WWW.QNS.COM RIDGEWOOD TIMES JUNE 22, 2017 13
QUESTIONS
ABOUND
OVER RAILYARD
REPAIR SITE
Regarding the relocation of
a train repair facility from the
Glendale Fresh Pond Railyard: The
question has to be asked, “What’s
NYAR getting out of it, and at
whose cost?” Is the community going
to pay in some way we can’t yet
foresee? How will NYAR’s track use
and operations at Fresh Pond Yard
change once this repair facility
moves? Is this change really going
to yield net community benefi ts —
less noise?
Remember when NYAR announced
a public benefi t — less
noise and emissions for Middle
Village residents? NYAR said they
were moving brake testing and
pickup out of Middle Village. However,
within two weeks, the pickup
operation was right back in Middle
Village because NYAR took the opportunity
to increase the length of
the trains. In 2016 CUNY scientists
measured 100+ decibel levels from
NYAR’s night time classifi cation
operations inside homes. Vibrations
from these operations cause
cracks in residents’ properties.
Moving repair operations won’t
fi x poor training, supervision, car
handling and employees rushing
through tasks without employing
best practices that cause such excessive
noise and vibration.
QNS user Mary Parisen
Editor’s note: The author is co-chair
of Civics United for Railroad
and Environmental Solutions
(CURES).
SALUTING
SEVEN
SAILORS
LOST
AT SEA
Seven sailors died aboard
the destroyer, the USS Fitzgerald
aft er being hit by the Philippine
Flagged ACX Crystal
at about 2:20 a.m. on June 17.
As reported, the 300 sailors
went into action, containing
the fl ooding and saving the
ship from sinking.
I applaud these brave sailors
who did what had done.
I myself served during the
Vietnam era aboard the USS
Leahy 16, a destroyer as a
boiler technician. I can tell
you fi rst hand that the Navy
is not just a job, but those
aboard Navy ships are hard
working, dedicated and take
pride in the ships upon which
they serve.
My heartfelt prayers go out
to the family friends, families
and shipmates who mourn
at this time. To the memory
of sailors Rigsby, Martin,
Huynh, Hernandez, Douglass,
Rehm, Sibayan, may you all
rest in peace for serving our
country.F
rederick R. Bedell Jr.,
Glen Oaks Village
OP-ED
Making the case for ‘Connector’
BY ANSUOM GERALDINO
As a longtime Coney Island
resident, I’m no stranger to
long commutes. But now that
I’m balancing a full-time student
schedule with part-time work, I’m
tired of spending so much of my life
underground.
That’s why I’m excited about the
mayor’s support of the Brooklyn
Queens Connector, or BQX, a streetcar
that would run along the waterfront
from Sunset Park to Astoria.
As a double major in economics and
marketing at LIU, I don’t have a second
to waste. But right now, because there’s
no direct connection between Brooklyn
and Queens, commuting from
home to my part-time job at Costco
takes two and a half hours each way
— and that’s assuming there are no
delays.
By allowing me to get from Brooklyn
to Queens without connecting in
Manhattan, the BQX would drastically
cut down on my commute time. I could
use those extra hours to study at home,
where I also help my mom around the
house, or grab breakfast so I don’t have
to work on an empty stomach.
I know the waterfront community
very well. I use to work at the Brooklyn
Navy Yard as a mechanic. I worked on
merchant marine ships and installed
pipes. While I was working in the
Navy Yard, more and more companies
started to pop up every few months.
The BQX would be amazing for businesses
because the streetcar would
allow workers to access them more
easily.
Critics have suggested that the BQX
will speed up gentrifi cation along the
waterfront, or that other forms of
transit would better serve the area.
But I know there are a lot of people out
there with gruelling commutes that
have the same issues I have with the
subway and the buses. The BQX will
off er people in my community shorter
commute times and more options for
getting to work.
The only way to ensure the waterfront
reaches its full potential is by investing
in infrastructure that makes it
easier for people like me to get to work
and more attractive for companies to
put down roots.
Many of the new jobs in areas like
the Navy Yard are only accessible to
those who can aff ord a car or daily
cab rides. While some companies
have started using private shuttles to
get their employees to and from work,
such options don’t allow people like me
who don’t work for those employers
to share in the growing waterfront
economy.
And unlike buses, the BQX would
be able to keep up with the corridor’s
increasing population, transporting
tens of thousands of people per day
— more than any bus route in the city.
As a born-and-raised Brooklyn resident,
I love that New York is a place you
can live, work and study. But we need
more public transit options to ensure
that everyone can continue to share in
the city’s many opportunities.
Investment in more more transit
options is crucial for the city’s growth.
Having the BQX streetcar would open
up more options for job opportunities
when my classmates and I graduate
college.
Ansuom Geraldino is a junior at
Long Island University majoring in
economics and marketing. He will
graduate in 2018.
LETTERS AND COMMENTS
A LOOK BACK
This 1940 photo from the Ridgewood
Times archives shows the streetscape
of Myrtle Avenue, looking west, near
Seneca Avenue in Ridgewood. In the
foreground at left is what was then the
Manufacturers Hanover Bank; the bank
closed many years ago, and today, the
building is now a pharmacy. Send us
your historic photos of Queens by email
to editorial@qns.com or mail printed
pictures to A Look Back, ℅ The Queens
Courier, 38-15 Bell Blvd., Bayside, NY
11361. All mailed pictures will be carefully
returned to you.
