FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM JULY 15, 2021 • THE QUEENS COURIER 21
LIRR revives getaway packages just in time for summer
JULY 2021 MARKS
57TH ANNIVERSARY OF
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT
SUPPORT FOR PUBLIC
TRANSPORTATION
Th e success of public transportation can
be traced back to one of the late President
Lyndon Johnson’s greatest accomplishments
which continues benefi ting many
Americans today.
On July 9, 1964, he signed the “Urban
Mass Transportation Act of 1964” into
law. Subsequently this has resulted in the
investment over time of several hundred
billion dollars into public transportation.
Millions of Americans including many
residing in Queens County today on a
daily basis utilize various public transportation
alternatives. Th ey include local and
express bus, ferry, jitney, light rail, subway
and commuter rail services. All of these
systems use less fuel and move far more
people than conventional single occupancy
vehicles. Most of these systems are
funded with your tax dollars thanks to
President Johnson.
Depending upon where you live, consider
the public transportation alternative.
Try riding a local or express bus,
commuter van, ferry, light rail, commuter
rail or subway.
Fortunately we have the MTA and
its various operating agencies, including
NYC Transit subway, bus and Staten
Island Railway, Long Island Rail Road,
Metro North Rail Road and MTA Bus.
Th ere is also New Jersey Transit, Port
Authority Trans Hudson (PATH) subway,
New York City Departments of
Transportation Staten Island Ferry and
Economic Development Corporation private
ferries.
Using MTA Metro Cards provides free
transfers between the subway and bus.
Th is has eliminated the old two fare zones
making public transportation an even better
bargain. Purchasing a monthly LIRR
or MTA subway/bus pass reduces the cost
per ride and provides virtually unlimited
trips.
Elected officials and government
employees can turn in their taxpayerfunded
vehicles and join the rest of us
by using public transportation to get
around town. In many cases, employers
can off er transit checks which help subsidize
a portion of the costs. Utilize this and
reap the benefi ts. It supports a cleaner
environment.
Many employers now allow employees
to telecommute and work from home.
Others use alternative work schedules
which aff ord staff the ability to avoid rush
hour gridlock. Th is saves travel time and
can improve mileage per gallon. Join a
car or van pool to share the costs of commuting.
Th e ability to travel from home to workplace,
school, shopping, entertainment,
medical, library etc. is a factor when moving
to a new neighborhood. Economically
successful communities are not 100 percent
dependent on automobiles as the
sole means of mobility. Seniors, students,
low and middle income people need these
transportation alternatives. Investment in
public transportation today contributes
to economic growth, employment and a
stronger economy. Dollar for dollar, it is
one of the best investments we can make.
Larry Penner, Great Neck
PARADE HONORING
ESSENTIAL WORKERS
WAS LONG OVERDUE
Our great city of New York held a ticker
tape parade for our hometown heroes
last week. Th e parade honored our city’s
essential workers who risked their own
lives to serve on the front lines during the
COVID-19 pandemic.
Th e pandemic has caused the death of
over 600,000 lives — that doesn’t even
include the thousands of more who
became ill.
But there were so many people who
stepped up to and helped us get through
the worst of the pandemic, including doctors,
nurses, health care workers, supermarket
employees, EMS workers, transportation
workers, teachers and school
staff ers, fi refi ghters and so many more.
Th ey all went the extra mile in trying
to save lives.
I can attest to what these doctors and
nurses do. I myself had an aggressive
prostate cancer and was treated and cured
at age 65 and, at 72, I’m still doing well. If
it were not for these caring professionals,
I would not be alive today.
Th ere can never be enough praise for
these essential workers. Th is parade was
long overdue.
Frederick R. Bedell Jr., Bellerose
oped
letters & comments
NYC HONORS ITS HOMETOWN HEROES // PHOTO BY DEAN MOSES
Send us your photos of Queens and you could see them online or in our paper!
To submit them to us, tag @qnsgram on Instagram, visit our Facebook page,
tweet @QNS or email editorial@qns.com (subject: Queens Snaps).
BY PHIL ENG
Summert i m e
on Long Island is
like no other, in
good weather and
in bad. Last week,
our incredible
LIRR workforce
saw the region
through our worst storm yet of the season,
Tropical Storm Elsa. Our crews braved
the elements and stepped up once again
while working tirelessly to provide safe
train service despite the torrential rain
and high winds. Safety is and will always
be our top priority.
Preparing for storms like Elsa is a team
eff ort that starts well before the fi rst
rain drops even fall. Th e day it hit, on
Th ursday, we pre-positioned crews and
diesel locomotives across the system to
help minimize service disruptions. But
there’s so much more that goes into our
weather planning – like the aggressive
steps we’ve taken to protect infrastructure,
strengthen and replace utility poles and
tackle poor drainage locations. We also
regularly trim trees and branches adjacent
to our tracks to prevent them from falling
during storms.
It’s our mission to make sure things run
smoothly in every circumstance so riding
the rails is an enjoyable experience. We
want you to keep you coming back, especially
as Long Island continues to recover
from the pandemic.
Th at’s why we’ve revived our popular
LIRR Getaways packages this summer
aft er the program went on pause last year.
Customers can revisit favorite local destinations
like Long Beach, Jones Beach, and Fire
Island (via Bay Shore and Patchogue), or
join us for something new: a day-long guided
brewery crawl across the South Shore.
On two Saturdays this summer, July
31 and August 21, you can experience
beer tastings at Sand City Brewing Co.
in Lindenhurst, followed by a bus trip
to Bay Shore for another round at Great
South Bay. Our tour ends in the Village of
Patchogue, where you can patronize local
restaurants and shops. Each ticket costs
$63 (adults only, of course), and includes
round-trip rail, private bus transportation,
and both tastings.
Visit new.mta.info/daytrips for full
details on this and all the discount packages
we off er.
What I truly love about these off ers is
that they highlight what Long Island is all
about – getting together and enjoying all
the great businesses and beauty we have
in our own backyard. Th ere are so many
great spots located within walking distance
of our 124 railroad stations, making
each journey to a new town an adventure.
We’re prouder than ever to support the
region’s economy while helping customers
get to all the amazing destinations across
Long Island and New York City. I’m grateful
to the LIRR workforce who continue to
show up day in and day out, as they have
during the entire pandemic, to keep New
York moving. It’s because of their hard
work we’re able to provide a record level of
service more safely and reliably than ever.
If you take a look out the window while
you’re on one of our trains, you’ll see we’re
doing this with major construction going
on across our system as we build a better,
more robust network that will truly give
Long Island the public transportation it
needs to thrive. With Mainline Expansion
and East Side Access completion on the
horizon, the future is bright.
Phil Eng is president of the Long Island
Rail Road.
link
/WWW.QNS.COM
link
