Any thoughts about this?
From the link: LI commuters: East Side Access project means longer commute - Newsday
Long Island commuters expressed outrage Wednesday night over how the MTAâs $11.2 billion East Side Access megaproject could result in longer travel times for them.
The overwhelming majority of the 257 registered speakers at a virtual public meeting held by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority â the LIRRâs parent organization â came from the Port Washington area, and decried what they said was a disproportionately negative impact on their line.
Although the LIRR plans to increase the number of trains running on the Port Washington Branch, they would alternate between Penn Station and the railroadâs forthcoming second Manhattan terminal, Grand Central Madison. That means there would be fewer trains to and from Penn than there are now, and far fewer than before the railroad reduced service at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Express trains on the line would make several new stops in Queens under the proposal, adding up to eight minutes of travel time. LIRR officials say the average trip increase is up to three minutes in the morning and up to two minutes in the evening.
Several speakers said they had been looking forward to the benefits of East Side Access, which is scheduled for completion in December. And then the railroad released its service plan last month.
âI canât ⌠[overstate] the disappointment when I saw the actual timetables,â said Port Washington commuter Scott Lin, who works on Manhattanâs East Side. âIt did make me wonder ⌠if the MTA engaged any commuters from the Port Washington line before they came up with that timetable, because it universally, universally is a disappointment.â
East Side Access aims to shave up to 40 minutes in commuting time for people working on Manhattanâs East Side, and also provide much-needed redundancy when there are problems with service into or out of Penn Station.
âThe MTAâs multibillion-dollar investment in Grand Central Madison will increase service by 40%, provide hundreds of thousands of Long Island commuters with more service options, and improve both service reliability and on-time performance,â MTA spokesman Sean Butler said in statement.
But several commuters scoffed at the promises of a better commute. Port Washington commuter Mark Bunim said that before the pandemic, he could take five different trains to Manhattan between 7:45 a.m. and 8:30 a.m. Under the LIRRâs proposal, heâll have just two trains to pick from â one to Penn and another to Grand Central.
"How anybody can say with a straight face that this is an increase in service is beyond me,â Bunim said.
MTA officials have said theyâve been limited in how much service they can add on the Port Washington line because of the Town of North Hempsteadâs refusal to allow the railroad to expand its track capacity there. Town officials have said they are willing to reconsider the townâs previous opposition to the plan.
Speakersâ gripes over the plan werenât limited to Port Washington. Others complained about the elimination of most direct service between Long Island and Brooklyn, and of the lack of service increases in parts of Suffolk that rely on diesel trains because tracks are not electrified.
At a news conference Thursday, LIRR interim president Catherine Rinaldi said the negative remarks shared by riders at Wednesdayâs hearing were expected and donât reflect most commutersâ sentiment toward the proposed schedules.
âThe people who are happy about the service are not necessarily the ones who are going to stay on the phone for three hours [to speak at the meeting],â said Rinaldi, who assured the public that railroad officials would consider all feedback. âThatâs why we have these sessions. You donât have these sessions for people to tell you how wonderful you are.â
My thought about this lead to the general idea of âcommunity oppositionâ. I do not regard the notion of âcommunity oppositionâ as being in any way representative of the âcommunityâ at large - the term is simply an all too commonly used misnomer.
We are talking about a highly vocal minority aka: NIMBY opposition. Here is a link to some meticulous empirical research about the sociology, psychology, and politics of neighborhood opposition to new developments/infrastructure.
There are many case studies here that provide factual, empirical support to my repeated claim that, so called, âcommunity oppositionâ does not actually reflect the majority opinion of any given neighborhood.
The use of the term is deliberately deceptive.
Good Read on the subject of - âNeighborhood Defendersâ.
Funny how they complain thereâs a housing crisis yet the NIMBYs oppose new development. Also, donât they realize that this new infrastructure project (East Side Access) will be a gamechanger and beneficial for the city?
Are there any plans for a new stadium to replace metlife?
I know this is a longshot and has like nada chance of happening, but even any rumblings or rumors that they might maybe build a new one?
Itâs just that, well, metlife kinda sucks. At least from a looks standpoint. Itâs not really that unique and it very boring.
Also it doesnât even have a roof, which is a problem due to NYCs weather (especially because the superbowl is in February, which is a big boon for any stadium.)
It would be unlikely for the New York and New Jersey area to get a new stadium since MetLife is only twelve years old. I would appreciate a new stadium that is actually in New York though.
In the long term, Aqueduct would be the best location for a new stadium in the city. Itâs got enough parking as it stands, and certainly some mixed-use development along Rockaway Blvd and the A train wouldnât be the worst thing in the world.
Yeah maybe if it was pitched as a stadium that was actually in NY lol.
MetLife stadium actually is one of the most modern and expensive stadiums in the US. It also has one of the largest capacities at 80K. Theyâre not replacing it anytime soon. I would really like to see an athletics stadium within the city limits. Something that can host an Olympics or World Championships with a huge capacity. New York just doesnât have that compared to other global cities like London.
A good first step, but more is needed. NYC has around 5,800 buses per the article.
They have now arrested 2 of this group: 3 more to be found.
I donât really watch sports but it seems the mets won against the Phillies in their latest game.
