NIMBY mail comes to my mailbox in Westbury

Apparently Assemblyman Rob Walker is on another planet, he has mailed cards to us here in Westbury saying to support his opposition to the LIRR 3rd track on the mainline.
I guess this guy doesn't know or care that LIRR needs this 3rd track to handle the changing ridership patterns. I guess he doesn't care that most of the reverse peak trains are packed, because of long gaps.
He wants us to contact him for opposition support. Oh, I'll contact him, and say I SUPPORT THE LIRR 3RD TRACK.
Unfortunately these NIMBY's continue to live in a dreamland while Nassau county's roads become gridlocked. Tell this guy to wake up!
Rob Walker (516) 338-2693 or [email protected]

Common boys, get out the spikes n hammers time to lay some tracks to his front door

i think maby a 5 chime between 12-4 am would fix this NIMBY

Just e-mailed the following to Assemblyman Walker: "I strongly support the Long Island Rail Road Main Line improvement of adding a third [3] track. I also strongly support the future additions of 2 track mainlines east of Hicksville to Riverhead and east of Babylon to Speonk. Now is the time for the Long Island Rail Road and the Metropolitan Transit Authority to commence the rapid expansion of commuter transportation in Nassau and Suffolk Counties. Respectfully, William H. Jones, Retired, L.I.R.R."Actually, I believe that the Mainline from Mineola to Hicksville should be 4 track. In for a penny, in for a pound.

I also received that mailing from Assemblyman Walker. I've just sent him a very long e-mail explaining to him why he is on the wrong track! I also explained the difference between 3rd track and 3rd rail since he obviously didn't know!

I also emailed him, just saying that I could not vote for anyone who is against building the third track.

Bob Andersen

It's ashamed potential leaders fail to see the big picture.

Most if not all future leaders want to improve the already current state of something when they take office. Plenty of people complain about traffic on the island. If nothing is being done about it and you are constantly voting down something that would improve traffic, then you have no right to say anything.

Sure adding another track does have its downfalls. It's going to mean a few years with lots of noise and construction, but the payoff is tremendous. But we live in New York where things need to happen now and not tomorrow. I strongly feel that if we had a similar situation in a different part of the country it would actually happen, but I really don't see this happening.

It's like all this talk about reopening the Central. It's not going to happen. We are over populated as it is right now, and if we ever had the "funds" to do it we would be even more populated than we are now, making it impossible.

.... I can see it turning into where we just resort to personal helecopters for transportation soon....

I just got a reply




Subject: Re: LIRR third track
Date: Thu, 22 Sep 2005 15:12:29 -0400
Thank you for responding to my recent mailing regarding the MTA's proposed
third track. I appreciate that you took the time to let me know your views.


Over the past three months, I have had the privilege of meeting
with many residents and civic organizations with reference to the expansion
of the LIRR. I am not opposed to the overall concept of what the MTA is
attempting. What I am saying is "enough is enough." Several years ago, as
you may or may not know, the residents of Garden City successfully fought
against the opening of a freight yard near their station in Garden City.
Although they were successful, the residents of Hicksville were not. Today,
Hicksville now has a freight yard/transfer station opened near the
intersection of West John Street and Charlotte Avenue. Minimal public input
was requested and the residents of this area felt they were dumped on and in
many cases lied to.


As a member of the Assembly Energy Committee, I am all for the
increase use of mass transportation and the potential expansion of a third
track, but input from all residents must be truly taken into account. Today
contaminated waste is being hauled through our communities and eventually
shipped via railroad to other states. There must be an agreed upon "cap" of
how much waste can be shipped on a daily basis. The MTA must work to
improve stations and add to the general upkeep of the area. These two small
requests were asked of the MTA and to date, neither has been answered.


If the MTA steps to the plate and works with our communities, I
will in fact support the proposed expansion and work on assisting all our
commuters. More trains are always needed, let's alleviate the over-crowded
situations. If the MTA stipulates that only commuter trains will be added,
and, in fact, stipulates to a cap on how much freight and contamination will
be hauled and loaded, I will be happy to support the project. Today,
hazardous material is transported via truck through our communities, in and
around our schools, to be loaded onto trains. Therefore, this cap is of
utmost importance.


