Envision seeks a transportation vision

It was a meeting of the minds on Nov. 23 as Envision Valley Stream, a non-profit organization established to improve and benefit the Valley Stream community, held its monthly meeting. A group of about 20 residents came together to address several specific issues, including a power-packed discussion on transportation and traffic calming techniques.

Beginning the discussion was the night’s guest speaker, Luke DePalma, a transportation policy analyst for the office of Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz. DePalma spoke about many of the borough’s different transportation and capital projects pertaining to cycling on the Brooklyn Waterfront Gateway, an idea looking into returning streetcars to Brooklyn and different pedestrian safety efforts, among other ideas. “New York is experimenting a lot in transportation with cutting edge ideas,” DePalma said.

Much of DePalma’s presentation sparked a discussion between attendees about how to translate the vision for Brooklyn to Valley Stream. Leading that discussion was David Sabatino, Envision’s founder and president. “We are changing up the meetings,” Sabatino said. “Instead of hearing me speak, we are bringing speakers to talk.”

Sandy Adelson-Seyfried, an Envision member since the group first began last year, raised several questions for Sabatino and DePalma. “There are buses for seniors to take them places in the village,” she said. “Why not are there any buses for disabled people because it is hard to get around and many are on a fixed income?”

Sabatino provided Seyfriend with a detailed answer, sharing information about one person who filled out the group’s community survey asking why the village does not have a trolley to go between the mall and downtown area. “Cost becomes an issue,” Sabatino said. “Who will fund it?”

When Adelson-Seyfried told the audience that the county’s Able-Ride system was “basically gone,” DePalma responded that people may be finding trouble with the quality of Able-Ride, which may be struggling for funding like Long Island Bus. “A lot of us love our community, “ Adelson-Seyfried said. “We take pride in our community and we want to be able to shop locally.”