NEWSBRIEFS

Jamaica Escalator Replacement Halted
Thomas Crater, Chairman of the Beautification Committee of Downtown Jamaica has asked the Metropolitan Transit Authority to halt the replacement of escalators at the Parsons Boulevard and Archer Avenue subway station citing overcrowding and environmental factors.
The committee is requesting that a new station design be submitted before work continues and that an environmental study take place to investigate the problem of pigeon droppings and the resulting dirty canopies.
“The safety of the residents who use the Jamaica Center Station must be protected,” said Crater. “We appreciate the attempts by the MTA officials to improve conditions at Jamaica Center, however, it has been suggested that the only way to improve the hazardous conditions would be to re-design the entrances on both sides of the subway station.”