PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Rick Horan, Executive Director of QueensLink
3:30:53
·
3 min
Rick Horan, Executive Director of QueensLink, testified in support of Resolution 59, which calls for an MTA environmental impact study on the proposed QueensLink project. He emphasized the importance of subways in outer boroughs and criticized the MTA's handling of the QueensLink proposal.
- Horan highlighted strong public support for using the land for transit over parks
- He accused the MTA of delaying studies, inflating costs, and reducing ridership estimates to diminish the project's value
- The testimony was cut short due to time constraints, with Horan unable to finish his prepared remarks
Rick Horan
3:30:53
Okay.
3:30:54
Great.
3:30:55
Not sure if, I can turn my camera on, but I'll I'll continue verbally.
3:31:02
My name is Rick Horan, executive director of Queensland, a nonprofit all volunteer group to reconnect the Rockaways and South Queens with the rest of the borough in the city, that the city, was disconnected from more than 60 years ago.
3:31:19
Thank you, council members, Brooks Powers, Holden, and Areola for proposing this resolution to have the MTA conduct at QueensLink EIS.
3:31:31
I'm going to ask for, a little bit of time indulgence, for this testimony, but I will make it as quick as as I possibly can.
3:31:43
New Yorkers, especially those in the outer boroughs, depend on subways as distance and traffic conspired to make buses impractical.
3:31:54
Subways are part of our DNA.
3:31:56
This was confirmed in a recent poll by senator Adabo, whereas constituents favored the skinny strip of land be used for transit over parks by 3 to 1.
3:32:08
QueensLink, however, includes both.
3:32:11
Yet as we meet here this morning, city planners are busy designing 2 small parks that will be built directly on top of Queen's only north south rail corridor.
3:32:22
How did this happen?
3:32:24
The MTA claims that as a New York City owned transit asset, they are not responsible for decisions on its future use.
3:32:33
That could not be further from the truth.
3:32:35
Their pattern of delaying studies, inflating costs, and reducing ridership have served to diminish its value to provide cover to anybody who was against reactivation.
3:32:48
Here's some history for context.
3:32:50
In 2016, when the MTA agreed to do a feasibility study, it's sandbag the results for over a year.
Juan Garcia
3:32:56
Thank you.
3:32:57
Your time has expired.
Rick Horan
3:33:00
Even been completed.
3:33:03
When it was initially released in October when it was finally released in October 2019, it still showed its September 2018 cover date.
3:33:15
But at that point, it was too late to be considered for the 2,022,020 for capital plan.
3:33:22
Mission accomplished.
3:33:24
The study did confirm, however, that it would carry 47,000 daily riders and recommended that an an EIS be performed.
3:33:33
But consistent with the MTA's desire to kill this project, it claimed to build, it claimed a build cost of 8,100,000,000.
Kevin Dantzler
3:33:43
That's all
Selvena N. Brooks-Powers
3:33:43
that we're gonna do.
3:33:44
To wrap up.
3:33:45
You could submit the rest of your testimony in writing.
Mark Rampersant
3:33:51
Okay.
Rick Horan
3:33:53
Thank you very much for your time today.
