Note: on his website Mayor Tom Roach does not say anything about light rail along Interstate 287 connecting Westchester and Rockland counties over the new Tappan Zee Bridge, renamed for former Gov. Cuomo. So either Mayor Roach did not try to get light rail or he tried and failed.
From the campaign website for the re-election of Mayor Tom Roach:
https://www.voteforroach.com/toms-vision/
Most recently, Tom worked with our State Representatives to bring an east-west bus rapid transit system to Westchester County, that will open up once the new Tappan Zee Bridge is completed. This will help reduce congestion on our roads and highways, and allow our commercial offices to attract new tenants who want to be transit-accessible. Thanks to investments like this one, White Plains is rapidly adding jobs, which creates customers for small businesses in our city.
_______________________
At least this contains a rationale for how inundating downtown White Plains might benefit the citizens of White Plains. However, the part of White Plains that's probably impacted are those supposedly obsolete corporate parks that are barely in White Plains along Interstate 287.
If the regional buses simply crossed the bridge, new or old, and dropped passengers off along 287, there would not be an issue, one which neither Mayor Roach nor his challenger in the primary, Milagros Lecuona, have even bothered to address.
But those HUGE regional buses barge into downtown White Plains and drive along multiple residential streets, including North Broadway, Barker Avenue, Park Avenue and most recently Grant Avenue. Regional buses going to and from the train station are facilitating transportation through White Plains but those passengers are not staying in White Plains, not even long enough to shop in a department store. How does that benefit White Plains?
Plus, the 287 corporate parks have fleets of local private buses taking workers to/from the train station and the 287 offices. White Plains gets some benefit from corporate tax paid to White Plains. See Leros, "33 Westchester Avenue".
As usual quality of life in downtown is not considered: safety, noise, pollution, congestion. Congestion? Don't those buses reduce the number of cars in White Plains. The city website still states that 300,000 cars enter White Plains every day. Now add all these silly buses. And what's the point of having the buses go to the train station? They could have crossed the bridge and dropped off their passengers at some Hudson River train station in Westchester. Except the new bridge is designed to protect the river towns from unwanted traffic. Where was Mayor Roach and many other elected officials when that was planned? Who protected downtown White Plains. Who protects it now?
Wednesday, August 30, 2017
Tuesday, August 29, 2017
Pedestrian controlled traffic light is long overdue at Lake Street and Stewart Place.
White Plains is pedestrian hostile in the extreme. A great example is at the Lake Street intersection with Stewart Place, right across from the only downtown city park.
There's that New York State sign at the Stewart Place crosswalk informing drivers that they must yield to pedestrians in the crosswalk. Of course, no one is going to enter that dangerous crosswalk until the cars have stopped in both directions. Many of the people crossing are young children with an adult, either walking or in a stroller.
If the Public Safety and Traffic Commissioners had any sense, this problem would have been fixed years ago. More likely is that they don't even know about it. That's how disconnected city officials and Common Council members are.
A good solution is the same as that already implemented years ago on North Broadway, across from Barker Avenue. Take a look. It's just north of Lake Street on the same side of North Broadway at the next traffic light. Apparently, the citizens who live in the apartment building complained enough to get some action. That's standard operating procedure in White Plains and has been for decades. Sit back and act only when provoked.
Unfortunately, the newly formed neighborhood association representing Stewart Place and Ross Street is consumed with waging what will be a losing battle against the development of the land behind the closed Good Counsel school. The only bright spot there is that it will be almost a decade before any new people start living at that new development. That's the pace of things in White Plains. However, when completed, there will be that many more people in danger trying to cross Lake Street to get to any stores. And most of those cars on Lake Street are used by people who do not even live in White Plains.
White Plains ... Motown!
There's that New York State sign at the Stewart Place crosswalk informing drivers that they must yield to pedestrians in the crosswalk. Of course, no one is going to enter that dangerous crosswalk until the cars have stopped in both directions. Many of the people crossing are young children with an adult, either walking or in a stroller.
If the Public Safety and Traffic Commissioners had any sense, this problem would have been fixed years ago. More likely is that they don't even know about it. That's how disconnected city officials and Common Council members are.
A good solution is the same as that already implemented years ago on North Broadway, across from Barker Avenue. Take a look. It's just north of Lake Street on the same side of North Broadway at the next traffic light. Apparently, the citizens who live in the apartment building complained enough to get some action. That's standard operating procedure in White Plains and has been for decades. Sit back and act only when provoked.
