Will More Bus Lanes Solve Traffic Problems?
The polemic, Will More Bus Lanes Solve Traffic Problems For New York City? (New York Times, February 12, 2022) misses the point of why seniors like me ride buses. It has nothing to do with bus speed, but with trip time, comfort and convenience. Trip time is determined by the length of the walk to and from the nearest bus stop and how long I have to wait for a bus as well as how long the bus takes to reach my destination. Comfort is provided by bus shelters with seating space and heat lamps in cold weather, lighting at night as well as available comfortable seats on the bus. Everything else is secondary. I surely don’t want to walk over an hour to 42nd Street from my home on Jane Street. An average bus speed of 6.6 mph is a bargain. The only race I relish is the human race.
—Barry Benepe
Storm Surge Barrier
Brian Pape’s article in the February issue of WestView describing the proposed Storm Surge Barrier across New York Harbor fails to address two important concerns; First, the Sandy Hook National Seashore, home to endangered species, would be destroyed. Second, a major storm surge would enter the harbor from Barnegat Bay, undermining the barrier. Not only will the Sandy Hook National Wildlilfe Preserve be destroyed at the southern end of the gates, but the coastal communities at the southern tip of Long Island will be flooded and destroyed as well. The residents of those communities have to be kept in the loop.
I believe that NYC must develop a resilient response to future surges over the long run. It cannot change its topography, but it can reshape its shoreline and amend its zoning laws.
—Barry Benepe
