Re: “If You Build It…” Larry Penner.
The author states those riding the LIRR to the UBS Arena will take a train to Jamaica then double back to Elmont. Is everyone going to be taking the train to Elmont from Eastern Long Island? Not according to a 6/07/2018 opinion piece in “Garden City News.”
The author states in this opinion piece, “[a]s I previously wrote, [former MTA Chairman Joe Lhota] agreed with me that there is no current capacity at Penn Station to support new Belmont Park service.” So which is it?
The author goes on to wonder if because the LIRR will be raising fare to Elmont by several dollars in several months how it will affect the traveling habits of high schoolers, college students, and those in their twenties, wondering if they’ll drive instead.
As a general rule of thumb, high schoolers don’t have access to cars and college students don’t have access to cars. I didn’t in high school and for most of college, as with just about anyone in my circle of friends.
The author states as the fare increases it will become far more attractive for people to take Uber of Lyft. Once again as a general rule of thumb, it is very, very expensive to take a Lyft or Uber to Elmont unless you live in a neighboring town.
The author predicts ridership on the LIRR to Elmont will not be what the powers that be predicted. In October 2020, the author had an opinion piece published in “The Riverdale Press,” predicting it would be a long hot summer of 2021 because bus drivers would have to leave all windows open on MABSTOA buses.
Right after this prediction the vaccines were rolled out, and the buses were air-conditioned. In May of 2021, on these very pages, the author suggested going maskless on the LIRR. I hope for the author’s sake with the recent spike in COVID he doesn’t go maskless on the LIRR or anywhere else in public for that matter.
Nat Weiner
Bronx
