Survey: Life on Staten Island Getting Worse

According to a survey jointly conducted by Citizens for NYC and Baruch College 70 percent of Staten Islanders believe that the borough is heading in the wrong direction. Two of the largest reasons for this pessimistic outlook: traffic and overdevelopment.

This is why we do not think Wal-Mart will get the warm embrace that certain politicians, economic development officials and company representatives are hoping for. As more Staten Islanders learn about the tremendous vehicular traffic (approximately 50,000 car trips a week) that the superstore will attract, they will begin questioning whether the development is worth it. Not only will a Wal-Mart concentrate traffic on roads not equipped for it but much of this traffic will be drivers from Brooklyn and the other boroughs. These factors combined with a general anti-overdevelopment sentiment will generate quite a bit of resentment against the proposed Wal-Marts on Staten Island.