Queens Public Transit
Committee Mission/Position Statement
How
we define ourselves:
The
Queens Public Transit Committee is one group that supports the former LIRR Rockaway Branch
Line (RBL) for its original purpose, transportation. We want to see the
reactivation of the RBL for the benefit of all the people of Queens and the
City of New York.
In short, Queens is notorious for long commuting times, especially by those
that have no influence and power in the political process. The RBL is
about fairness, inclusion, prosperity and equality.
We
do not support a competing exclusive narrow park plan that will benefit only a
small but fortunate section of Queens.
Flaws
of the ‘Park Plan’
The
proposed park alternative will have little or no effect on relieving
overcrowded buses and trains on our transportation corridors as it would only
benefit a small area of Queens while the RBL would benefit all of Queens, the entire transportation system and the
City.
Comparisons
to the High Line in Manhattan
are not appropriate. That former New York Central elevated right of way was
created in the middle of the Meatpacking District (which was already a tourist
attraction) that feeds foot traffic there. Aside from small shopping districts,
there’s nothing to feed the ex-LIRR right of way creating a negative return on
investment – no ancillary revenue would be generated and would be nothing more
than a money pit.
Problem
definition:
Queens
is suffering from an inadequate overcrowded transit system and is notorious for
long commuting
times for those who have no influence and power. On
average, it takes 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 hours to travel from South Queens to North Queens by public transportation. This includes
actual bus travel times and not a figure derived from a timetable. Express
buses frequently are caught up in traffic and a connecting subway ride while
efficient, sometimes requires multiple transfers until the final destination is
reached.
Bus
service is at best inefficient for a couple of reasons. The maximum passenger
load is about 85 total riders. With increased dwell time due to slow passenger
boarding/de-boarding and stopping in traffic for lights and other vehicular
traffic, increasing bus service will have little or no effect on relieving
overcrowded buses and trains on our traffic corridors. While the MTA’s
Select Bus Service has improved bus service somewhat in the corridors where it
has been implemented, it should not be a replacement to rail service on the
RBL.
Our
roadways are clogged and dangerous with numerous vehicles that cause pollution
and longer commuting times. The health problems created by the vehicular
traffic lowers our Quality of Life and it's getting worse by the year. The
original shutting down of rail service on the RBL created these health risks,
reduced prosperity and opportunities in Queens.
Problem
solution:
The
reactivation of the Rockaway Beach Line to rail use is the best transit
alternative as it solves all these problem issues. Trains are more
efficient than a bus and or a narrow park.
We
need to expand the transit system by reactivating the RBL as a subway and or
LIRR line. The RBL is the best transit alternative as when the Long
Island Rail Road operated trains on this line, a typical trip into Manhattan
took about 35 minutes - compare that to a trip into Manhattan with our current
set of transportation options.
A
train is more efficient than a bus and or a narrow park and here’s why. For
example, a typical subway train car can accommodate 100 people and thusly, a
10-car train can carry about 1,000 passengers. The average rail car will last
about 35-40 years while a bus has an average lifespan of 7 to 12 years before
scrapping. With full length buses costing just under a million dollars each,
this is NOT a good long-term transportation investment. In short, in terms of a
cost/benefit analysis, the rail option is the best transit alternative and
should be the only one considered. The park plan represents separation,
isolation, division, exclusion, increase travel
times and more transportation congestion.
Brief
history of the line:
The
Long Island Rail Road began service on the Rockaway Branch Line in the 1800s
and continued to serve mid-Queens and the Rockaways into the 1950s when after
the last of a series of trestle fires on the Beach Channel Bridge, service was
discontinued on that route to the Rockaway Peninsula in the early 1950s and
that part of the line was sold to the City of New York in 1952 (today’s subway
service). In 1962, all LIRR service on the branch was discontinued and
abandoned in 1962. This part of the line has lain fallow ever since.
Summary:
The
RBL would increase capacity on our transit system, increase property values and
create a more positive economic cash flow than turning the former rail line
into a park which generates nothing.
We
are open to sharing the RBL with a trails option but we will not accept
the exclusive park only idea as this line already goes through a park area.
Media Contact: Philip McManus, Chairman,
Queens Public Transit Committee
E-mail:
Rowing612@aol.com
Phone numbers: 718-679-5309, 718-474-0315
