FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM JULY 8, 2021 • THE QUEENS COURIER 25
MTA riders can now access 311 if in need of assistance on the train
BY SARAH E. FEINBERG
At the close of last week, we were
thrilled to be able to share some very
positive news with our riders and
employees: Eff ective immediately, due
to the most signifi cant upgrade to the
311 system since its creation more than
two decades ago, MTA New York City
Transit subway customers can now use
the 311 system to request assistance for
anyone within the subway system.
Th at may sound like something that
should have been happening all along,
but it wasn’t — and this important 311
upgrade comes at a critically important
moment for our system, a time when
A PLEA TO KEEP STOP &
SHOP IN LITTLE NECK
Th e following is an open letter to Stop &
Shop Company Headquarters:
We are addressing our opposition to any
corporate plan to close the Stop & Shop
supermarket located at the intersection
of Northern Boulevard and Marathon
Parkway in Little Neck, New York.
Th is store is essential to the life of our
community. Th is reality has never been
clearer than during this pandemic. Th e
population it serves includes elderly and
disabled people, many of whom do not
drive but bring shopping carts to carry
their groceries home. Th e parking lot
is oft en full and there are usually long
lines at the cash registers, both of which
attest to the popularity and necessity of
the store.
Aft er the Grand Union supermarket
closed 20 years ago, Stop & Shop was invited
to this location by our local civic organizations.
We appreciated your response
then, and we call upon you now to honor
what has become a mutually advantageous
relationship between the store and
Little Neck/Douglaston residents.
Over the past two decades, the high
caliber of your employees and managers
have promoted a strong spirit of cooperation
with their customers and our community
groups. We fervently hope you
agree to retain this Stop & Shop in order
to best serve all members of our community.
As 21st century business ethics has been
shift ing as corporate behavior toward
responsibility for consumer interests, we
strongly urge that our needs be taken into
consideration, rather than proceeding
solely on the inclinations of far removed
company executives.
Bill Perry (outreach chair), John F.
Duane (president)
WE CAN ALL BE
MORE PATRIOTIC
As reported by 1010 WINS, New York
has the biggest July 4 fi reworks show in
public transit, like the city it serves, is
rolling back from the depths of a global
pandemic.
As the city continues its economic
recovery, it is important that we are
doing all we can to bring ridership back.
Part of that means allowing customers
to use every tool available when it comes
to reporting incidents in our system, so
we can address them and get people the
help they need.
Until now, dialing 911 was really the
only way to access immediate and professional
assistance for someone in need.
And 911 remains the best option for true
emergencies — but in reality, many situations
don’t require a police response.
the country, but it is at the bottom of the
list when it comes to the most patriotic
states in the U.S.
Th e Empire State ranked 50th in
WalletHub’s list of most patriotic states.
Th is list showed New York has the lowest
number of military enlistees, veterans,
election voters, and those volunteering.
As a lifelong New Yorker, I fi nd this
most troubling and sad.
I myself served in the U.S. Navy during
the Vietnam Era. I am Grand Knight
of St. Anastasia Knights of Columbus
For example, in cases where there’s
a vulnerable individual experiencing
homelessness or a mental health crisis,
dialing 911 provides a law enforcement
response when what is needed is a social
services response. In cases where police
are not needed, it is almost always more
prudent to call 311, so the city can connect
those in need with appropriate services
and resources.
Until the update last week, subway customers
were not able to do this because
the 311 system did not geographically
recognize the subway system as part of
the city. I’m thrilled that this is no longer
the case.
NYC Transit has been asking for this
in Douglaston, and am a member of
the American Legion Post #103 in
Douglaston. I am also a member of the
Queens Village Republican Club.
I don’t understand why more people
are not trying to give back to their country,
which has given us our freedom and
so much more.
On my block in Bellerose, my American
Flag was the only one fl ying here on the
Fourth of July. And when I was ushering
at Our Lady of the Snows in Floral
Park and handing out church bulletins, a
upgrade for a long time now and I’m
grateful to our city partners for acting
to eliminate this gap in service. Th e
subways are a vital part of the city and
everyone in our system should be entitled
to the same support they’d receive
above ground.
So please, if you are in the subway system
and see someone who needs immediate
and professional assistance, you
can do your part to request help for
them by calling 311 or using the 311
app or web portal. Th ey are available
24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365
days a year.
Sarah Feinberg is interim MTA New
York City Transit president.
woman came up to me and said she liked
my patriotic tie of red, white and blue.
She told me she left a communist country
30 years ago where there was no personal
freedom and came to America. She
said many Americans don’t understand
how good they have it. I thank her for her
patriotic sentiments.
So, my fellow New Yorkers, please be
more patriotic, get involved and help
make America a better place for all those
in need of compassion.
Frederick R. Bedell Jr., Bellerose
oped
letters & comments
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