Unfortunately, the newly formed neighborhood association representing Stewart Place and Ross Street is consumed with waging what will be a losing battle against the development of the land behind the closed Good Counsel school. The only bright spot there is that it will be almost a decade before any new people start living at that new development. That's the pace of things in White Plains. However, when completed, there will be that many more people in danger trying to cross Lake Street to get to any stores. And most of those cars on Lake Street are used by people who do not even live in White Plains.
White Plains ... Motown!
CNA asked to help with bus invasion.
These are desperate times. I've resorted to asking the Council of Neighborhood Associations (CNA) to help with the bus problem. Here is the message sent through it's website:
How can I contact the North Broadway Association? Does it include Barker Avenue, Park Avenue, Grant Street?
They have all been inundated with an ever increasing number of buses. The city officials seem oblivious.
Can CNA help? Thanks.
How can I contact the North Broadway Association? Does it include Barker Avenue, Park Avenue, Grant Street?
They have all been inundated with an ever increasing number of buses. The city officials seem oblivious.
Can CNA help? Thanks.
Monday, August 28, 2017
One way mega streets: mocked by Mayor Roach but not changed.
Mayor Tom Roach is by far the biggest breadth of fresh air in White Plains city government in half a century. Unfortunately, White Plains continues to resist and withstand any real change or improvement.
The extent to which Mayor Roach is at fault is unclear. City bureaucracy, special interests of residents of houses, the emerging impact of the bus industry all contribute to things like leaving intact the pseudo highways that slash through downtown posing as city streets, making White Plains pedestrian hostile in the extreme.
Ultimately, however, the person in charge gets too much blame/credit. Unfortunately, his Democratic party challenger does not offer a substantive alternative in this year's election for mayor.
The real problems with downtown White Plains:
1. Common Council members are elected at large, not in geographic districts.
2. Those of us living in downtown apartments are dumb and lazy.
The extent to which Mayor Roach is at fault is unclear. City bureaucracy, special interests of residents of houses, the emerging impact of the bus industry all contribute to things like leaving intact the pseudo highways that slash through downtown posing as city streets, making White Plains pedestrian hostile in the extreme.
Ultimately, however, the person in charge gets too much blame/credit. Unfortunately, his Democratic party challenger does not offer a substantive alternative in this year's election for mayor.
The real problems with downtown White Plains:
1. Common Council members are elected at large, not in geographic districts.
2. Those of us living in downtown apartments are dumb and lazy.
Friday, August 25, 2017
Comments on Mayor Tom Roach campaign literature.
Today I received the first Mayor Tom Roach campaign literature, either paper or digital. I've been receiving email messages from his challenger for the Democratic party nomination for mayor of White Plains: Milagros Lecuona, a member of the city Common Council. None of her messages suggest any real program but a bunch of platitudes from 20-25 years ago and one with the hysterical title that we are under attack. She's correct on that only if she is referring to buses overwhelming downtown with few passengers and do apparent benefit to downtown residents or White Plains generally.
One of the four elected officials with photos who are endorsing Roach is State Senator ANDREA STEWART-COUSINS, who over the years has NEVER replied to a single email message sent to either of her official IDs:
scousins@senate.st
scousins@nysenate.gov
Same was true of Amy Paulin when she represented me in the State Assembly.
Comments on three major points made by Mayor Roach to promote his own re-election.
Promoting affordable housing ... all built at the developer's expense.
comment: The developer makes a business plan which takes that cost into account and then passes it on to the 90% of his tenants who are paying "market" rates. Those rents are really market rate plus. Further, there is no affordable housing, only affordable apartments, which are no where near Common Council members, virtually all of whom for half a century have lived in houses outside of downtown. This is an issue which let's the politicians congratulate each other about what fine human beings they are, when they have no skin in the game.
Protecting our community. Every person needs to be comfortable talking to the police. We have not and will not ask about individuals' immigration status... (in response to) President Trump's Executive Orders on immigration.
comment: May the police ask about other status? For instance, I just served county jury duty. I received a subpoena, which threatened me with 30 days in jail and/or a $1,000 fine if I did not show up. I guess I could have said that I was an illegal alien (oops, undocumented person) and been dismissed from serving without a penalty.
May the police ask if a dead beat dad has outstanding legal items against him?
Blah, blah, blah. Apparently, White Plains has become a sanctuary city, just without those words. How humanitarian.
People at odds with the law should NOT feel comfortable dealing with the police. There is a natural tension between outlaws and the police. You can call an outlaw by some euphemism like undocumented but that does not change the person's status. Whitey Bulger was undocumented because he did not want the FBI to apprehend him for crimes, including murder.
