Staten Island constituencies are weighing in on the problem of NYC Transit bus parking. An MTA proposal to acquire an outdoor lot on the Island's north shore is taking shots from neighbors concerned about more bus traffic, from transit advocates and elected officials who say it's high time that a third S.I. depot be built and from African-American civic leaders who say the site plan smacks of environmental racism.

Transit needs a place to store 100 new express buses. Advocates like Amalgamated Transit Union Local 726 say the Island needs even more buses to boost service from the south shore area, and that a depot is a critical step toward a bigger, better bus operation. Island elected officials say a third depot has been promised for years, but hasn't materialized. Borough President Guy Molinari said he has a commitment from MTA Chair Virgil Conway to build the depot, but the long history of the issue has other leaders wary. "When the iron and concrete are in the ground, we have a depot," Assemblyman Eric Vitaliano told the S.I. Advance.