New York Mayor voices concern of NASCAR plan
New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg yellow-flagged the idea of NASCAR racing on Staten Island at a community meeting last night.
"Personally, I am not an auto racing fan," the mayor told members of the Grant City Civic Association, "and I am skeptical that it fits on Staten Island."
He said the big problem with putting a track in the borough and drawing thousands of spectators is that local roads "just can't handle the existing number of people here."
"Every time I'm in this borough, and I'm here maybe twice a week, there's a traffic jam," he said.
It was Bloomberg's strongest statement to date on the NASCAR issue.
In July, the International Speedway Corp. - which owns several NASCAR speedways - agreed to buy two large parcels of land near the Goethals Bridge with an eye toward putting in a 3/4-mile oval and a grandstand with seating for 80,000.
New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg yellow-flagged the idea of NASCAR racing on Staten Island at a community meeting last night.
"Personally, I am not an auto racing fan," the mayor told members of the Grant City Civic Association, "and I am skeptical that it fits on Staten Island."
He said the big problem with putting a track in the borough and drawing thousands of spectators is that local roads "just can't handle the existing number of people here."
"Every time I'm in this borough, and I'm here maybe twice a week, there's a traffic jam," he said.
It was Bloomberg's strongest statement to date on the NASCAR issue.
In July, the International Speedway Corp. - which owns several NASCAR speedways - agreed to buy two large parcels of land near the Goethals Bridge with an eye toward putting in a 3/4-mile oval and a grandstand with seating for 80,000.