I'm glad Mocker made the point that the City owns the Rockaway Beach Line, and not the MTA. It was given back to the City decades ago.
The problem with all of this is that the area between Rego Park and Liberty Avenue has not been maintained at all in the same period of time. The whole structure south of Forest Park and all of the bridges, etc. north of it would probably have to be completely rebuilt from the ground up. What would that cost?
Fuggetaboutit! The last thing that NYC wants is a direct working railroad line that connects the "jungle district" in Rockaway with the "good" areas of Queens.
This should go back to LIRR and be a one seat ride from Penn to JFK. It absolutely never should have been abandoned. With the casino at aquaduct, there would be even more users for this service.
If the rego park nimbys don't want to have that, they should at least reconstruct the connection to the LIRR atlantic ave branch (it's still there, buried in the school bus parking lot) and have service from flatbush ave to JFK/Aquaduct. This would cost a lot less, but be a little second rate since it doesn't go to manhattan.
Anyway - a thing about these people wanting a park: Just look at how the two boobs that were primarily responsible for making the High Line in Manhattan PROFITED from it. Their organization received a load of city funding to build and maintain it. These people wanting to build a park are not noble people - they are wolves in sheeps clothing.
Those tracks never, ever should have been abandoned. Hands down one of the largest transportation planning disasters this city has ever had.
We should be honest about what the tracks involve and how they could effectively be used.
LIRR service wouldn't be cheap, and wouldn't go all the way to the Rockaways. A Subway conversion wouldn't be cheap, and wouldn't easily connect to Manhattan (without say restoring the idea for a Queens Superexpress).
A highline type park wouldn't be cheap, and wouldn't be the same. The Highline works because it goes through the heart of Manhattan, providing an escape from cars and is located near other tourist attractions. Tourists were already in the area, but they really aren't flocking to Queens and won't bring tourist dollars to the area. It doesn't really have many places to visit or see.
What works is something that provides an effective use of commuter funds.
A commuter way would be the best option. This would be a closed access travel route, designed exclusively for bicycle and bus service (no passenger vehicles). This is an environment where bicycles work, and buses could travel without intrusion (like Ottawa's Bus Rapid Transit).
Well designed terminals/storage rooms near the tail ends of the park, connected to existing subway stations, would benefit the communities involved.
They want to run public transit to the Racino. Where is the space for stations.........oh yeah the city will just level your home or business.Get on a train after winning a few grand with no cops around. Some things should just be left alone.....
Any use of this right of way that requires having use of the ENTIRE right of way at this point, after years of not maintaining it as such and allowing encroachments and unauthorized use is bound to result in years and years of litigation, attorneys fees and settlement costs IF it could all be made whole again. Makes no sense for a park to show off what will remain as ordinary people's backyards and industrial buildings that will remain in decline.
Bad idea; NYCs High Line is 30 feet elevated off the ground and CAN be quickly sealed and secured if needed. A Rockaway line public "park" sitting on dirt CAN NOT BE SECURED. Forget a useless fence. Now your talking home invasions via back yards, rear windows and doors. --Imported crime Despite what anybody says you know the Queens cops will never police it. Why give the jungle a paved right of way into working class homeowners back yards with an easy getaway ? A walkway up on dirt behind miles of private homes wold be like mall of free wholesale stores to the animals. Especially should a blackout, hurricane or emergency go down . --Oh man Forgedaboudit !
While I would love to see the Rockaway Branch restored to rail use, Phil Goldfeder has been in office only a year... he doesn't have the seniority or clout to make it happen.
The High Line sold air rights to cover acquisition, construction and maintenance costs. The only way for this to work is if the area is rezoned for higher density and air rights sold off. Good Luck.
The part of this abandoned line where it would connect to the LIRR is in a deep, deep gully surrounded be dense forest which is a haven to birds, including hawks, small animals, butterflies and some enormous trees. It is simply gorgeous and a part of the ecosystem. Must we really destroy that??? For what? I say leave it alone. It's a precious oasis of natural wilderness now.
Why turn it "into" anything? It is already something. People who want to develop it would do well to familiarize themselves with the entire length of it, to see how very deteriorated the tracks are, how narrow a gorge is there, how unsuitable for modern travel, and see the beauty they thoughtlessly plan to destroy.
Thank god they will never find the money to do this!
19 comments:
Queens will never get a "High Line" because there are no wealthy Chelsea-types to push for it and it's way too far from the tourist corridor.
Why do these fools want a highline type park, they should be asking for a Vanderbilt Motor Parkway type park.
Native New Yorkers/QUeensians? turned hipster...
At least they are pro-QUeens.
Why not both? A high lineish park plus a trolley line.
