NYC set to bolster police presence in the subway system in effort to crack down on transit crime NEW YORK, NY – MAY 06: Police officers escort a man through a tunnel at the entrance to Queens Plaza station in Queens, NY, May 6, 2009. New York City officials today promised to spend an additional $60 million on anti-crime initiatives and increase the presence of officers in key subway stations in the wake of a spate of murders on the city’s subways. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
City councilman wants to keep rail station on Queens side of Midtown
By James Davenport
City councilman David Greenfield (D-Brooklyn) today is asking the city’s comptroller to keep the Astoria station off the Midtown line. If the comptroller approves the measure, Greenfield plans to introduce it as an amendment to transportation appropriations legislation.
“It would be good if city council and the mayor would listen to the people of Queens and not the people of Brooklyn,” Greenfield said.
Greenfield added he was concerned about the station’s impact on the neighborhood’s character.
“You’ll have 20,000 people walking to this station every weekday and that’s not ideal for the character of Astoria,” he said. “And for a neighborhood that’s a little more artsy, it’s not ideal either.”
The comptroller’s office on Wednesday will review Greenfield’s request for the Astoria station and decide whether to approve it or not.
“The comptroller would likely be inclined to deny it because it would take away a transit connection we have and we think it’s a step towards gentrification that is contrary to the character of Astoria,” Greenfield said.
The Astoria Station, located at the foot of Washington Place, is part of the recently inaugurated 2nd Avenue subway line. The Astoria station is in the process of being converted into a station for the 1st Avenue line.
“We would love to have Astoria off of the Midtown line, but we would have to get the full funding,” Greenfield said.
Greenfield said he