One of the highest-ranking Metropolitan Transportation Authority officials this week sent a letter to Assemblyman Phil Goldfeder (D-Howard Beach) announcing new measures to secure the A-line and the Howard Beach-JFK Station, and improve the agency’s contingency plans.
Outgoing MTA New York City Transit President Carmen Bianco’s missive details how the agency has re-secured three locations where holes were cut in the fence separating the A train tracks from the street near the Howard Beach-JFK Station. The holes, MTA investigators contend, allowed individuals to gain access to steal copper cables and cut service to the line on the evening of May 26. To prevent future theft, the areas are being closely monitored by transit personnel and the NYPD, Bianco said.
In May, brash thieves brought public transportation in parts of Howard Beach and Ozone Park to its knees after stealing hundreds of feet of copper cable from A train tracks.
Days after the morning rush-hour incident, Goldfeder fired off a letter to MTA Chairman and CEO Thomas Prendergast requesting a “thorough investigation” into the May 26 security breach and failed contingency plans intended to aid commuters on May 27.
Goldfeder has roundly ripped the agency for staging shuttle buses on Cross Bay Boulevard to accommodate Rockaway commuters who were waiting on the A trains that couldn’t travel on the crippled tracks.
“The answer to one situation is not to create another one,” Goldfeder said at the time.
Bianco also addressed Goldfeder’s criticism of the agency’s “disastrous” emergency shuttle service put in place to transport commuters during the morning rush hour following the theft. During the incident, NYC Transit shuttle buses were left idling in traffic lanes along Cross Bay Boulevard while waiting to pick up passengers, causing gridlock for motorists using the main thoroughfare out of Rockaway.
According to the letter, NYC Transit indicated that it has “learned from the traffic congestion” and recognizes that there is “more room” to queue buses on the Rockaway Peninsula.
“The copper theft earlier this year exposed some truly alarming weaknesses in the transit system,” Goldfeder said. “I am pleased that NYC Transit has taken proactive steps to increase security measures along the A-Train and better prepare for future outages. I am hopeful that the system will be more reliable for our families and also hopefully deter future criminals from stealing vital infrastructure.”
In June, Goldfeder proposed a bill that would amend the state Penal Codes in order to strengthen sentencing for criminal tampering that has the effect of disrupting public transportation and other services. Under new legislation, causing substantial interruptions to transportation and other infrastructure, either with the intent to steal or disrupt service, would be considered a class D felony, which could result in up to seven years’ imprisonment.
“Every day, our families in southern Queens and Rockaway rely on limited transit options to get to work or school. Criminals who knowingly tamper with our vital transportation infrastructure just to make a buck deserve more than a slap on the wrist,” Goldfeder said in June. “By increasing penalties for this shameful crime, we can help protect our infrastructure and ensure reliable service for the families that depend on it.”
By Michael V. Cusenza michael@theforumnewsgroup.com