Investing in parks and neighborhoods. Tom created an impact fee on developers ...
comment: This stuff is one reason it takes for freakin' ever for anything to get done in White Plains and the stuff never has any charm or continuity with anything else. There is ONE park in downtown, the one along Canfield Avenue between Lake Street and Main Street. That's it, and it's been there for decades. That really nice center divider on North Broadway between Main and Hamilton Avenue is NOT a park. And the thing at Mamaroneck and Bryant is NOT downtown.
All that this policy does is make White Plains a difficult place to build. Oh, those new buildings going up, like the LCOR project on Bank Street? Didn't it take about a decade? And the one approved for 60 South Broadway: two years before work started.
They are developing here because they cannot afford New York City. It's spillover crumbs that White Plains thinks it has earned on merit. It has not.
_________________________
White Plains is a convenient compromise. It lacks charm and apparently always will. Many of us live here because we cannot afford Bronxville or even Scarsdale. But the practical aspect of downtown is fragile and the city is in danger of fracturing that with the bus problem that's well documented in this blog and new "progressive" policies that insult our common sense without even asking us about it.
It's too bad that there is not any real choice for these Common Council seats. But we people living in downtown apartments are dumb and lazy. That's how the minority living the houses outside of downtown can continue to dominate local government here. That is made much easier by the nonsensical type of government, in which Common Council members are elected at large, rather representing a specific geographic district.
Change White Plains to have Common Council members elected from districts and then a declaration of a sanctuary city would be reviewed by many more White Plains citizens. Citizens, not merely residents. Citizens.
One of the four elected officials with photos who are endorsing Roach is State Senator ANDREA STEWART-COUSINS, who over the years has NEVER replied to a single email message sent to either of her official IDs:
scousins@senate.st
scousins@nysenate.gov
Same was true of Amy Paulin when she represented me in the State Assembly.
Comments on three major points made by Mayor Roach to promote his own re-election.
Promoting affordable housing ... all built at the developer's expense.
comment: The developer makes a business plan which takes that cost into account and then passes it on to the 90% of his tenants who are paying "market" rates. Those rents are really market rate plus. Further, there is no affordable housing, only affordable apartments, which are no where near Common Council members, virtually all of whom for half a century have lived in houses outside of downtown. This is an issue which let's the politicians congratulate each other about what fine human beings they are, when they have no skin in the game.
Protecting our community. Every person needs to be comfortable talking to the police. We have not and will not ask about individuals' immigration status... (in response to) President Trump's Executive Orders on immigration.
comment: May the police ask about other status? For instance, I just served county jury duty. I received a subpoena, which threatened me with 30 days in jail and/or a $1,000 fine if I did not show up. I guess I could have said that I was an illegal alien (oops, undocumented person) and been dismissed from serving without a penalty.
May the police ask if a dead beat dad has outstanding legal items against him?
Blah, blah, blah. Apparently, White Plains has become a sanctuary city, just without those words. How humanitarian.
People at odds with the law should NOT feel comfortable dealing with the police. There is a natural tension between outlaws and the police. You can call an outlaw by some euphemism like undocumented but that does not change the person's status. Whitey Bulger was undocumented because he did not want the FBI to apprehend him for crimes, including murder.
Investing in parks and neighborhoods. Tom created an impact fee on developers ...
comment: This stuff is one reason it takes for freakin' ever for anything to get done in White Plains and the stuff never has any charm or continuity with anything else. There is ONE park in downtown, the one along Canfield Avenue between Lake Street and Main Street. That's it, and it's been there for decades. That really nice center divider on North Broadway between Main and Hamilton Avenue is NOT a park. And the thing at Mamaroneck and Bryant is NOT downtown.
All that this policy does is make White Plains a difficult place to build. Oh, those new buildings going up, like the LCOR project on Bank Street? Didn't it take about a decade? And the one approved for 60 South Broadway: two years before work started.
They are developing here because they cannot afford New York City. It's spillover crumbs that White Plains thinks it has earned on merit. It has not.
_________________________
White Plains is a convenient compromise. It lacks charm and apparently always will. Many of us live here because we cannot afford Bronxville or even Scarsdale. But the practical aspect of downtown is fragile and the city is in danger of fracturing that with the bus problem that's well documented in this blog and new "progressive" policies that insult our common sense without even asking us about it.
