FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM DECEMBER 17, 2020 • THE QUEENS COURIER 19
United we stand, divided we fall
THE 30MINUTE
LAGUARDIA AIRTRAIN
MYTH CONTINUES
Port Authority Executive Director Rick
Cotton speaking at the City & State
Virtual Transportation In New York
Summit once again promised a 30-minute
or less connection from LaGuardia
Airport to Manhattan via the AirTrain.
A careful examination of this proposal
will reveal it is a myth.
A “one-seat ride” for those traveling to
and from LaGuardia Airport isn’t born
out by the facts. Th ere will be confl icts at
both the Mets-Willets Point subway and
Long Island Rail Road stations. Why
would travelers with luggage and those
with children attempt to squeeze onto
rush hour 7 trains and Port Washington
branch LIRR trains, which were already
packed pre-COVID-19?
Th ese same trains frequently have riders
standing in the aisles during rush
hours. People attending New York Mets
games and concerts at Citi Field, the U.S.
Open or other events at Arthur Ashe
stadium also use this station. Others
travel to Flushing Meadows Corona
Park and the Queens Zoo.
You will need six minutes of travel
time on the AirTrain between LaGuardia
Airport to reach LIRR and Mets-Willets
Point stations. Travel time on the LIRR
from Citi Field to Penn Station or future
East Side Access to Grand Central
Terminal is 17 minutes. Factor in up to
seven minutes to wait for a connection
at Citi Field for the LIRR or 7 train.
Th e new LIRR Grand Central Terminal
consisting of four platforms and eight
tracks at this facility are the equivalent
of many stories below ground. It may
require 5 to 10 minutes before reaching
Midtown. Th e 7 train to Manhattan stations
is a minimum of 25 minutes via
express (only runs inbound a.m. and
outbound p.m. with no other service
except for major events at Citi Field) and
30 minutes on the local.
Th e LIRR will require six trains hourly
in each direction to support 10-minute
headways. Th is is necessary to meet the
promised 30-minute travel time from
LaGuardia Airport to Midtown.
Even with implementation of Positive
Train Control, it may not be possible
for the Port Washington LIRR branch
to accommodate these additional trains
during rush hour. Off -peak service
between rush hours, evenings and weekends
for the Port Washington LIRR
Branch service is once every 30 minutes.
Th e LIRR would have to add four additional
trains hourly to meet promised
30-minute travel time.
Without a second $12 billion federal
bailout, MTA Chairman Foye is threatening
to reduce existing service by 50
percent. But neither Cuomo, Cotton,
Foye or LIRR President Phil Eng have
ever revealed what the additional operating
costs would be. No one has identifi
ed the funding sources to pay for all
this extra service. It will be in the tens
of millions.
Are these funds included in the MTA
LIRR operating budget in future years
to pay for this cost? Since the Jamaica
AirTrain cost $7.50 each way, you have
to assume there will be a similar price
for the LaGuardia AirTrain. LIRR peak
tickets cost $10.75, with off -peak tickets
at $7.75 — before scheduled fare
increases in 2021.
Will the LIRR off er $4.50 same day
City Zone tickets on the weekend for
AirTrain riders as well? Groups of two
or more are likely to pool their resources
to pay for a car service, taxi, Uber
or Lyft . Th ese options would provide
a simple one-seat ride to Manhattan.
Th ere would be no need to make another
transfer at Penn Station or Grand
Central Terminal via bus, subway or
other mode of transportation to reach a
fi nal destination.
Only Governor Cuomo, the Port
Authority, and their consultants, along
with labor unions and construction contractors
who would benefi t from this
project, refuse to acknowledge the reality
that a 30-minute trip is fantasy.
Larry Penner, Great Neck
oped
letters & comments
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BY ELISEO
LABAYEN
Not everything
that is faced can be
changed, but nothing
can be changed
until it is faced.
I am running for
offi ce because there
are a plethora of issues impacting my
community all at the same time; one
of those issues is the rise in anti-Semitism.
Forest Hills, like many communities
across the country, is seeing a rise in anti-
Semitism. As a community, we must combat
it from the graffi ti in our parks and
schools to the misinformation being circulated
through cyberspace.
According to the Anti-Defamation
League, “there were 1,879 incidents of
anti-Semitism in the United States in
2018, including more than 1,000 instances
of harassment.” In Pittsburgh, a gunman
stormed the Tree of Life synagogue,
killing 11 in attendance and wounding
six more. In Monsey, N.Y., fi ve Hasidic
Jews celebrating Hanukkah in the home
of rabbi Chaim Rottenberg were attacked
by a machete-wielding intruder. In Rego
Park, a student was arrested for drawing
swastikas across his schoolyard. Th is
disturbing rise in hate must be met with
action by our elected representatives. If
elected, I intend to combat this rise in
hate through education, funding and law
enforcement.
First, according to Th e New York Times,
“In November, the Anti-Defamation
League expanded an anti-bias education
program it started in Brooklyn in 2018
with a goal of bringing it to 40 schools.
Eric L. Adams, the Brooklyn borough
president, praised the program when the
expansion was announced.”
Th e program, No Place for Hate, is
“designed to create inclusive school communities
by promoting unity and respect,
and empowering students to reduce bullying,
name-calling, and other expressions
of bias.” We need to bring this program
to our schools here in NYC Council
District 29. Additionally, we need to mandate
Holocaust education to serve as an
additional deterrent. I agree with and support
Governor Cuomo’s pledge to require
students across New York to visit museums
providing education related to the
Holocaust.
Second, we must ensure that our synagogues
and community centers have
the security funding needed to safeguard
themselves from another potential attack.
According to Patch, “Congress allocated
$90 million to its Nonprofi t Security
Grant program in December 2019. Th e
grants will be available to high-risk synagogues,
mosques, churches and community
centers across New York City.”
Applications to this funding must go
through FEMA and our elected representatives
should be educating and encouraging
those who need access to this capital.
Finally, our communities must work
hand in glove with the NYPD Hate Crime
Task Force. Th is specialized unit is experienced
in and dedicated to bias-crime
prevention. To get in contact with this
unit, call 888-440-HATE or email hctf@
nypd.org.
If elected, my role in government would
be local but that would not inhibit me
from fi ghting on this issue on a statewide
or national level; too much is at
stake for our city. I also intend to advocate
for our ongoing commitment and
alliance to Israel. Israel is not an apartheid
state and boycott, divestment and sanctions
are not an answer to our staunchest
ally in the Middle East. I stand against any
such position whether made by an elected
representative or by graffi ti in our midst.
Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice
everywhere.
Eliseo Labayen (@EliseoLabayen) is
running to represent City Council District
29, which encompasses Forest Hills, Rego
Park, Kew Gardens and Richmond Hill.
/nypd.org
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