UBS can't forget about the disabled

UBS can’t forget about the disabled

The article about traveling to and from UBS Arena addresses only able-bodied fans [“Isles fans feel hassled by getting to, from UBS Arena,” News, March 18]. There is no mention of fans with disabilities.

The developers did not make adequate provisions for parking and transit for people with disabilities since the arena’s inception. The owners have a responsibility to make those provisions better for everyone.

— Roberta Rosenberg, East Northport

The writer is director of Destination: Accessible, which provides information to those with a mobility challenge.

It is becoming more apparent that building the Islanders’ new arena at Belmont Park was a major blunder. It’s evidence of Long Island planners’ lack of foresight.

Wouldn’t it be nice if the purported “world class” UBS Arena could miraculously be transplanted to the proposed Ronkonkoma Hub location? There are multiple major roadways intersecting around the area, ample parking, easy Long Island Rail Road access, a nearby airport and hotels.

After Charles Wang’s Lighthouse Project at the Nassau Coliseum site — that Wang would have funded — the next logical location should have been the Ronkonkoma area. How was the Belmont Park location selected? Anyone who had been to the annual Belmont Stakes race in June and experienced its parking fiasco would have realized the UBS project was destined to be a parking nightmare.

— David Rogers, Northport

While I agree 100% with Islanders fans about being upset and concerned about the uptick in traffic congestion, losing parking, etc., they also must realize the alternative. After the Islanders played at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, there was talk about the Islanders leaving Long Island and the state. The fans spoke up, and the franchise heard them.

Now, the fans are complaining. If they don’t like what they see, they should speak up again. Hopefully, their voices will be heard again.

— Andrew Dooley, New Hyde Park