I'm glad Mocker made the point that the City owns the Rockaway Beach Line, and not the MTA. It was given back to the City decades ago.
The problem with all of this is that the area between Rego Park and Liberty Avenue has not been maintained at all in the same period of time. The whole structure south of Forest Park and all of the bridges, etc. north of it would probably have to be completely rebuilt from the ground up. What would that cost?
This line should be restored with the LIRR.
NIMBY!
Fuggetaboutit!
The last thing that NYC wants is a direct working railroad line that connects the "jungle district" in Rockaway with the "good" areas of Queens.
This should go back to LIRR and be a one seat ride from Penn to JFK. It absolutely never should have been abandoned. With the casino at aquaduct, there would be even more users for this service.
If the rego park nimbys don't want to have that, they should at least reconstruct the connection to the LIRR atlantic ave branch (it's still there, buried in the school bus parking lot) and have service from flatbush ave to JFK/Aquaduct. This would cost a lot less, but be a little second rate since it doesn't go to manhattan.
Anyway - a thing about these people wanting a park: Just look at how the two boobs that were primarily responsible for making the High Line in Manhattan PROFITED from it. Their organization received a load of city funding to build and maintain it. These people wanting to build a park are not noble people - they are wolves in sheeps clothing.
Those tracks never, ever should have been abandoned. Hands down one of the largest transportation planning disasters this city has ever had.
We should be honest about what the tracks involve and how they could effectively be used.
LIRR service wouldn't be cheap, and wouldn't go all the way to the Rockaways. A Subway conversion wouldn't be cheap, and wouldn't easily connect to Manhattan (without say restoring the idea for a Queens Superexpress).
A highline type park wouldn't be cheap, and wouldn't be the same. The Highline works because it goes through the heart of Manhattan, providing an escape from cars and is located near other tourist attractions. Tourists were already in the area, but they really aren't flocking to Queens and won't bring tourist dollars to the area. It doesn't really have many places to visit or see.
What works is something that provides an effective use of commuter funds.
A commuter way would be the best option. This would be a closed access travel route, designed exclusively for bicycle and bus service (no passenger vehicles). This is an environment where bicycles work, and buses could travel without intrusion (like Ottawa's Bus Rapid Transit).
Well designed terminals/storage rooms near the tail ends of the park, connected to existing subway stations, would benefit the communities involved.
They want to run public transit to the Racino. Where is the space for stations.........oh yeah the city will just level your home or business.Get on a train after winning a few grand with no cops around. Some things should just be left alone.....
Any use of this right of way that requires having use of the ENTIRE right of way at this point, after years of not maintaining it as such and allowing encroachments and unauthorized use is bound to result in years and years of litigation, attorneys fees and settlement costs IF it could all be made whole again. Makes no sense for a park to show off what will remain as ordinary people's backyards and industrial buildings that will remain in decline.
Bad idea;
NYCs High Line is 30 feet elevated off the ground and CAN be quickly sealed and secured if needed.
A Rockaway line public "park" sitting on dirt CAN NOT BE SECURED.
Forget a useless fence.
Now your talking home invasions via back yards, rear windows and doors. --Imported crime
Despite what anybody says you know the Queens cops will never police it.
Why give the jungle a paved right of way into working class homeowners back yards with an easy getaway ?
A walkway up on dirt behind miles of private homes wold be like mall of free wholesale stores to the animals.
Especially should a blackout, hurricane or emergency go down .
--Oh man Forgedaboudit !
While I would love to see the Rockaway Branch restored to rail use, Phil Goldfeder has been in office only a year... he doesn't have the seniority or clout to make it happen.
But his former boss, Chuck Schumer, does.
Ever seen Mayor Laguardia jackhammering the el to eliminate blight? How perverse our times when we make monuments out of blight instead!
The High Line sold air rights to cover acquisition, construction and maintenance costs. The only way for this to work is if the area is rezoned for higher density and air rights sold off. Good Luck.
The part of this abandoned line where it would connect to the LIRR is in a deep, deep gully surrounded be dense forest which is a haven to birds, including hawks, small animals, butterflies and some enormous trees. It is simply gorgeous and a part of the ecosystem. Must we really destroy that??? For what? I say leave it alone. It's a precious oasis of natural wilderness now.
Why turn it "into" anything? It is already something. People who want to develop it would do well to familiarize themselves with the entire length of it, to see how very deteriorated the tracks are, how narrow a gorge is there, how unsuitable for modern travel, and see the beauty they thoughtlessly plan to destroy.
Thank god they will never find the money to do this!
I think they should do it. Thn they can build 50 story towers along it so only the rich can use it!
WE HAVE TO TAKE CARE OF THE RICH AFTER ALL.
ANYTHING ELSE IS "DUMB".
Post a Comment