Additional construction jobs, less commuter discomfort,
decreased traffic congestion are all important goals. However, for a
community that has been dumped on time and time again something must be
given back.


I urge everyone, the MTA, residents, commuters, civic groups, the Towns,
Villages and the State to truly work together in developing the right
expansion, at the right cost for the right reason.


I thank you again for your input and look forward to working with you and
all residents as the study and planning continues on this project.

Sincerely,

ROB WALKER

Member of Assembly

>

Wow, I tell you. This Rob Walker is a real AHole. Put a cap on the freight that can be hauled. Yeah good idea lets keep the garbage and c&d and radio-active waste on Long Island. Great Idea! What about a cap for how many trucks can be driven on the LIE at one time. How about getting the sand trucks off the road, thats what needs to be done. These guys do not even cover their loads correctly and the sand comes off of the truck and pits your car as it flys off the truck at 65+ miles an hour. So I guess its safe for our kids to be in school busses while these guys race around the island to get another load(cause they get paid by the load not the hour). Rail is one of the safest ways to move merchandise from one location to the other. And if Garden City did not reject the idea of the freight yard there, there would be a lot less trucks driving alond Stewart Ave throughout the day. I think it is time for this guy to wake up.

Mad Bill

Rob Walker wrote: As a member of the Assembly Energy Committee, I am all for the
increase use of mass transportation and the potential expansion of a third
track, but input from all residents must be truly taken into account. Today
contaminated waste is being hauled through our communities and eventually
shipped via railroad to other states. There must be an agreed upon "cap" of
how much waste can be shipped on a daily basis. The MTA must work to
improve stations and add to the general upkeep of the area. These two small
requests were asked of the MTA and to date, neither has been answered.
>

Has this guy even bothered to look up the statistics on the safety of rail freight? The LIRR/NYA has an impeccable record, and I for one feel much more confident with hazardous material being transported off LI via rail than I do with the trucks doing 80 mph shooting along the LIE.

I hope this uneducated in the transportation feild walker polition has dreams and nightmares of HAZMAT on the LIE and a LIE of 8 lanes in each direction he needs to wake up and realise that rail is the future of LI and that rail freight is porfitable when Aholes like him keep there mouth shut. the more freight the better, a 3rd track and even the scecondary as the "secondary manin" will benifit traffic on the pavement, and benifit both rail passenger and freight.

its hard to beleive that 100+ years ago they wanted to tripple track the main. and it never materialised do to what i beleive was the LIRRs finances at the time.

when the NIMBYs are out working from 5am-6/7pm the trains can roll in ther neighboor hood with minimal disturbance. and they need to thank there anasestors for not using that line enough years ago as to why they need to endour noise today

we do need the 3rd track and politions like walker will DERAIL any PRO-RAIL acts.

What a lot of these polititians don't consider is that had it not been for the railroads, Long Island, hell...the entire United States, would not have developed the way it did. I know that in todays time there are a lot of options with cars and planes, but rail is still a strong part of the transportation puzzle. Most people just see these big noisy things that shake the ground and don't consider what role they play. Like I said in a reply to someone's post a few weeks back, imagine if you didn't have a commuter railroad on Long Island. Just for example if you take one train out of service that was holding, just for argument's sake...300 people. Without the train, those 300 people will be driving to work....and the chances of them all carpooling are very slim. Hell, even if they did carpool...say 4 people to car that's 75 more cars on the road. Say with the same argument, if you ship goods via truck instead of train.....one noisy train rolling through once a day could handle the same amount of freight that a few hundred trucks would be able to handle running back and forth all day, again adding to the congestion on the roads.

Now before we get biased (not accusing anybody) I just want you guys to remember that there is always 2 sides for a story.

FYI..The reply from assemblyman Walker came from [email protected] . That is an invalid E-Mail address!

He wants to put a cap on freight....

.... could you imagine if that happened with customers like Prima and Gershow on the island? Imagine how many trucks would be on the road?

This guy is a trip.

could the facts be any more distorted? how many fuel tanker truck fires have been on Long Island in the past 15 years... at once, i can name three major incidents in Islip Town and Babylon Town right away. LIE/Sagtikos, Rte 27/ 231, rte 27A east islip... how many train accidents with fireballs and lost lives can we name on LI? not a one. this info is totally f__ed up!! who is this nut???