New York residents call for officials to axe Jennifer Lopez concert

Residents in the Bronx, New York are urging local officials to cancel an upcoming Jennifer Lopez concert amid concerns the superstar’s homecoming show will cause big traffic problems in the surrounding neighbourhoods. The Jenny from the Block hitmaker is set to head home to headline a free gig in Pelham Bay Park on Wednesday (04Jun14), but a number of locals in City Island, a town which borders the park, are already upset by the impending chaos the gig will cause.
Members of the City Island Civic Association and its president, Bill Stanton, have penned a letter to both the Parks Commissioner and New York Police Department Commissioner to urge them to axe the concert so as to not overwhelm the neighbourhood of City Island.
In the letter, obtained by the New York Daily News, they state, “We write to you today on behalf of our small community of 4,500 residents… located next to Pelham Bay Park… the selected site for a free Jennifer Lopez concert for 25,000 visitors on June 4…
“To our knowledge, none of our elected officials or even our local community board had been consulted… They would have surely informed you that our small community sits immediately off of this venue and relies on the roadways within Pelham Bay Park to enter and exit our neighborhood.”
Stanton goes on to state that a previous appearance by Lopez in Pelham Bay Park led to “illegal parking, tons of litter and standstill traffic on roads leading to City Island,” adding that they are “nervous of a similar ordeal repeating itself”.
The letter continues, “In our opinion this is grossly unfair, and steps must be taken to rectify this situation.”
The members of the association are requesting for a special traffic lane designated for City Island residents to get home easily.
Lopez has yet to comment on the matter.