FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT www.qns.com MAY 19, 2016 • THE COURIER SUN 29 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT www.qns.com MAY 19, 2016 • TIMES 13 oped oped letters & comments WITH QUEENS BLVD. BIKE LANES I thank the mayor for recognizing that bicycling is used as a legitimate form of transportation, not a toy only. He is continuing something that has been done in other parts of the city and have been successful going on nine years. In Manhattan, where protected bicycle lanes and pedestrian safety improvements were implemented years ago, injuries are down by about 20 percent. Queens Boulevard and major Manhattan roadways are now convenient and safe cycling routes to other parts of the city and destinations along the route. The pedestrian safety improvements are also perfectly integrated. QNS user TransitNinja205 RIGHT DECISION BY MAYOR The Mayor made the absolute right decision, and it is deeply disappointing to see the borough president, who has never attended any of the community workshops that have been held for this project, and has not accepted any invitation to sit down with transportation advocates about this project, can so readily dismiss over 9,000 petition signers, 250+ business and community coalition partners and the months of direct outreach DOT did for this Phase 2 project specifi cally including a presence in the Queens Center Mall for an entire week to obtain community feedback. Honestly, calling for the bike lane implementation to be delayed is incredibly irresponsible and ironic. DOT is actually in the middle of making a comprehensive change to Queens Blvd along its entire length – the very approach the Borough President seems to be calling for. As for this idea that somehow bikes only belong in parks; its absurd and a very outdated way of thinking. We are well past the idea that bikes are just recreational vehicles. I am a bike commuter and there are hundreds of thousands of other bike commuters out there with me per DOT statistics. Queens Boulevard provides a relatively straight run down to the Queens Borough Bridge and Manhattan beyond. It is the perfect route and a reasonable distance for bicycle commuters, not to mention all the shopping available to people on bikes along that route. QNS user pwbnyc THE BROKER’ TO BLAME FOR CROSS BAY TOLL Regarding tolls on the Cross Bay Bridge: The reason why Robert Moses has wanted to put tolls on this bridge was because he had “fi rmly” believed that the Rockaways was the part of suburbia in Long Island, given by the physical, geographic, make up of the borough of Queens. QNS user Pedro Valdez Rivera Jr. Memorial Day is fast approaching, and I hope the many will not forget the importance of this day. Brave men and women have fought and died in many wars to keep freedom alive. These wars started with the Revolutionary War and extended to the war of 1812, the Civil War, the Spanish American War, WWI, WWII, Korean War, the Vietnam War, and fi nally Iraq and Afghanistan. This Memorial Day, I fi nd myself thinking what it means to be an American. The answer is crystal clear, and that is the pride to live in a country that allows us the personal freedom to speak our minds. These freedoms come with great personal sacrifi ce for those who leave family, friends and jobs to serve the greater good. I myself have served in the U.S. Navy during the Vietnam Era. Although I never saw combat, I had friends who did and died serving our country. So, please honor Memorial Day and honor those who gave their lives for all those things we hold most dear. You do this by fl ying the American fl ag from homes and offi ces. You can also do this by attending the many Memorial Day parades in your local communities and saluting those who serve our nation so well. Let’s not forget those who serve on the home front like policemen, fi re fi ghters and EMS workers who serve us so well. You can also call a veteran you know and tell them thank you for serving and keeping us free from tyranny. Frederick R. Bedell Jr., Glen Oaks Village A LOOK BACK One of the most poignant ways Americans pay tribute to its fallen soldiers is by placing an American fl ag at their graves ahead of Memorial Day. Boy Scout troops are shown in this photo placing American fl ags at the tombstones of soldiers and veterans interred at Cypress Hills National Cemetery. The picture was taken on May 29, 1945, less than a month following the defeat of Nazi Germany and more than three months from the defeat of Japan that fi nally ended World War II. Send us your historic photos by sharing them on our Facebook and Twitter pages, emailing them to [email protected], or by mailing printed pictures to The Queens Courier, 38-15 Bell Blvd., Bayside, NY 11361. All mailed pictures will be carefully returned to you upon request. Make your your voice voice heard on select bus service plan heard on select bus service plan BY STATE SENATOR JOSEPH ADDABBO This week, the New York City Department of T r a n s p o r t a t i o n (DOT) and the MTA began holding public meetings regarding the Select Bus Service (SBS) plan for Woodhaven-Cross Bay Boulevard. These open houses will allow the agencies to gather feedback from individuals who will soon be affected by the implementation of this less-than-perfect plan. With the fi rst public meeting in Arverne now having passed, residents who live, work or commute near any neighborhoods north of Rockaway now have just a few more opportunities to attend an open house and raise their concerns or make suggestions regarding SBS. The current SBS proposal for the Q52 and Q53 routes comes with a huge price tag upwards of $200 million. Every one of those dollars is taxpayer money, and taxpayers such as you and I should embrace the chance to give input and see if you agree with losing a lane of traffi c or standing on a median while waiting for the bus, instead of safely on the curb. Public projects should exercise caution when a plan is being devised to spend such an enormous amount of money, and these open houses are our chance to make sure that happens. I have stated that the interests of bus riders, business owners, car drivers, pedestrians and especially the residents’ local streets near Woodhaven-Cross Bay Boulevard all need to be considered. Residents, whether or not they support this SBS plan, are in for some serious changes next year when the project begins, and now is the time to speak up. Because of feedback from the community, amendments to the plan have already been made, such as the initial proposal to eliminate left turns onto commercial corridors like Jamaica and Liberty Avenues. While I am grateful the city heard our concerns, the cooperation must not stop there. As these public meetings continue – the next one on Saturday, May 21, at P.S. 85 in Ozone Park and another Wednesday, May 25, at P.S. 306 in Woodhaven – we are counting on DOT and MTA to prove that the input gathered at these open houses was truly heard and used to make positive changes that benefi t the community. I have requested that additional open houses be held for residents north of Woodhaven, and I am also urging the city to hold another round in the fall to unveil how the input from the previous meetings was taken into consideration as planning continues. SBS for Woodhaven-Cross Bay Boulevard might be inevitable, but as the plan progresses we have been given the chance to contribute to what it will look like. It is now more important than ever that we take this opportunity to be a part of the process before it is too late. Addabbo represents the 15th Senatorial District, which covers much of southwest Queens and the Rockaways. HAPPY WITH QUEENS BLVD. BIKE LANES BIKE LANES ARE RIGHT DECISION BY MAYOR ‘THE POWER BROKER’ TO BLAME FOR CROSS BAY TOLL THANKING THOSE WHO SERVED
RT05192016
To see the actual publication please follow the link above