Light rail preferable to subways and money saved could help outer borough transit

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Reader comment on:
Train to JFK May Lose to Second Avenue Line

Submitted by George N. Spitz, May 22, 2007 19:05

Mayor Bloomberg is making a big mistake if he provides money for the 2nd Ave subway for any reason. Even the MTA grudgingly admits that "

Through out the world in forward looking metropolises, such as Barcelona, Toronto, Jerusalem, Tampere, Munich, Lisbon, Vancouver plus Salt Lake City, Portland and Denver in the United States, are choosing nonpolluting street-level boarding light rail in preference to subways and buses. Mayor Bloomberg should withdraw environmental permits for early to mid 20th century transportation solutions such as the 2nd Ave Subway until a fair and open debate can be had on whether it would be better for New York City to utilize late 20th and early 21st-century technology for relieving horrendous commuting problems not only in Manhattan, but in the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island.

"Because of the large scale and extended duration of the construction required for the Second Avenue Subway, the construction could potentially increase regional concentrations of ozone precursors-NOx and VOCs-as well as fine particulate matter (PM2.5), all of which are pollutants of concern on a regional basis." Furthermore, for 6 miles of 2nd Ave subway building cost , 60 miles of state of art light rail can be constructed in Staten Island, Eastern Queens, Central and South Brooklyn and North Bronx, all areas greatly needing improved transportation.

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Other reader comments on this article

Comment	By	Date
There are two, very simple, but very important ways to make the MTA/Long Island Rail Road connection to Lower Manhattan... [MORE]	Patrick M. Centolanzi, PE	May 24, 2007 12:45
Mayor Bloomberg is making a big mistake if he provides money for the 2nd Ave subway for any reason. Even...	George N. Spitz	May 22, 2007 19:05
Mr. Spitz, while I always advocate all forms of electric rail service including light rail, knowing what I do from... [MORE]	Brian Staples	Jun 6, 2007 15:43
THIS IS ANOTHER REASON I LEFT NYC AND MOVED TO WYOMING!!!!! [MORE]	BORIS	May 22, 2007 07:04
It's all a matter of priorities. Why are transit projects always competing with one another for funding when the City... [MORE]	Allan Rosen	May 21, 2007 11:23
Once I discovered how convenient the Skytrain and A train are to travel to and from JFK -- and from... [MORE]	Hilary Hinds Kitasei	May 21, 2007 09:36
Mayor Mike should not be allowed to foist this boondoggle on working New Yorkers who commute from the other boros... [MORE]	Art Fougner	May 21, 2007 09:18
It's only good news when we try to fund one project than several at once, and then none get done. [MORE]	John Pappas	May 21, 2007 09:16
I respectfully disagree with Gene Russianoff ("The problem over the last 10 years has been that if you're for all... [MORE]	Tom Ryan	May 21, 2007 09:02