STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. – We Staten Islanders like to gripe.
And we’ve got a lot to complain about. After all, we are the forgotten borough. It’s not every borough that wants to secede from the City of New York all the time.
And a lot of our complaints are legit: Traffic here is terrible, especially during the morning and evening rushes. The Staten Island Expressway is jammed up for huge chunks of the day. Living on Staten Island too often means building time for traffic into your trip. It’s not like this everywhere, folks.
We don’t have a subway system. A promise that was made to Staten Islanders more than a century ago as a condition for us joining the new City of New York remains unfulfilled.
We have a single train line, along a single coast, to serve half a million people. We have sparse options when it comes to traveling from east to west across the borough. It’s taking years for us to get something as simple as a bus rapid transit line.
It’s not just traffic that’s bad, but so are many of our fellow motorists, who drive as if they’re on the autobahn no matter what street they happen to be blasting down. It’s as if slowing down is some kind of insult to them.
Staten Island still retains much of its natural beauty, with wooded areas and parkland aplenty. But continued building and development is more and more robbing us of our bucolic feel. And it’s not just attached homes. Now we’re seeing high-rises coming to the borough.
Maybe you don’t like all those bike lanes out there. Or maybe you think we need more bike lanes. Sound off!
Maybe you hate speed cameras, lowered speed limits and speed bumps. Or maybe you think that they save lives. Let us know.
Staten Island has some great schools. But parents for years have complained about what they believe are subpar intermediate schools here. The borough is also losing an institution of higher learning with the closure of St. John’s University.
Parents also bemoan a lack of educational options for gifted and talented kids here and say that schools need more arts and musical programming. What do you think?
Some Islanders want more dining and shopping options available here, the kind of stuff that our friends in New Jersey enjoy. Is that your top concern? Now’s the time to speak up.
Our growing population of seniors needs services. So do our kids, many of whom are at greater risk from violence these days. There are gaps in the mental health safety net here. Those with developmental disabilities need help.
And let’s talk about housing. Because for all the development that goes on here, many young people still find themselves priced out of the market. They can’t afford to rent an apartment. They can’t afford that starter home that was in reach for many of us in years past.
How about jobs? Why should Staten Islanders have to face grinding commutes to Manhattan, Brooklyn and elsewhere? Why aren’t there more jobs on the Island for Islanders?
Our North Shore waterfront remains underutilized after decades of fits and starts.
But I don’t want to put words in your mouths, fellow Staten Islanders. You know what irks you about living here and what you’d like to see changed.
If you’re seeing this on Facebook or Instagram, just reply in the comments. Otherwise, write to me at wrobleski@siadvance.com.
Time to sound off, Staten Islanders: Tell us what issues here irk you the most
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04.02.2024
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. – We Staten Islanders like to gripe.
And we’ve got a lot to complain about. After all, we are the forgotten borough. It’s not every borough that wants to secede from the City of New York all the time.
And a lot of our complaints are legit: Traffic here is terrible, especially during the morning and evening rushes. The Staten Island Expressway is jammed up for huge chunks of the day. Living on Staten Island too often means building time for traffic into your trip. It’s not like this everywhere, folks.
We don’t have a subway system. A promise that was made to Staten Islanders more than a century ago as a condition for us joining the new City of New York remains unfulfilled.
We have a single train line, along a single coast, to serve half a million people.........
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