Local Groups Hit Atlantic Station to Push Ravitch Plan
Faced with a $1.2 billion deficit, the MTA has threatened to hike fares from $2.00 to $2.50 and institute severe cutbacks to outer-borough service; in Brooklyn, which would be particularly hard hit, the M train would lose 28 rush hour trains and the Z train would be eliminated altogether. In the face of this crisis,…
Faced with a $1.2 billion deficit, the MTA has threatened to hike fares from $2.00 to $2.50 and institute severe cutbacks to outer-borough service; in Brooklyn, which would be particularly hard hit, the M train would lose 28 rush hour trains and the Z train would be eliminated altogether. In the face of this crisis, several groups set up shop in the Atlantic-Pacific station to urge riders to let Governor Paterson know that they support the recommendations of the Ravitch Commission (which include a toll on East River bridges). Citywide groups NYPIRG Straphangers Campaign, Environmental Defense Fund, Regional Plan Association, Transportation Alternatives and the Tri-State Transportation Campaign joined the Brooklyn-based UPROSE, Pratt Center and Downtown Brooklyn Partnership in handing out fliers and collecting signatures on a giant plea to the governor.
“Please don’t throw out a sop to morality by touting how much this new line will help poor people in Harlem. The second Ave. line is about wealthy UES folk – don’t kid yourself.”
Do “wealthy” people ride the subway? Some do sure, but it’s not like they don’t have alternatives. On the other hand, more people (including “poor” people) work on the East side of Manhattan than probably any other area of the borough. The 2nd Ave subway is defniitely needed, in my book.
bxgirl, that would be awesome!
Snappy- can I change my name to “Insert SnappyButFumblefingeredCommentHere?” 🙂
red hook could do with a subway link.
“Please don’t throw out a sop to morality by touting how much this new line will help poor people in Harlem. The second Ave. line is about wealthy UES folk – don’t kid yourself.”
Amen and thank you, bxgirl.
oops- fumble fingered again- “you don’t get to win an argument by tilting the rules in your favor.”
11215- yo don’t get to win an argument by titlting the rules to yourself. Fact: There are hundreds of thousands of people all over the city- not just on the UES and I guarantee you the walks the elderly, children nad the disabled have to some of these train stations in the outer boroughs are much farther than what you have to walk on the UES. I do know- I walked it. Walking to mass transit on hte UES is a cakewalk compared to areas in Brooklyn and the Bronx. Queens is even worse.
I’ve already said why I didn’t name a specific area- I’ve said it 3 times but you seem to not want to get my point. $15 billion dollars is a lot of money to spend in one place in a transit system that has greater needs – while you may consider it bs, I think the money pit that is Manhattan is bs. You . Please don’t throw out a sop to morality by touting how much this new line will help poor people in Harlem. The second Ave. line is about wealthy UES folk – don’t kid yourself.
And I repeat- it’s short-sighted, and self-destructive. Do you think the rest of the system is going to wait patiently for funding before it falls apart? Please. Your argument is so full of me me me. You have no idea how much many improvements they could have done with the money they are wasting on the 2nd ave. line. It’s criminal.
“And has anyone thought about the total traffic nightmare that would result from the installation of toll plazas before each East River bridge? Not to mention the ungliness of all those toll booths, etc.”
If tolls were to be put in place, the city will probably use an electronic license plate-scanning system rather than build toll booths. There are similar systems currently in use in other U.S. cities.
BrookLynn
Yes, there are plenty of people who would benefit from subway service, but not as many as there are on the east side of Manhattan, I guarantee you that. It doesn’t really make sense to be talking about 2 family homes that are overcrowded when the entire east side of Manhattan is lined with 30+ story apartment towers.
I obviously fully agree that subway and bus service in Brooklyn (and everywhere else in this city) could be vastly improved. What I am SAYING is that putting in the Second Avenue Subway benefits MORE people than some line out to the middle of Canarsie would.
I am aware that it sucks to get from Brooklyn to Queens or the Bronx on transit, and I would love it if the outer boroughs were better connected to each other. There may be plenty of people doing those commutes everyday but I guarantee you there are more people commuting to midtown.
Bxgrl,
I am aware that old people, sick people, and children exist in outer boroughs as well. I imagine they, too, would find the walk from 1st Avenue to Lex to be long.
I would argue that YOUR argument is the short-sighted one, as you keep saying that the Second Avenue Subway would only serve one specific neighborhood. It serves anyone who works on the East Side, regardless of what borough they’re coming from. It serves people coming down from the Bronx. It serves the entire east side of Manhattan, which is a pretty broad (and intensely developed) area. If you’re not going to suggest a specific area, why don’t you suggest SOMETHING, anything at all, that you would like to see, and tell us why that’s more important than a subway line that will serve hundreds of thousands of people.
Petebklyn,
Every major street in New York City has a bus line running down it. The M15 is THE MOST CROWDED bus line in the nation, and it is ridiculously slow. Why does it matter who asked to develop so densely up there? They did, and now we have to respond to it. I think you should quit complaining.
And to the both of you, please spare us the BS about not waxing enthusiastic over the convenience of people on the UES or asking stupid questions like why are they paying all that money to live up there. Are you not aware of an area called East Harlem aka one of the poorest places in the city? The second avenue subway will serve the ENTIRE east side of Manhattan, not just rich people on York Ave.