for breaking news visit www.timesnewsweekly.com JULY 16, 2015 • times 13 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT www.couriersun.com JULY 16, 2015 • THE COURIER SUN 27 oped A proposal to prevent our communities from A LOOK BACK A Look Back continuing to move forward BY MICHAEL ALLEGRETTI The transportation industry has always been a job creator Here’s a real gem from the Ridgewood Times archives: a work crew in front of an American Airlines plane at La Guardia Airport in about 1939. For much of the first half of the 20th century, LaGuardia was the main aviation hub into and out of New York City. The airport, originally named New York Municipal Airport, was built in the late 1930s on what was previously North Shore Field and Glenn Curtiss Airport (which was named for an aviation pioneer). The city rechristened it LaGuardia Airport in 1953 in honor of the three-term mayor who frequently flew into and out of the air field while making trips during his tenure. Got an interesting photo you’d like to share with our readers? Email it to [email protected]! letters THREE CHEERS FOR U.S. WOMEN’S SOCCER The U.S. Women’s World Cup Champions had the honor to march up the Canyon of Heroes, which on Friday became the Canyon of Heroines. These dedicated young women truly made America proud of their spectacular achievement in their game of soccer. For they really proved they are the best of the best. The young women of today truly have women to look up to who have proved true role models. Winning the Women’s World Cup was a great honor for America because of these tenacious and dedicated young women who truly inspired the youth of today. Furthermore the children and the young women of today can now see anything is possible if you work hard and never lose sight of the prize. Frederick R. Bedell Jr., Glen Oaks Village IDEAS TO FIX BELL BOULEVARD PARKING WOES There are other solutions missed by “Bell Boulevard parking study shows severe shortage” (Alina Suriel, July 9 issue). Ask the Metropolitan Transportation Authority/Long Island Rail Road to contribute funding toward construction of additional parking. Building a multistory parking structure at the existing municipal parking lot on 214th Place and 41st Avenue would solve the shortage of parking spots on Bell Boulevard used by both commuters and shoppers jointly funded by both NYC Department of Transportation and MTA/LIRR. Ask the MTA/LIRR for utilization of air rights over both the tracks and platforms at the Bayside LIRR Station. Construction of a street-level deck could easily provide dozens of parking spaces directly adjacent to Bell Boulevard. They could be allocated on a 50-50 basis between LIRR commuters and local shoppers. LIRR riders would benefit by being protected from rain, snow and wind. It is possible to both design and construct a deck which could preserve natural light for those on the LIRR platform level. Replace the existing Bayside LIRR ticket office and adjacent drop-off area with a multistory parking garage. A replacement ticket office could be built as part of the parking garage or over the existing overpass which connects both inbound and outbound platforms. Construct a parking garage over the LIRR storage yard located several blocks east of the Bayside LIRR Station. Connect the station with the garage by building a simple covered walkway parallel to the LIRR tracks. A portion of the funding for constructing any of these options could be obtained under the proposed MTA 2015-2019 Five-Year Capital Program, which includes $40 million allocated for expansion of LIRR commuter parking. Larry Penner, Great Neck TIME FOR U.S., RUSSIA TO RESOLVE DIFFERENCES The international situation is more fraught with potential danger then at any time since 1939, and it is up to the two most powerful nations of the world — the U. S. and Russia — to put aside their major differences and come to the negotiating table to attempt to work things out. Both President Obama and President Putin need to understand that even thought they have disagreements on world issues, there are areas of common interest that need to be worked on. One example of working together are the negotiations with Iran to restrict its nuclear program. Also, both nations want to see ISIS taken down; they must also reduce, not increase, their nuclear arsenals. For the sake of the international community, the U.S. and Russia must take concrete steps to significantly reduce tensions and take these steps now. John Amato, Fresh Meadows for residents of Brooklyn and Queens, among the other outer boroughs. And with the latest technological advances in the for-hire vehicle industry like Uber, more jobs have been created in recent years, and could be created in the future, than ever before. Uber is a technology company, and our mobile app connects riders and drivers at the touch of a button. We entered the New York City market in May 2011, providing a seamless alternative for New Yorkers to move around while simultaneously creating economic opportunities for local drivers. From day one, we worked closely with New York City leaders, ensuring that we complied with local regulations for the for-hire vehicle industry. All driver-partners in New York City are licensed under the Taxi and Limousine Commission exactly the same way as any other for-hire vehicle driver — facing the same background checks, insurance requirements and driving standards — in the city. Our partners wait in the same lines, show the same documents, and go through the same process. Period. But what’s unique about Uber driver-partners is that they are all small business owners who use the Uber platform for lead-generation. The Uber platform offers flexibility and freedom for drivers to be their own bosses, working on a schedule that makes sense for them. Many of our driverpartners work part time, and on average, Uber driver-partners in New York City use the platform 29 hours per week. We have planned to add 10,000 new driver-partners to the Uber platform by the end of the year, offering the same economic opportunity and flexibility that our existing driverpartners love. But Mayor de Blasio and the City Council are pushing Intro. 842, which would cap Uber’s growth while studying our industry’s impact on congestion. Under this proposal, thousands of job opportunities for New Yorkers would be destroyed, as it would only allow us to add 201 vehicles to our platform over the next year. The bottom line is that this bill would have a devastating impact on outer borough job creation, mostly in Queens and Brooklyn, where 7,100 jobs are at stake. And worst of all, more than 700 drivers who have already signed up to join Uber would be kicked to the curb because of this proposal. This proposal will also prevent us from keeping up with demand for Uber in NYC, where each week, 25,000 New Yorkers use Uber for the first time, increasing wait times in places like Ridgewood and Bay Ridge. Today more than 25 percent of Uber’s trips start, end or are within the outer boroughs; for yellow taxis, it’s a mere 6 percent. This proposal will ensure that Brooklyn and Queens residents cannot get a reliable ride when they need it most. A progressive administration should be putting the outer boroughs first. I hope Mayor de Blasio and the City Council withdraw support for this proposal, and help spread real economic opportunity to the New Yorkers who need it most. Michael Allegretti was born and raised in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. He is the senior policy manager for Uber in New York City.
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