Letters to the Editor
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‘Drive Tax Plan Seen As “Un-Enactable”‘
As I write this, some of our elected leaders are contemplating ways to discourage motor vehicle traffic in midtown Manhattan [New York, “Drive Tax Plan Seen As ‘Un-Enactable,'”July 9, 2007].
A large part of the congestion, smog, and wear on the streets comes from heavy trucks. With freight railroading recently back in full swing on Staten Island to unclog the Goethals bridge, and with freight railroading on a modest but distinct increase on Long Island, I say that freight trains should roll in Manhattan again instead of the west side rail line being converted into a park.
At the same time, trash could be hauled off the island by rail, by way of a transfer station at the west side yards.
Logistics of getting freight to actual locations could begin by making deliveries to the midtown postal depot, the Javits Center, stops that still exist along the old route, and perhaps constructing sidings to some of the large department stores who appear to take enough merchandise to each have a reasonable flow of car loads in — I recall that Bloomingdale’s had late-night deliveries by subway years ago.
Substituting trains for trucks could be one of the quickest ways to a greener system.
SHELDON TRACHTENBERG
New York, N.Y.
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