12 MAY 18, 2017 RIDGEWOOD TIMES WWW.QNS.COM EDITORIAL Railroad fi x would ease Queens commuters’ pain If you’re a Queens resident who THE HOT TOPIC STORY: Bayside bar & restaurant will see new ownership, look and name this summer SUMMARY: Sullivan’s on Bell Boulevard in Bayside will get a new look and name aft er it goes under new ownership this summer. REACH: 26,331 people (as of 5/15/17) COMMENTS: ESTABLISHED 1908 Co-Publishers VICTORIA SCHNEPS-YUNIS JOSHUA SCHNEPS Editor-in-Chief ROBERT POZARYCKI Classifi ed Manager DEBORAH CUSICK Assistant Classifi ed Manager MARLENE RUIZ Reporter ANTHONY GIUDICE © 2017 SCHNEPS NY MEDIA, LLC. General Publication Offi ce: 38-15 Bell Blvd., Bayside, NY 11361 TELEPHONE: 1-718-821-7500/7501/7502/7503 FAX: 1-718-224-5441 E-MAIL: editorial@ridgewoodtimes.com WEB SITE: www.qns.com ON TWITTER @ridgewoodtimes PUBLISHED EVERY THURSDAY FOR 108 YEARS COMPOSITION RESPONSIBILITY: Accuracy in receiving ads over the telephone cannot be guaranteed. This newspaper is responsible for only one incorrect insertion and only for that portion of the ad in which the error appears. It is the responsibility of the advertiser to make sure copy does not contravene the Consumer Protection Law or any other requirement.TIMES NEWSWEEKLY Is Listed With The Standard Rate & Data And Is A Member Of The New York Press Association SNAPS MOUNTIES ON BELL BOULEVARD PHOTO VIA TWITTER @NYPD111PCT Send us your photos of Queens and you could see them online or in our paper! Submit them to us tag @queenscourier on Instagram, Facebook page, tweeting @QNS or by emailing editorial@qns.com (subject: Queens Snaps). uses the Long Island Rail Road daily to get around, you had a lousy fi rst week of May -- and that’s an understatement. According to the LIRR’s own statistics, between May 1 and May 5, the system had 391 delays and cancellations -- an average of 78 such events a day, or about 3 per hour. One one branch servicing Queens, the Port Washington through the northeast, there were seven cancellations and 62 other delays. As most everyone now knows, the problems that beset the LIRR last week were largely the result of track and signal problems emanating out of Penn Station, otherwise known as the poster child of everything wrong with America’s infrastructure in the 21st century. Senators Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand want the federal government to invest $50 billion toward rail upgrades. The federal government should honor their request to not only fi x Penn Station but also complete the East Side Access project, which would connect the LIRR to Grand Central Station. As with Penn Station improvements, completion of the East Side Access has been delayed for years due to funding constraints and other issues. The LIRR serves numerous Queens neighborhoods where subways don’t run, and where bus service is infrequent and unreliable. It also supplements subway service in areas such as Flushing, Forest Hills and Woodside, easing the congestion on subway lines through those neighborhoods. Anytime the LIRR cancels or delays trains, the impact on Queens commuters is terrible. The subways become more crowded than usual. Those who can aff ord it opt to hail a cab or use a ride-sharing app to go where they need to, at far greater expense. And those who can’t aff ord it are stuck using slow buses -- or become so frustrated by the situation that they simply stay home. Even so, there are plans in the works to boost LIRR usage throughout Queens. South Queens lawmakers want the MTA to create a “Freedom Ticket” program that would allow residents to pay one price to use subways, buses and the LIRR in Queens. Governor Andrew Cuomo’s looking to create a new transit hub at Willets Point to connect the coming LaGuardia AirTrain with the LIRR and the 7 line. Something’s gotta give. If Queens residents are to rely on the LIRR more and more in the years to come, then the investments to upgrade Penn Station and the entire system must be made now.
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