FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM SEPTEMBER 30, 2021 • THE QUEENS COURIER 27
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Public transit does its part reducing NYC’s carbon footprint
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BY CRAIG CIPRIANO
Public transportation
is one of the most
eff ective tools we have
to fi ght climate change.
Every year, MTA services
remove 17 million
metric tons of carbon emissions from
the air by getting people out of their cars
– making New York a national leader in
reducing carbon footprints.
It’s why we think every week is “Climate
Week” at New York City Transit.
I’ve made it a priority throughout my
career to expand our agency’s positive
impact — because what’s good for the
environment is good for the communities
we serve.
In my former role as head of the Buses
division, I helped develop Transit’s plans
to transition our 5,800-bus fl eet to all
zero-emissions vehicles by 2040. Earlier
this year, we ramped up that commitment
by ordering another 60 electric buses,
which is 15 more than we had planned.
Th ey’re expected to hit the streets in all
fi ve boroughs late next year, and we’re
prioritizing deployment to underserved
communities.
Th is is an exciting step for Transit aft er
spending the last four years piloting and
learning from the use of zero-emissions
buses in our system. Th e expanded purchase
order this year will more than triple
our electric fl eet and represents a lot of
fi rsts for the agency: our fi rst fully owned,
40-foot, zero-emissions buses; our fi rst
partnership with the New York Power
Authority to install charging infrastructure;
and our fi rst project that requires
adding new power supply from our utility
partners Con Edison for electric buses.
Th at’s just the beginning. Th e historic
2020-2024 Capital Program includes
$1.1 billion in funding to buy another
500 zero-emissions vehicles, along with
required charging equipment at eight of
our depots.
Th ere’s still a long way to go to replace
the entire diesel fl eet — and install the
needed charging infrastructure to support
it — but we’re optimistic that with local,
state and federal support we can meet our
ambitious 2040 deadline.
Continued expansion will not only
involve our local partners like New
York Power Authority, Con Edison and
New York State Energy Research and
Development Authority, but also qualifi
ed bus manufacturers from around the
country working closely with our agency.
Th ere’s no question the future is electric.
Th e entire country, not just the bus industry,
is in the midst of a major transformation
to zero-emissions. We’re getting
on board to protect the environment and
improve social equity for millions of people
who live in our service area.
Most of our bus depots are located in
low- and moderate-income communities,
with routes running disproportionately
through these neighborhoods as a
critical lifeline for residents. Moving away
from diesel will not only further reduce
emissions that harm the environment —
it will also reduce cases of asthma, emphysema
and other illnesses that aff ect our
communities.
Th e arguments for the need for a zeroemissions
fl eet are not theoretical, as the
recent fl ash fl ooding caused by the remnants
of Hurricanes Henri and Ida proved
what were once severe once-in-a-hundred
years storms are increasingly becoming
more the norm. Let the passing of Climate
Week 2021 serve as a reminder of the
powerful role mass transit plays in creating
a better planet for all of us. Come take
a ride with us to be part of it.
Craig Cipriano is interim MTA New
York City Transit president.
FIND A WAY TO OPEN
SUBWAY STATION
BATHROOMS
In June 2021, then-NYC Transit
President Sarah Feinberg said she would
like to reopen NYC Transit subway station
bathrooms as quickly as possible.
Th ree months later, MTA Chairman
Janno Lieber at a recent MTA Monthly
Board Meeting said there are no immediate
plans to reopen the existing 76
bathrooms at NYC Transit’s 472 subway
stations.
I guess when riding the subways, he
has never had the urge to go. Perhaps
his bladder is stronger than most riders.
Until the early 1960s, subway riders
respected authority. Th at generation of
riders did not litter subway stations or
buses, leaving behind gum, candy wrappers,
paper cups, bottles and newspapers.
Th ey didn’t spit, urinate or defecate
on subway platforms or cars.
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, riders
were always reluctant to use subway
station bathrooms, even when available.
Many stations had no working facilities
or were closed. No one wanted to
deal with the lack of toilet paper, soap
or hot water, unhinged doors to stalls or
fi nding a mess left behind by the previous
patron.
And who wanted to fi nd others using it
as a safe place for consumption of drugs
or sex? Additionally, homeless people
afraid to go to shelters have been known
to use the bathroom sinks to shower in
an attempt to maintain hygiene.
Why not assign a matron to each male
and female bathroom? Or ask any local
business, college or hospital to adopt an
adjacent station bathroom to help cover
the costs of staffi ng? In exchange, give
the sponsor free advertising space at the
station. If necessary, charge a nominal
fee to use the facility.
Reopening secure, safe subway station
bathrooms with adequate supplies of toilet
paper, soap and hot water would be
one way to attract more riders who have
yet to return in the aft ermath of the pandemic.
Larry Penner, Great Neck
A BIG LOSS IN
LITTLE NECK
It has come to my attention that Stop
& Shop is closing down in Little Neck
on Oct. 14, something I fi nd extremely
troubling and sad.
My wife and I had shopped at that
Stop & Shop for 10 years when we lived
in Little Neck. We have since moved to
Bellerose, but still go back and forth to
shop at Stop & Shop when in the area of
Little Neck.
I feel bad for the shoppers in Little
Neck — especially senior citizens who
depend on Stop & Shop. Th ere are a
number of residents who don’t have a car
and depend on local shopping.
When we lived in Little Neck, my wife
and I didn’t have a car for a while and
either had to walk to the store with a
shopping cart or take a cab.
Other shoppers, mostly seniors, will
now have to take busses or taxis to other
supermarkets. But some might not be
able to aff ord taking taxis every time
they need groceries.
Additionally, I have found the workers
at this store to have been courteous,
kind and helpful to the shoppers in Little
Neck. My heart also goes out to all those
workers who might now be out of a job.
With Stop & Shop closing, the Little
Neck community is enduring a grave
loss. I hope and pray that Stop & Shop
realizes its mistake and keeps the store
open.
Frederick R. Bedell Jr., Bellerose
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