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Critics Say It's Time To Close La Guardia Airport
HughPickens.com writes: George Haikalis writes in the NYT that last week, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey put off, yet again, deciding between two proposals for a nearly $4 billion project to rehabilitate the dilapidated Central Terminal Building at La Guardia Airport. But piling billions of taxpayer dollars into upgrading La Guardia, which has been likened to an experience "in a third world country," won't solve its fundamental problems. "It can't easily expand," says Haikalis. "Its two runways and four terminals are surrounded on three sides by water, making landing difficult and hazardous. Parking is a nightmare."
There are precedents for replacing airports close to the center city with modern, more outlying airports. Hong Kong and Denver are two examples; Berlin will soon follow suit. With the consolidation of the major United States airlines and the sluggishness in the global economy, the much larger Kennedy and Newark airports could accommodate La Guardia's passenger load, by adding more frequent service and using larger aircraft, if the F.A.A. were to lift the caps on the number of flights allowed there. Kennedy, with its two sets of parallel runways, could handle many more flights, particularly as new air-traffic control technology is introduced in the next few years. The money budgeted for the La Guardia upgrades would be better used to create a long-proposed one-ride express-rail link between Manhattan and J.F.K., by reviving a long-disused, 3.5-mile stretch of track in central Queens and completing the modernization of the terminals at Kennedy. "By avoiding the costly replacement of outmoded terminals at La Guardia and by creating a new express rail link and upgrading terminals at Kennedy, the increased economic activity could more than make up for the lost jobs," concludes Haikalis. "New York's importance to America's economy demands a first world vision to shutter this third world airport."
There are precedents for replacing airports close to the center city with modern, more outlying airports. Hong Kong and Denver are two examples; Berlin will soon follow suit. With the consolidation of the major United States airlines and the sluggishness in the global economy, the much larger Kennedy and Newark airports could accommodate La Guardia's passenger load, by adding more frequent service and using larger aircraft, if the F.A.A. were to lift the caps on the number of flights allowed there. Kennedy, with its two sets of parallel runways, could handle many more flights, particularly as new air-traffic control technology is introduced in the next few years. The money budgeted for the La Guardia upgrades would be better used to create a long-proposed one-ride express-rail link between Manhattan and J.F.K., by reviving a long-disused, 3.5-mile stretch of track in central Queens and completing the modernization of the terminals at Kennedy. "By avoiding the costly replacement of outmoded terminals at La Guardia and by creating a new express rail link and upgrading terminals at Kennedy, the increased economic activity could more than make up for the lost jobs," concludes Haikalis. "New York's importance to America's economy demands a first world vision to shutter this third world airport."
It can be guaranteed that New York will choose the most expensive option, will have a budget overrun and will be 20 years late.
When you see likening to the third world country is a mere beginning of the campaign so that people would be believe that the issue is so big, so unsolvable that only a multi-billion dollar project can solve the issue. There will be proposals for floating on water airports, airports to be build on artificial islands.
For all I care, the NYC with one of the largest subway systems in the world for the last 85 years could not extend a subway link to Laguardia. I do not know what was the issue: corrupt taxicab companies or some other sinister reasons.
The issue is not Laguardia airport here, the issue is poor public transportation to certain airports, or truth the be told - absence of if, and there are many other airports in NYC metro area: Islip, Westchester, teterboro, Trenton, and so on.
In my opinion, travelers do not care about the appearance of the airports, all they want is convenient way to arrive, park or rent a car, and leave shortly. Politicians want appearance, costs be damned.
Well, George Haikalis (civil engineer / transportation planner), as a Greek (American), is apparently influenced by the ideas of Constantinos Doxiadis, a well known internationally Greek architect and city planner (e.g., master planner of Pakistan's capital new builded city, Islamabad) who was proposing closing our old airport in Athens and building a new for decades before that happened (just before the 2004 Olympics) - our new Athens airport, while far from the city center (but with an express metro rail link), is far more efficient, and has contributed to the economy (don't laugh... at least our tourism does great, this year we had more than 20 million visits in Greece -double our population-, many of them landing in Athens before going to the islands, something our old airport could not provide because of its limits). Many (most) Athenians were against the new airport (and/or closing our old), but now everyone agrees that it was the right thing. And the old airport's area, inside Athens (and next to the sea), is now the biggest free zone for city development in Europe (something we hope will bring few billions Euros, as we may need them right now!). But the key was the express metro rail link between the airport and Athens center, something George Haikalis surely used many times - if Athens can do it right, NY can do it better.
Antisthenes: "Wisdom begins by examining the words/names." - excuse my English, i am (slightly...) better with my Greek!
That's really the point' isn't it. This is a plan to steal billions of dollars of land at the expense of everyone flying into and out of New York. The only expansion LGA needs is the subway. Not a stupid light rail that makes you connect to the subway, but just continue the N train and get rid of the cab stand. The stupid light rail, by the way will save no one time, and consequently will not help. But, I'm just a civil engineer, what the hell do I know
I am not a civil engineer/architect/city/transportation planner (but i have met all major Greeks, including associates of those i mentioned earlier) and i don't know the NY LG airport case, but, and excuse me, i find stupid this conspiracy of yours (i.e., "steal billions of dollars of land" - obviously related to what i wrote "And the old airport's area, inside Athens (and next to the sea), is now the biggest free zone for city development in Europe [...]"). Can you answer who is the thief and from who is stealing? Because even if you dont count all the other benefits of a new airport, changing land usage in an expanded/expanding city is something healthy and can not be considered "stealing". I don't doubt that the technical details you wrote are right, nor that you are a good civil engineer, but sometimes other factors are more important in such decisions, factors that are beyong your technical field. As i mentioned i have met all major Greeks civil engineer/architect (some of them you may know them too, even if you are not Greek): once, when all of them together, they discussed (as auto-criticism) how they destroyed Athens in the 50-60-70's decade(s) - the conclusion by the engineer/architect was that city planning is too important to be left to you guys!
Antisthenes: "Wisdom begins by examining the words/names." - excuse my English, i am (slightly...) better with my Greek!
The only expansion LGA needs is the subway.
Not exactly. As described here it's also a question of airspace. J.F.K., Newark-Liberty, and LaGuardia all overlap and cause delays and complex routing to avoid conflicts.
Have gnu, will travel.