buffalo’s ongoing commitment to creating safer, more accessible transportation infrastructure for all,” DPW Commissioner Nate Marton said in a statement to 2 On Your Side. “Over the years, the City has made significant strides in transforming our main thoroughfares and arterials to better accommodate cyclists and improve road safety. We consistently seek ways to improve the safety of our streets and parks while ensuring efficient access for emergency response and our first responders.”
It’s promising news for Romano, who hopes this situation, although only feeling like seconds to him, can create change for years to come.
“It would definitely be some silver lining knowing that it's making it safer for everybody else,” he said.
While there were no concrete plans made at the meeting Monday, 2 On Your Side is told these discussions will continue and that the two sides plan to meet again sometime next month.
There is also a GoFundMe to help with Romano’s medical expenses and bike repair costs. You can find that here.