| Issue 163 | February 27, 1998 |
| Issue 163 | February 27, 1998 |
"HOV Sweet HOV" (editorial, Feb. 10) calls high occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes a long-term antidote to Long Island Expressway congestion. But it's more likely the built segments of the lane will end up as NY State DOT's version of Shoreham [nuclear station] - a huge monument to an idea whose time never came.
NYS DOT has no data suggesting the LIE HOV lanes are creating new carpools. Indeed, since DOT's statistics show no growth in HOV usage since June, 1996, it's likely the lane has simply sorted out existing traffic.
And when multi-occupant vehicles are removed from the regular lanes, it makes more room for solo-drive cars. Result: more traffic on the LIE, more pollution, more cars driving into chronically clogged New York City and more congestion on the local streets where the LIE dumps its traffic load.
Let's put the public resources DOT is pouring into Shoreham-2 toward real solutions to congestion - better LIRR service, connecting LIRR to Grand Central Terminal and planning that contains, not accelerates, car-dependent sprawl development.
- Lisa Schreibman, Tri-State Transportation Campaign
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