Coney Island’s Surf Avenue has reopened after an eight-month construction project which forced closure of the densely traveled roadway, causing painful traffic delays across the peninsula (“ ‘A bureaucratic mess’: Surf Avenue reopens after painful eight months in Coney Island” by Aidan Graham, online May 20).
The three-phase project, which shuttered the avenue between W. 16th and W. 21st streets, was designed to raise Surf Avenue by three-and-a-half feet in an effort to improve storm drainage in the flood-prone neighborhood, as well as support a massive real estate development in the area.
While locals celebrated the reopening, the area’s councilman chastised the government officials tasked with overseeing the project, who he said failed to properly manage the construction effort.
“This was a bureaucratic mess,” said Mark Treyger (D–Coney Island). “It called into question the oversight, and accountability. Who is in charge?”
Readers felt the city missed an opportunity:
This is great, lovely new streets. Now add beautification of the neighborhood and the new developments and Coney will have its revival.
Great decision on behalf of Mark to expedite the development.Alex from Coney
Now that Surf finally is open, next week either Con Ed or National Grid will be excavating Surf again.
It ain’t over till it’s over.
Bill from Coney Island
I hope they put separated bike lanes there so cyclists won’t have to deal with self-entitled motorists.Henry Ford from Bay Ridge
The city missed a big opportunity for beautification here. Why was the roadway rebuilt as it was? Plenty of room for separated bike paths and a raised / beautified median. What a joke!Jon from Coney Island
@Jon, because the local businesses that will, either way, go out of business in the next three to eight years rallied against the proposal.
Not to worry though, increased rent costs driven up by luxury developments and newer storefronts will beautify the neighborhood…hard to stop gentrification when younger families in Downtown Brooklyn are already talking about seaside living.Alex from Coney
Phony of the month
To the Editor,
This month’s phony is Council Speaker Corey Johnson. He participated in a demonstration condemning anti-Semitism, which is very good.
Before this, he denounced Councilman Yeger for stating a true fact about Palestine really never existing. Not only was Mr. Yeger denounced, he was automatically removed from some committee. Please review your history, Mr. Johnson.
As far as the fur controversy goes, Mr. Johnson and his advocates have no right to tell us about not buying fur.
If you don’t want fur, then you don’t buy it, sir, but don’t force your beliefs on others.
Rather than wasting time about fur, I would like to see Mr. Johnson devote some time to our failing school system, address that seniors and the disabled can’t use certain subway stations as there are no elevators there, and deal with the homeless situation.
He is just hopelessly liberal and the city continues to suffer for it.Ed Greenspan
Sheepshead Bay
Doris’s legacy
To the Editor,
While I am truly sorry at the passing of actress Doris Day, she lived both a blessed and stressed life, one that was not peaches and cream, but one that had a great deal of strife and tragedy.
She was truly an example of what every woman should be or aspire to in their professional as well as personal life.
After her acting career, she established the Doris Day Animal League and was instrumental in discouraging furs and adopting strays, which was very commendable.
She did, however, fall short in not trying to stop animal experimentation in laboratories or medical schools, even though she had a good personal relationship with Ronald Reagan, who was to become governor of California and the 40th president of the United States.
I believe it would have been preferrable to cutoff state and federal aid for laboratories and medical schools and to ask for volunteers or prisoners for this type of program, rather than use defenseless animals to be tortured in the advancement of medical science.
It is true a convict cannot undo the damage he or she did to a victim or a victim’s family, but can pay off part of his or her debt to society in this way.
Doris Day was a very good, kind, caring and compassionate person.
May she rest in peace.
Elliott Abash
Brighton Beach
Save Affordable Care
To the Editor,
I am writing in support of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and the Protecting Pre-Existing Conditions & Making Health Care More Affordable Act of 2019.
In 2012, when I was 16 years old, I was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, a type of cancer that affects the immune system. Even though I got very sick, what I learned that year is that I am extremely lucky.
I was lucky enough to have a cancer with an extremely high cure rate, to be on my father’s health insurance, and to have a family that could afford the cost of my treatment (which was still expensive even with insurance). I was able to receive treatment and make a full recovery only because I was so, so lucky.
There are far too many holes in the umbrella of our health care system. The ACA helped fill some holes, and the aforementioned 2019 bill would reinforce and repair those protections further.
I am calling on NYC Representatives Gregory Meeks, Grace Meng, Nydia Velazquez, Yvette Clarke, Jerry Nadler, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and Jose Serrano to join their Democratic colleagues in supporting the Protecting Pre-Existing Conditions & Making Health Care More Affordable Act of 2019, because when a 16-year-old child in this country gets sick with a curable illness, she should have the freedom to receive treatment, full stop.Lydia Green
Park Slope
Not in the cards
To the Editor,
Mayor Bill de Blasio for President belongs in the comics section.
Democrats Gov. Andrew Cuomo and de Blasio have a lot in common with the late Republicans Gov. Nelson Rockefeller (1959–1974) and Mayor John Lindsay (1966–1973), along with Gov. George Pataki (1995–2006) and Mayor Rudy Giuliani (1994–2001). The same is true for the late Democrat Gov. Mario Cuomo (1983–1992) and Mayor Ed Koch (1978–1988).
Nelson Rockefeller, George Pataki, Mario Cuomo, and son Andrew Cuomo deal with mayors who want equal billing on the political marque. Lindsay’s urban, Koch’s Big Apple, Giuliani’s safety/quality of life, and de Blasio’s progressive agenda is dependent upon both increased state and federal assistance.
De Blasio envisions himself as the national spokesperson for progressive mayors from all cities. This conflicts with governors who have to worry about all 62 counties making up New York State. It also creates problems for both Cuomo and de Blasio, who harbor presidential ambitions in 2020.
Cuomo — like his father Mario, as well as Rockefeller and Pataki — and de Blasio — like Lindsay and Guiliani — will never come close to winning any primaries, let alone occupy the White House.
Better to spend your time packing for your move back to your old Park Slope home when your term ends in December 2021. Larry Penner
Great Neck
