There was quite a bit of rational discussion and debate before the Planning Board about a parking lot to be located across from the casino.
The parking lot, according to company officials, is designed to reduce traffic.
Two planning Board members, however, questioned the logic of this assertion made boisterously by John Tocco.
Member Leo Pizzano, Jr. said he wondered how the 800 or so people who park a car in this lot across the street from the casino were going to get to the casino.
“How do they cross the highway without being run over by speeding drivers?” he wondered aloud. “And what about the time it takes for all those people coming and going to cross the street? Won’t it make traffic a nightmare?”
Nancy Koury wanted to know what happens during the winter when darkness descends and people can’t be seen crossing the highway.
“It could be a disaster,” she said.
Company officials insisted the lot would only be used three years before a hotel or something like that is built on the land.
Three years of traffic and danger is a long time if you live around here. The Planning Board gave the parking lot the OK to go to the city council for a special permit.
At least the right questions were asked.
We urge the city council to demand that a pedestrian walkway be built immediately so traversing the space from the parking lot to the casino can be done in safety.