The Right Way to LaGuardia: Kill the AirTrain, speed up the bus, and extend the subway to the airport

All the things we said for years that weren’t good about the Port Authority’s dumb LaGuardia AirTrain people mover have now been upheld by a panel of experts: It’s going in the wrong direction, it’s too expensive to build, and it’s a very bad way to go. of improving what would otherwise be the excellent redeveloped airport that Andrew Cuomo launched.

Cuomo should have scrapped AirTrain, which the port and Governor Hochul have now scrapped. Like the expert panel, we offer our insights pro bono (thanks to civic-minded panelists Mike Brown, Janette Sadik-Khan, and Phil Washington).

The trio also agree with the Daily News that the ideal option is to extend the N train to the airport: “We are unanimous in our opinion that a one-seat trip on the tube from the west is the optimal way to achieve the best connection from massive transport. to LaGuardia airport. In our professional experience, a single-seat ride has been the most successful in encouraging a shift to public transportation from other modes of transportation.”

In the meantime, they say to use better buses. Hmmh, that’s our plan too, and ever since the Riders Alliance in 2015 proposed a fare-free Q70 LaGuardia Link bus, we’ve doggedly pursued that concept and last April, Hochul forced the PA and MTA to remove the fare permanently. .

Cuomo and PA resisted the much better subway route out of undue fear of using eminent domain (it would have taken all five private parcels). Now, engineers say, the real puzzle is threading the subway line between the south end of the runaway and the north end of Grand Central Parkway. That is difficult, but doable. To further complicate matters, there is a pair of 90-year-old stormwater and sewer pipes with a diameter of 15 feet. If the Palestinian Authority cannot do it, there must be someone in the world who can. Find them and bring them to Queens.

TO NYU Report on Transit Construction Costs Always recommended to look for better options. Worked wonders on L train repairs. And in this case. Next up for another look should be the plans for Gateway and Penn Station.

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