If Long Island’s Car Free Day was good for anything at all, it was the irony of it coming on a day when Suffolk officials announced that the county’s low-cost bus service could be cut by nearly half. This included several East End routes, among them the Montauk-to-East Hampton loop and one that links East Hampton, Springs, and Bridgehampton. The East Hampton Town Board added to the sense of irony in symbolically signing on to the no-car pledge.
Despite decades of talk and numerous studies, no East Hampton board has successfully been able to reduce the number of vehicles on the roads here. Nor have ideas for bike-friendly improvements, such as paths that could link hamlets, ever become reality. Moreover, town officials have refused to take seriously the limits to growth recommended over the years by plans they themselves commissioned. As a result, vehicle use of the main thoroughfares has only increased and once-peaceful back roads have become choked and especially frustrating for residents, as well as bicyclists, runners, and pedestrians. The Covid-19 pandemic has made things worse, with more people jockeying for a piece of the pavement.
Because local government in towns and villages on eastern Long Island are for the most part funded by property taxes, they are relatively insulated from the hit facing the state and county. This means that funding for alternative transportation could be found, in theory. And, as roads are repaired or resurfaced, officials, if they had enough support from residents, could widen them and make other accommodations to encourage bicycles instead of cars. There are plenty of people who would bike to work, the beach, or shopping, if given the chance. The missing piece is an official commitment to make the roads safe enough for them to do so.