Town Residents Invited To Weigh In On Traffic Woes, Solutions

SOUTHOLD, NY — Residents are invited to join the Southold town board and planning board to share their views on traffic, public transportation, pedestrian, traffic, and bicycle safety and infrastructure.

Southold Planning Director Heather Lanza recently unveiled the draft transportation and infrastructure chapter of the town's comprehensive plan, the last chapter that will complete the update of the comprehensive plan.

To read the 38-page draft, click here.

The report details types of transportation available in Southold Town, as well as bike paths and parking facilities.

An explanation is given of annual average daily traffic, or AADT, which indicates that traffic volumes increased from 2014 and 2016 from 113,000 to 117,000, resulting in an annual growth rate of approximately 1.4 percent. Data indicates that weekday traffic during the busy season can be up 50 percent higher than the average month, and weekend traffic during the busy season can be up 90 percent higher than the average month. Heavy vehicle traffic accounts for approximately six percent of daily traffic on New York State Route 25 and County Road 48, the report states.

With additional development expected in Southold, the report said that "new growth strategies and transportation improvements to manage traffic congestion must be implemented." This could include a re-evaluation of the town's zoning in terms of uses relative to the amount of traffic they generate, the report added.

Transportation system goals are listed to prevent the worsening of future traffic congestion, and increase traffic safety as well as pedestrian and bicycle safety.

Those goals including reducing traffic congestion experienced during the peak tourist season.

"There is no single cause of or solution to this recurring traffic congestion," the report said. "The traffic in these queues is a mixture of tourists from outside the town who are visiting vineyards,
farm stands, pumpkin patches or Christmas tree farms, long distance travelers using the
ferry system to avoid I-95 or reach the South Fork, town residents and business owners
getting to work, social visits, shopping or restaurants, and public safety professionals such
as police, fire and ambulance workers."

Seasonal traffic has steadily risen over the years, and the lack of a robust transit,
bicycle or sidewalk system has not provided travelers with enough options, the report added.

In addition, there are also a high number of “high crash locations,” according to a safety study conducted.

With near-gridlock conditions experienced during late summer and fall, especially at the west end of town, it can take two or three times as long to travel around town, causing frustration and risks to first responders, the report said; additional data and studies are needed, including origin destination studies, continuous traffic count stations, an investigation of traffic generation by special events and festivals, public transit, monitoring of truck traffic, and traffic signal optimization, town planners said.

In addition, a suggestion might be to discourage new private roads within the town and to conduct a town-wide transportation study, planners said.

The report also discusses adopting a "complete streets" policy that would "meet the needs of all road users, prioritize the safety of all users, and . . . not prioritize the speed and mobility of one travel
mode above another the way that traditional traffic level of service and delay
studies prioritize auto use."

Under this policy, speeding would be reduced, bikes and pedestrians would get the space they need, and access to transit would be considered, the study says. Solutions the town could pursue
under a complete streets policy would be filling in sidewalk gaps to promote walkability, promoting non-motorized travel such a biking as a congestion reduction strategy, expanding bicycle routes and multi-use trails and paths, monitoring management of aviation traffic, and airport expansion.

Also discussed is the adoption of smart parking strategies as ride-sharing apps and autonomous vehicle technology continues to develop.

The draft also suggests managing the effects of ferry ridership on traffic and conducting ferry use and monitoring studies.

A series of meetings will be held around town to discuss the draft:

Monday, August 20

6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

American Legion Post 861
600 Wickham Ave
Mattituck, NY 11952

Tuesday, August 21

6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

Peconic Landing Auditorium
1500 Brecknock Rd
Greenport, NY 11944

Wednesday, August 22

6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

Peconic Community Center
1170 Peconic Lane
Peconic, NY 11958

Patch file photo by Lisa Finn.