Smoking, tinted car windows, housing, Hicksville's Broadway mall

Starting to smoke can blaze wrong path

E-cigarettes almost always contain and emit potentially toxic substances [“Anti-smoking divide,” LI Business, Feb. 5]. Nicotine exposure during adolescence can harm the developing brain, and acrolein, an ingredient in many e-cigarettes, may cause irreversible lung damage.

Smoking is the leading cause of preventable death and disease in our country. As a certified tobacco treatment specialist and a doctor of nursing, I have had patients report to me that they wish they did not have access to cigarettes and begin smoking as teenagers and young adults. They say their lives are often filled with illness, regret and the difficult experience of trying to quit smoking.

Tobacco control policies, such as raising taxes on cigarettes, removing tobacco products from pharmacies, and posting signage about the dangers of smoking and nicotine, increase cessation rates and decrease youth initiation.

Helping reduce the number of people who smoke will lower health care costs from tobacco-related illness and save lives.

— Christine Fardellone, East Meadow

Tinted car windows pose danger for all

Targeting altered or obscured license plates is more than just a problematic issue “Cops must focus on traffic, not plates,” Letters, Feb. 5]. Along with illegally tinted windows, this is a safety issue as well.

Many vehicles have one or both violations. Besides the selfishness of not paying tolls, how do people accurately report vehicles that may be involved in a crime? How can police check on a vehicle before approaching it?

The letter states that inspection for illegally tinted windows was added to the state inspection requirements years ago. Tinted windows pose a safety risk for other drivers and police. How can you see if the other driver is paying attention or waving you on? You would think that police would be hesitant to approach a car with heavily tinted windows, not knowing what awaits them.

Is there a legitimate reason for a vehicle to have heavily tinted windows? Maybe enforcement and fining inspection stations for passing these vehicles is the answer.

— Mitchell Abramowitz, Glen Head

Just how many automobile owners does Stuart Cameron, Old Westbury Village chief of police, believe will forget to unalter their plates when taking their cars for a state safety inspection?

Police have direct access to the state Department of Motor Vehicles. If a plate looks altered, they should scan the plate to match the car to the owner and proceed from there.

— Robert Dickson, Huntington Station

A worthwhile concept for affordable housing

Kudos to the Sisters of St. Joseph for advocating for the development of authentic affordable housing on their grounds in Brentwood “140-apartment plan,” LI Business, Feb. 6].

Like many others, I’ve grown weary of watching more and more luxury apartment complexes rise around us. The continuous building of high-rise apartment buildings by for-profit developers isn’t the answer.

The idea to build these complexes near train stations was marketed as a means to support the use of mass transit, but ridership appears to stay low while parkway congestion gets worse. The fabric of our neighborhoods changes as they become more urban, gentrified, dense — and less affordable. The irony is staggering.

Furthermore, if the rent on a one-bedroom apartment in Bay Shore is comparable to the monthly mortgage payment of a single-family home in the same ZIP code, how do these projects benefit those who need affordable housing?

While those who stand to profit from the slow denigration of our suburban lifestyle cry for more “affordable” housing, hopefully the rest of us can appreciate how the Sisters of St. Joseph’s ongoing works of mercy bring value that can’t be quantified.

— Mary Donnelly, Brightwaters

Hicksville mall can be revived to be a hub

The new owners of the Broadway Commons mall should begin a timed shuttle bus and eventually a tram line connecting the mall with arriving and departing Long Island Rail Road trains at the Hicksville station [“Hicksville mall sold, updates planned,” News, Feb. 3].

Later, build a parking garage. It would be wonderful for commuters and the mall, and it would be a step toward bringing “Mid-Island Shopping Plaza” back to its glory days.

As a kid growing up in Plainview, this was our favorite hangout. We took a bus from Plainview to spend time with our friends in a safe, warm environment. We didn’t spend a lot of money (we had little), but we kept out of trouble, mostly.

This mall is a potential gold mine as Hicksville becomes an excellent place to live with good schools, great location and a safe neighborhood. The LIRR train to Manhattan and now, Grand Central Madison, is fast. Commuters would love to eat and shop before and after their commute.

— Alan H. Cohn, Nesconset