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Why Does a Borough-wide Traffic Study Come After the Encroachment of the Megastore? by Joseph Tiraco Before Columbus, the Native American population was distributed throughout the United States pretty much as it is today, New York and California were the most populous areas, with New York City and surrounds, the most crowded. (Interesting, the big chiefs sat in council at what is now Albany.) The climate tempered by refreshing ocean breezes, sparkling clear water falling 5,000 feet from the Adirondack mountains to the sea and feeding 8,000 lakes and ponds along the way, lush green forest springing out of solid rock, invigorate and nourish the native population. New York was an enterprising, bustling society long before the city existed. New Yorkers are here despite the imperfect institutions of man installed since Columbus - and probably, in spite of all the brick and mortar so laboriously molded into heroic form. Forest Park, the last forest preserve left in New York City, mirrors, like no where else, the delightful New York seasons. Just now, tree branches are shedding an orange carpet, knee deep in some spots. A steady stream of forest walkers turn out daily to enjoy the crisp autumn weather and stroll the two mile width of the park. About one mile of the park’s roadway has been permanently closed to auto traffic for the past few years, a gift from local community boards. Pressure might be mounting to reopen this roadway and accommodate the large influx of traffic expected by the new Home Depot development. Of all the places to build another of the notorious community exploiting megastores, Forest Park was indeed the saddest choice. As pollution, traffic, and crowds traveling to the shopping mall, encroach on the delicate ecosystem, the park’s degradation will be inevitable, and difficult to accept. The city is currently conducting a long overdue Queens, borough wide traffic survey. It is indicative of this corrupt administration that they first damage the borough’s community fabric by introducing fifty new megastores into Queens, and after the fact, perform the prime planning functions; actions obviously not intended to design an orderly Queens society, but rather, to expedite infrastructure at public expense in support of their campaign contributors, the mega store barons. Woodhaven Blvd. at Forest Park is being laid open for the installation of larger pipes to accommodate water run off from Home Depot’s parking lot. Instead of Home Depot paying for the improvements, the administration has given them a ten million dollar tax break - they will pay nothing for years. (Multiply fifty megastores by ten million and there’s enough money to issue every school kid in New York City a computer and unlimited Internet service along with their school books.) The plan to build a school on the M1 zoned properties is another example of politician obliquely, pettiness and stupidity. Rather then using the full breath of property, which abuts the north boundary of Forest Park, to build a bold, spacious, ultramodern institution, and advance the technological curve of public education, perhaps earning the admiration of the world, the school of several thousand kids, will be crammed into one corner of the property, sharing the space with Home Depot’s shopping mall. Far from ideal, thousands of parents and school kids will be forced to negociate the high volume of Home Depot traffic, and endure the incessant pollution, which is downright dangerous, a volatile formula for community havoc. The only reason for this awkward juxtaposition of dissimilar functions is so that politicians can pay off their campaign obligations; politicians accepted the big money contributions, and now it’s time to pay the piper - the school kids be damned. It is high time to send the message that the voters of Queens are citizens of this republic, with full political power vested in their ballot decisions, that we’re feed up with politicians appointing and anointing themselves to high office, and serving themselves rather then the common good; that backroom bosses and political machines will have the light of day intruded into their privileged underground hangouts; that we will countenance no less then an orderly, well planned future for our communities, and not this drunken randomness perpetuated by the current crop of failing, uninspired, crooked, political hacks. Levy new taxes against the megastore industry to reclaim the lost revenue squandered by good time Charlie, back slapping, irresponsible politicians. Ban chemicals completely, and without exemption from heavily contaminated M1 zones - chemicals in barrels, jars, cans, and tanks, containers of any size and every description, for personal use or resale, ban them all. The land was ruthlessly exploited by commercial interests for half a century, now another half century of an imposed chemical free zone can allow the local environment to rejuvenate. (The day after elections, a new megastore asphalt parking lot was laid over poisoned earth at the M1 zone, there was never any intention to clean up the site, or to protect the surrounding community. So much for Lincoln’s, fool all the people all the time, statement.) Put an end to bloated election campaigns by taxing political contributions. Why should these fat cats remain tax exempt? Levy a 20% tax on all campaign contributions, and an additional 20% tax on every media ad that reaches the eyes or ears of New York voters, earmark the money exclusively for education. It will assuage our jangled nerves to know the obnoxious annoyances are generating revenue for a good cause. As to any new pay raises, politicians are not worth their current keep. |