It's too bad that there is not any real choice for these Common Council seats. But we people living in downtown apartments are dumb and lazy. That's how the minority living the houses outside of downtown can continue to dominate local government here. That is made much easier by the nonsensical type of government, in which Common Council members are elected at large, rather representing a specific geographic district.
Change White Plains to have Common Council members elected from districts and then a declaration of a sanctuary city would be reviewed by many more White Plains citizens. Citizens, not merely residents. Citizens.
Saturday, August 19, 2017
Grant Avenue now has corporate buses driving through.
August 18, 2017 about 5:45 PM while walking on North Broadway I observed "333 Westester Avenue" corporate commuter buses driving west on Grant Avenue, making a left onto North Broadway, probably headed to the train station. That's another residential street plagued by buses.
White Plains city officials, both elected and appointed, allow this bus traffic. There seems to be no policy.
Parking regulations are not enforced on the huge buses. Example: striped no parking area adjacent to the pathetic mini mall near Water Street where Coach USA buses park two at a time. City workers can be observed writing parking tickets for cars parked at expired meters but ignoring the buses parked illegally right next to them.
What the heck?
White Plains city officials, both elected and appointed, allow this bus traffic. There seems to be no policy.
Parking regulations are not enforced on the huge buses. Example: striped no parking area adjacent to the pathetic mini mall near Water Street where Coach USA buses park two at a time. City workers can be observed writing parking tickets for cars parked at expired meters but ignoring the buses parked illegally right next to them.
What the heck?
Monday, August 14, 2017
Gondolas and congestion pricing of vehicles.
There a couple of articles in The New York Times with ideas at least worth considering in White Plains, which continues with it's lack of imagination.
One is about gondolas, not to be confused with a tram, providing public transportation above congested streets. The other is about reducing that congestion by making drivers pay money to use downtown city streets.
Pushing for a Commute That Would Rise Above the Rest
By LISA W. FODERARO AUG. 13, 2017
Cuomo Calls Manhattan Traffic Plan an Idea ‘Whose Time Has Come’
By MARC SANTORA AUG. 13, 2017
Congestion pricing is an idea whose time has come,” Mr. Cuomo said.
______________
That's Governor Andrew Cuomo, who is a member of the same political party as every member of the White Plains Common Council, which includes the mayor.
http://whiteplainsny.gov/FAQ.aspx?QID=70
How many vehicles travel in and out of White Plains each day?
There are approximately 300,000 vehicles entering and leaving downtown White Plains on a typical weekday. This number can increase as much as 25% during the holiday season when business and shopping peaks overlap.
The city website has had that 300,000 vehicles number for many years. Since the number hasn't changed it means that the continuing increase in buses in downtown has not reduced congestion, only added to pollution, noise and danger. And, of course, the buses have made quality of life downtown even more of a joke.
Downtown is just a convenience for people who live outside downtown, including White Plains residents in houses, which, of course, includes virtually all Common Council members forever.
Do all those new buses at least reduce the number of cars in White Plains? Wednesday, July 12, 2017
One is about gondolas, not to be confused with a tram, providing public transportation above congested streets. The other is about reducing that congestion by making drivers pay money to use downtown city streets.
Pushing for a Commute That Would Rise Above the Rest
By LISA W. FODERARO AUG. 13, 2017
Cuomo Calls Manhattan Traffic Plan an Idea ‘Whose Time Has Come’
By MARC SANTORA AUG. 13, 2017
Congestion pricing is an idea whose time has come,” Mr. Cuomo said.
______________
That's Governor Andrew Cuomo, who is a member of the same political party as every member of the White Plains Common Council, which includes the mayor.
http://whiteplainsny.gov/FAQ.aspx?QID=70
How many vehicles travel in and out of White Plains each day?
There are approximately 300,000 vehicles entering and leaving downtown White Plains on a typical weekday. This number can increase as much as 25% during the holiday season when business and shopping peaks overlap.
Fringe developed areas along Westchester Avenue (Platinum Mile), Central Avenue / Tarrytown Road, and southern Mamaroneck Avenue generate approximately an additional 100,000 - 150,000 vehicles per day.
___________________The city website has had that 300,000 vehicles number for many years. Since the number hasn't changed it means that the continuing increase in buses in downtown has not reduced congestion, only added to pollution, noise and danger. And, of course, the buses have made quality of life downtown even more of a joke.
Downtown is just a convenience for people who live outside downtown, including White Plains residents in houses, which, of course, includes virtually all Common Council members forever.
Do all those new buses at least reduce the number of cars in White Plains? Wednesday, July 12, 2017
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