Car Free Day Coming Soon In Southampton

SOUTHAMPTON, NY —Southampton Town residents are urged to leave the keys at home and take alternative transportation on Car Free Day, which takes place on Sept. 20.

The town board passed a resolution in support of Car Free Day; more than 2,800 municipalities worldwide participate in the event, town officials said.

Southampton Town is a strong advocate of the use of alternative transportation and this year launched the South Fork Commuter Connection with the Town of East Hampton and the Long Island Rail Road to help reduce traffic, officials said.

“We encourage everyone to take the train to work on Sep. 20 and hop on one of the buses that meet passengers at the railroad station,” said Southampton Town Councilman Tommy John Schiavoni, co-sponsor of the resolution.

Councilman John Bouvier, also a co-sponsor of the car free day resolution, added: “Give the South Fork Commuter Connection a try for just that one day. I think you might find it is a convenient alternative to sitting in traffic.”

Southampton is also becoming more bicycle friendly and has installed bike routes on select roads and set up bike racks throughout town; in 2020, town officials plan to build a combination on-road bike route and multi-use trail connecting Red Creek Park, Good Ground Park and Hampton Bays Main Street, a release said.

Car Free Day options to travel via public transportation, carpooling, walking and biking can be found on the town’s website.