Volume 20 Issue 12 | August 3 – 9, 2007
Letters to the Editor
Stop and smell the rats
To The Editor:
In response to “Rats flood the Seaport due to water-main work” (news article, July 27 – Aug. 3), I am a friend and neighbor of Lorraine Fittipaldi and was horrified to hear of her experience. However, I am more horrified to hear the statements made by Noah Pfefferblit and Pat Moore of Community Board 1. Where do these people live or work and what are they doing on our community board? The rats have taken over Tribeca. They are quite visible day and night in the gardens as well as the streets.
This Saturday evening there were loads of them frolicking outside the new condo being built on West St. just south of Chambers. They did not even move as people approached making noises to scare them off. The grounds of Southbridge Towers have also been invaded.
If Noah Pfefferblit and Pat Moore have not been out walking Downtown in the evenings, then perhaps they should take a late evening stroll along the grassy areas of Southbridge Towers so that they can educate themselves on what is happening in the Community Board 1 area.
Also, it seems to me that this situation calls for an “emergency summer meeting” of our community board. I think the Lower Manhattan Development Corp. should be paying 100 percent of the rent for the brave business owners who are left on Fulton St. (news article, July 13 – 19, “Downtown braces as Fulton’s street work is set to begin July 23”). I am wondering how we will be able to reside in the Seaport area for the next few years until construction is complete?
Karen Pearl
Editor’s note: Our article implied incorrectly that Noah Pfefferblit is a Community Board 1 member. He is the board’s district manager.
New traffic approach
To The Editor:
Re “Taking a hard look at Hudson Square” (editorial, July 20 – 26):
I noticed in your editorial regarding Hudson Square that you mention once again the Holland Tunnel traffic on Canal St., which is obviously an issue for all residents in the area, and I am surprised that nothing has really been done about it to date.
The problem stems from the multiple feeder and access points slowly winding into a single tube tunnel. Now is the time to take a hard look at moving the West Side Highway approaches to the Holland Tunnel underground.
This change would eliminate the rather unseemly pileup of cars that queue up indefinitely in the adjacent neighborhoods of Hudson Square and Tribeca, simply waiting only to get into the tunnel. Drivers waiting in standing cars perform absolutely no commercial benefit for these neighborhoods at all and, in fact, have a rather adverse impact on the quality of life here.
The fact that the city has repeatedly chosen not to enforce any gridlock penalties — by using cameras — or honking fines, only further exacerbates this problem.
Implementing such a plan not only would significantly improve the quality of life in these neighborhoods, but would also free up traffic flow on the West Side Highway, as well as improve the daily commute of many people who enter the city through this tunnel.
I hope Community Boards 1 and 2 and other neighborhood groups will study such a proposal and move it forward through the appropriate city agencies.
Rohin Hattiangadi
Letters policy
Downtown Express welcomes letters to The Editor. They must include the writer’s first and last name, a phone number for confirmation purposes only, and any affiliation that relates directly to the letter’s subject matter. Letters should be less than 300 words. Downtown Express reserves the right to edit letters for space, clarity, civility or libel reasons. Letters should be e-mailed to news@DowntownExpress.com or can be mailed to 145 Sixth Ave., N.Y., N.Y. 10013.
