Sen. Maziarz should re-think his Parkway position

Lewiston-Porter Sentinel, 7 October 2000

In a recent issue of the Sentinel, Senator George Maziarz, interviewed by Bill Angus in his “Getting to Know You” column, had this to say about the Robert Moses Parkway:   

“First of all, I don’t think that it should be closed or torn out.  I look at the Canadian side, which is a two-lane roadway.  I wonder why we can’t do the same thing and maybe use the other lane for biking and walking.  The problem is that if you were to rip it up, you still have to provide some public access to the area.”

The Niagara Heritage Partnership has addressed these issues in public forums, the details of which are available at www.niagaraheritage.org and in Niagara Gorge Parkway Removal and Restoration, available in local libraries.

The NHP does not look to the Canadian side for a model, but beyond it.  If the region wishes to attract the serious hiking and bicycling tourist in large numbers, we need to provide something more than trails that run alongside a two-lane highway.  Removing the entire four lanes and restoring the natural landscape does not create a problem with gorge access.  There would still be four vehicle access points in the first four miles along the gorge from downtown Niagara Falls: the Schoelkopf Geological Museum, Whirlpool State Park, Devil’s Hole State Park, and the Power Vista, all with free parking opportunities. 

We hope that Senator Maziarz will, with these new perspectives, reconsider his comments.

Bob Baxter, Ransomville, New York