12 SEPTEMBER 26, 2019 RIDGEWOOD TIMES WWW.QNS.COM
Don’t just say ‘no’ to change
For all the attention given to the
myriad problems in the city’s
subway system, not enough attention
is paid to the equally woeful
bus network citywide.
Notoriously slow and off schedule,
the buses nonetheless serve as a vital
transit link for hundreds of thousands
of New Yorkers each day. The MTA
and city Transportation Department
realize the problems facing the bus
network and are doing things to try
and speed them up.
Unfortunately, in certain instances,
these eff orts are facing backlash from
community merchants and residents
who say the prescribed cures for slow
buses and street congestion are worse
than the ailments.
With the MTA attempting to close
14th Street in Manhattan to all vehicular
traffi c except buses, and creating
EDITORIAL
a bus lane along Fresh Pond Road in
Ridgewood, local groups have even
taken the extreme measure of going
to court to try and stop such plans.
A judge dismissed the case against
the Ridgewood bus lane on Sept. 23,
which was based by the litigants on the perception that removing parking
Tony DiPiazza, from the Federazione Italo-Americana di Brooklyn and Queens, spoke out in support of a lawsuit
challenging the Fresh Pond Road bus lanes on Sept. 18. Photo: Mark Hallum/QNS
and traffi c lanes from Fresh Pond Road
to better accommodate buses would
harm business.
But Judge Joseph Esposito, in his
ruling, wasn’t buying it — and made,
in our view, a great point about the resistance
to traffi c changes throughout
the city.
“You know why Fresh Pond Coalition
doesn’t like it? They don’t like
it because nobody likes change,” Esposito
told attorneys for the coalition
that sued the city and MTA. “I don’t
like change … But it’s not about me. It’s
not about a narrow group of people
who use the roads … Everybody has
to share the road, you don’t see that?
It looks like you’re taking a really
parochial, myopic view.”
A similar case on the proposed 14th
Street busway in Manhattan is still
pending, and one wonders if the judge
in that case would look to Esposito’s
ruling for guidance.
The transportation situation in the
city, especially with regard to buses,
is untenable. To their credit, the de
Blasio Administration is working with
the MTA to fi gure out ways to speed
the buses up to serve more people,
and reverse the troubling downward
trend in ridership as frustrated commuters
turn to ride-sharing as a faster
alternative.
Whether it’s the creation of
restricted bus lanes, rerouting entire
bus lines or expanding limited and
Select Bus services, change needs to
happen.
We’re choking on our own traffi c,
and if we can’t get to where we need to
go, we will harm way more businesses
and families than those living on a single
street in any given neighborhood.
The city and MTA should always
work with communities when implementing
bus changes to make the transition
process smooth. However, the
time to just say “no” to every proposal
needs to come to an end.
The city is at a transit breaking
point. We need to work together to
keep moving.
THE HOT TOPIC
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
Reporters
EMILY DAVENPORT
MARK HALLUM
CARLOTTA MOHAMED
MAX PARROTT
BILL PARRY
© 2019 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 111 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
STORY:
Queens Place Mall in Elmhurst adds
new tenants including Chipotle and
Teriyaki One
SUMMARY:
New food options will soon be
available at the Queens Place Mall
aft er Madison International Realty
announced that a variety of tenants
have leased of renewed space at the
Elmhurst shopping center.
REACH:
14,734 People Reached (as of 9/23/19)
/WWW.QNS.COM
/www.qns.com
link
/www.qns.com
link
