Letters to the Editor
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Spitzer and Limits of Sprawl
New Yorkers should be pleased that the state attorney general has raised the issue of “smart growth” as something he would strongly support if elected governor [“Spitzer Calls for Limits on Sprawl To Help Upstate Economy,” Jacob Gershman, New York, April 20, 2006].
Embracing smart growth concepts is paramount in the capital region’s progress toward urban revitalization, open space and farm preservation, drinking water protection, and maintaining a high quality of life.
Environmentally sensitive planning allows for economic growth while mitigating the negative and costly impacts of sprawl.
Building compact or vertically, as opposed to land consumptive building, as well as incorporating mixed land use decisions will offer myriad economic, fiscal, environmental, and public health benefits for all upstate residents. Upstate communities recognize the importance of smart growth — spurring economic development while maintaining the qualities that have made those communities unique. But all too often the tools, such as trained staff, face impediments and legal constraints that limit the ability of municipalities to plan regionally.
Eliot Spitzer should be applauded for putting smart growth on the agenda.
MARCIA BYSTRYN
Executive Director
New York League Of Conservation Voters
www.nylcv.org
Manhattan
‘Time To Shut the Tram?’
The Roosevelt Island tram carries about 1,000 persons per hour during morning rush hours, which are three hours in length, and the same amount returning every evening for a four-hour rush hour period [“Time To Shut the Tram to Roosevelt Island,” Davidson Goldin, Page 1, April 21, 2006].
These are not tourists. They are tax paying New Yorkers. Tourists come seasonally and are an added benefit to the tram. The tram lost $300,000 last year. That is a better deal than any other mass transit system in the country.
The state of New York refuses to spend a cent on Roosevelt Island, so all improvements must be made at the island’s expense. How much does the state spend on thruways, bus systems, the Long Island Rail Road, and MetroNorth, to name a few of the subsidized mass transit systems? We get zilch.
Considering that the system has run for 29 years and 11 months to the day, it has a good safety record. I would put it up against any other mass transit system in the United States. We are proud of our tram and most islanders will be back on it the morning that service resumes.
JUDITH BERDY
Roosevelt Island
Manhattan
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