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EDITORIAL If you look at a satellite map of central Queens identifying only neighborhoods and not streets or places of interest, you will see a slice of green running north-to-south between Rego Park and Ozone Park. That’s the defunct Rockaway Beach branch of the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR), which has been dormant since the last train rode its tracks in 1962. Over the last 50 years, the line has been evolving into a natural state through reforestation. Left virtually untouched by man, trees and plants have sprouted through the wooden ties and around the rusted steel tracks for the length of the branch. For some, it looks like a forbidden park just waiting for visitors to appreciate it. For others, it looks like a place of neglect that could be revitalized into something useful. For those on both sides of that coin, they see one thing: opportunity. Several local elected officials and community leaders in southern Queens want to the Rockaway Beach branch to be returned to its original purpose as a rail line connecting thousands to Manhattan with relative ease. They claim that the line would provide a vital link to businesses and residents in southern Queens and cut commuting time by half. However, a group of activists in central Queens say that the Rockaway Beach branch should be turned into a linear public space in the fashion of the High Line in Manhattan. The park, called “Queensway,” would also double as a bike path, allowing visitors on two wheels to travel easily and enjoy a trail of nature without intersecting with busy roadways. Both are great ideas, and both carry with them many questions and criticisms. Residents living near the line fear that bringing back rail would expose them to noise and other quality-of-life problems associated with subway or commuter trains. There are also questions about security and who would be responsible for patrolling a park during evening hours. Naturally, the costs of either proposal were also raised, and many wondered how the state, city or federal governments could afford to fund either plan at a time of continued financial turmoil. One group, the Woodhaven Residents’ Block Association, recently held a public hearing on both ideas. Based on the comments they received, they declined to support either the rail revitalization plan or the Queensway plan and suggested the city should maintain the line, but leave it be. The group claimed that “any change to the rail line, especially reactivating it, could have a considerable negative impact on many residents.” Much of the debate about the Rockaway Beach branch took place before New York City got walloped by Hurricane Sandy. Among the physical casualties of the storm was the A line south of the Howard Beach station; parts of the subway line crossing Jamaica Bay were totally destroyed by the surf. The damages from Sandy across the region are expected to cost over $50 billion, and with governments wondering how to pay for that, it’s almost certain that there won’t be enough public funding for any plan for the Rockaway Beach branch. With all this in mind, we believe it’s proper for any plans for the line to be mothballed until further notice. Let the city recover from Sandy first, and let’s revisit the ideas for the Rockaway Beach branch once we’re on better financial footing as a city, a state and a nation. In this case, letting nature continue as caretaker of the branch seems like the only sensible option.
Readers Comments
While I appreciate the
Submitted by Annonymous (not verified) on Thu, 2013-01-03 12:48.
While I appreciate the thought given to this editorial, I honestly think it is completely wrong headed, and wrong for the very reason it cites in support of its conclusion - Sandy. As an initial matter the issue is actually moot. No one is suggesting that the QueensWay be built tomorrow. First the Feasibility Study, recently funded by the State of New York, has to be conducted and many public hearings and other ways of obtaining public input has to be obtained - and that is before a design phase, and approvals can be obtained. So we are talking years to go before this can be constructed - well after the current crisis has passed. Moreover, the money to convert this abandoned, trash strewn and dangerous space into a park and bikeway comes from very different sources of funding than Sandy Aid - which should the Republican Congress get its act together would be separate one time allocations. Sandy aid money would have little impact on the transportation and park monies that are allocated annually by State, City and Federal officials every year (e.g. the $52 million NYS allocated recently for economic development projects, including parks, and including the $467,000 for the QueensWay feasibility study). I agree that Sandy aid should come first, but the reality is that after that aid is allocated there will still be funds allocated for parks and bikeways and why shouldn't we pull those monies into our community? Why leave that money hanging on the vine when our neighborhoods can benefit instead? And that is without getting into the private money that is often donated for such projects. $40 million was donated last year to Brooklyn Bridge Park and $100 million was just donated to the Central Park Conservancy. Money ultimately isn't the issue, its political will and vision. Which brings me to why Sandy is actually an argument in favor of the QueensWay.
First, development of the line into a rail line in the hopes of spurring increased development of the Rockaways would be a horrific idea. Sandy proves that further development of coastal barrier lands is exceedingly bad policy. Governor Cuomo was right when he said we should rebuild better and smarter. Encouraging increased development of the Rockaways would run completely counter to that philosophy and would be very dangerous. Too many people failed to head the evacuation warnings as it was. To deliberately encourage an increase in population in the Rockaways - and more significantly an increase in population by people reliant on mass transit, which was shutdown 36 hours before the storm hit - would translate to even more people left in harms way, with no means to evacuate if they wait too long and needing rescue and support. Secondly, in the aftermath of Sandy, with mass transit incapacitated and gasoline shortages endemic throughout Queens, alternate means of transportation, such as bicycling, became the most reliable means of getting around. I commuted to my midtown office by bike for a week. Adding a key north/south bicycling route in central Queens would not only provide an essential transportation corridor during such disasters, but would bolster New York transportation infrastructure every day. The QueensWay would make it easy for students to get to any of the 14+ public schools along its route; make it easy to use your bike to shop on any of the nine commercial streets it crosses (imagine not having to fight for a parking space at Trader Joes); and, would make it easy to bike the 1 or 2 miles to a more convenient subway or bus line to complete your commute to other parts of Queens, Brooklyn and Manhattan. And all of this done in a health, sustainable, emission free way.
So while the concern of your editorial is understandable, it is misplaced. Sitting still and doing nothing rarely accomplishes anything good. Moving forward, implementing good sustainable policies , improving our quality of life and improving our transportation options is instead the proper course, and can be done without interfering with aid to Sandy victims.
I agreee, let nature rakes it
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 2012-11-29 21:13.
I agreee, let nature rakes it course.
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