FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT www.qns.com OCTOBER 27, 2016 • THE QUEENS COURIER 37 oped A LOOK BACK HAPPY 109TH ANNIVERSARY TO THE NYC SUBWAY SYSTEM BY LARRY PENNER Oct. 27 marks the 109th anniversary of our New York City subway system. The original BMT (Brooklyn Manhattan Rapid Transit — today’s B, D, J, M, N, Q, R and Z lines) and IRT (Interboro Rapid Transit — 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, Franklin Ave. and Times Square shuttles) subway systems were constructed and managed by the private sector with no government operating letters & comments VOTING SYSTEM NEEDLESSLY DISENFRANCHISES THE DISABLED It has always been my understanding that the purpose of an absentee ballot was to serve disabled people, shut-ins and military people deployed far from the convenience of a polling place. I have had polio since the age of 9 months and cannot walk without a crutch nor stand for a protracted length of time, especially now that my ankle is causing me frequent, severe pain. Imagine my shock and astonishment when I read the note on the mailing envelope for the ballot which stated, “Unless suffi cient postage is affi xed to this envelope it will not be received by the Board of Elections. INQUIRE AT THE POST OFFICE AS TO AMOUNT OF POSTAGE NECESSARY.” Requiring a handicapped/disabled individual to get to a post offi ce and then wait on the line to get an envelope weighed and pay for the postage is quite thoughtless, almost to the point of being cruel. We didn’t ask to be disabled and we would gladly be like everyone else if that was possible… so why are we penalized? Can’t you use post-paid envelopes or let us know the exact postage? It is every American’s right and duty to vote. Shouldn’t the Board of Elections and the U.S. Postal Service actively support this effort and not create barriers? Marie Proto, Little Neck WHAT’S THE MATTER WITH HILLARY? A LOT, SAYS ONE READER Hillary Clinton has pledged, if elected, to dedicate her presidency to children though she is “prochoice.” “What does it matter” that “pro-choice” policy has resulted in the abortion of millions of babies, many from minority segments of the population? Hillary Clinton is very experienced in foreign policy issues. “What does it matter” that her use of secret computer servers led to the compromise of classifi ed documents and jeopardized national security? Hillary Clinton favors “open borders” and a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants. “What does it matter” that this position is a slap in the face to the legal immigrants who obeyed the immigration laws? Hillary Clinton will increase regulation and accountability of Wall Street fi nancial institutions. “What does it matter” that her son-in-law is an investment banker and she has collected millions of dollars in speaking fees from these fi rms? Joseph A. Giacalone, Flushing CORRUPTION IN NASSAU WORRIES QUEENS RESIDENT Nassau County Executive Edward Mangano and his wife Linda and Oyster Bay Supervisor John Venditto were arrested Thursday, Oct. 20, on corruption charges. If convicted on these charges, I feel this will be a sad day for residents and voters of Nassau County. I myself had met Edward Mangano awhile back at his offi ce in Mineola and had a conversation with him. I had found him to be faithful, trustworthy and a hardworking public servant. And also dedicated to the people of Nassau County, so I don’t know what happened. Our elected offi cials we expect they will serve the best interests of those who elected them into offi ce. Furthermore our youth who wish to serve in a elected position may think twice with all the corruption in government. The question I ask is where are their role models? Frederick R. Bedell Jr., Glen Oaks Village subsidies. Financial viability was 100 percent dependent upon farebox revenues. They supported both development and economic growth of numerous neighborhoods in the boroughs of Manhattan, Brooklyn, Bronx and Queens. As part of the franchise agreement which owners had to sign, City Hall had direct control over the fare structure. For a period of time, owners actually made a profi t with a 5 cent fare. After two decades passed, the costs of salaries, maintenance, power, supplies and equipment would pressure owners to ask City Hall for permission to raise the fares. This additional revenue was needed to keep up with maintaining a good state of repair, increase the frequency of service, purchase new subway cars, pay employee salary increases and support planned system expansion. Politicians more interested in the next reelection (and subscribing to the old Roman philosophy of free bread and circuses) refused this request each year for well over a decade. As a result, in order to survive, owners of both systems began looking elsewhere to reduce costs and stay in business. They started curtailing basic maintenance, delayed purchases of new subway cars, postponed salary increases for employees, canceled any plans for system expansion and cut corners to survive. Does any of this sound familiar from the present? Today, the MTA New York City Transit’s new Fastrack initiative is using an entirely new way to perform subway maintenance in our system. By completely suspending train service over a segment of a subway line, workers have uninterrupted access to tracks, signals, cables, lighting, third rail components and platform edges. Many Fastrack line shutdowns were completed this year, which resulted in an unprecedented amount of work being accomplished. Most importantly, Fastrack resulted in a safer and more effi cient environment for employees to inspect, maintain and clean our 24/7 subway system. Transit employees inspected hundreds of signals and switches, repaired and replaced track rails and cross ties, cleaned track fl oors, performed elevator and escalator repair work, repaired water damage, cleared drains, cleaned stations and repainted areas that had not been touched in years because they are not reachable during normal train operation. They cleaned lighting fi xtures, changed bulbs and repaired platform edges. Employees also performed highintensity station cleaning. These maintenance activities improve train performance and effi - ciency while also providing a visible improvement to the station environment. Larry Penner is a transportation historian and advocate who previously worked 31 years for the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Transit Administration Region 2 New York Offi ce. This one’s a real treat. Here’s a rare glimpse of the Myrtle Avenue streetscape at night during the 1950s, found on the Facebook page “You must have lived in Ridgewood if you remember...” Note the marquee of the RKO Madison Theater in the background, which at the time was one of the neighborhood’s many moviehouses. Send us your historic pictures of Queens by email to editorial@qns.com or mail them to The Queens Courier, 38-15 Bell Blvd., Bayside, NY 11361. All mailed pictures will be carefully returned to you.
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