HOV Facilites/Carpooling

Why does HOV lane end at Exit 57?

Move HOV lanes to side of expressway and make entrances to HOV lanes more easily accessible.

Will HOV be extended beyond 112? To Exit 68 (William Floyd Parkway)?

Will LIE HOV lane go from Exit 39 to 40?

How far into Queens will HOV lane be extended?

Why are commercial vans not permitted in HOV lane?

Extend HOV lane into New York City and eastern Long Island.

Build more HOV lanes. Add another HOV lane.

Hauppauge Industrial Park should be served by HOV; add HOV entrances further east.

Limit HOV use according to license plate numbers to certain days of the month to reduce lane congestion.

HOV is always closed due to repairs.

When will entire length of HOV be completed?

Feasible to re-work HOV lane to three westbound lanes in AM and three eastbound lanes in PM?

Insurance considerations of HOVs must be addressed.

During rush hour, open HOV lane for all drivers.

During rush hour, open HOV lane to general traffic in non-peak direction.

Elevate HOV lanes between Exits 30 and 40.

HOV not useful on weekends as difficult to carpool then.

Bus company doesn’t permit buses in HOV lanes; why not mandate their use?

Build HOV lanes in median rather than on both sides.

Southern State needs HOV.

Why does eastbound HOV merge on left and why are there shoulders?

Enforce regulations (e.g., with ticketing) if autos with insufficient passengers uses HOV.

When will HOV from Exit 40W to Cross Island Parkway be built? Why does it take so long?

Provide incentives for carpooling:

- With 126 school districts, why not get teachers to carpool? College students could also carpool.

- Rebate of 5% from NYS from gas receipts to cover carpooling expenses? Mail in receipts for rebate.

- Employer incentives for carpooling?

- ID card for carpoolers to get discounts on gas and tires?

Permit motorcycles on HOV.

Make HOV hours clearer.

Place cement dividers between HOV and general-purpose lanes.

Drivers crossing lines to access HOV lane should be ticketed heavily.

Anti-HOV Comments:

No one uses HOV lane; consider changing its usage.

Open HOV lanes to everyone as fourth lane.

Instead of HOV lanes, have five lanes for general traffic.

Convert HOV lane to express lane with fewer exits.

What of effects on residents in Queens when HOV lanes get congested?

Traffic Controls/Signals/Lights

Synchronize lights for more freely moving traffic.

Should have sensors to change light if no cars at intersection; lights are too long.

Time lights for 28-30 mph, as appropriate for different times of day.

Increase green time on service roads during peak hours.

Timing of traffic lights (especially Route 110) should be monitored better; shorter lights might improve traffic conditions.

More turning lanes, marked with arrows, at intersections.

Entrance lights on LIE don’t seem to work during commuting hours; make a rush-hour stop sign instead?

Place signs at all nine-foot entrances to avoid trucks getting stuck on parkways.

Blinking lights on service roads result in too much truck noise.

Why no lights on LIE between Exits 39 and 40 (most dangerous part of highway)?

Why are many actual bridge heights lower than signs indicate (e.g., on Route 110, Northern State)?

Roadway Configuration/Operations

Longer on- and off-ramps.

Exits too close together, especially where have service roads.

Off-set opposing left-turn lanes by two feet or more so driver can see down oncoming lane.

Double-deck highways; bottom deck would be covered during snowfalls; upper level for express, through traffic, with few exits at major locations.

Double-deck LIE; exits only at 29, 42, 53, 61, 68; exits only at Queens/Nassau and Nassau/Suffolk borders.

Put tunnels under roadways for subways or roads; it would stop traffic noise.

Elevated highway.

Increase speed limit.

Adopt sight standards.

Open shoulders for traffic under 30 miles per hour.

Reduce rush-hour speed limit to 45.

Put walls between east- and westbound lanes.

Possible to pay at parkway exit rather than entrance to alleviate traffic?

Why can’t buses use parkways?

Build gas stations in medians (e.g., Northern State) to ease congestion of exiting parkway to get gas.

Specific Roadways/Locations

Lakeland Road in Sayville.

Feasible to detour 18-wheelers on 135 onto Central Avenue?

Change lights on Deer Park Avenue; not synchronized.

Timing of lights on 347 and Motor Parkway (?) inadequate.

Synchronize lights along Sunrise Highway, Amityville to City line.

Need left-turn signal at Route 106/107 intersection with Columbia (too many accidents).

Synchronize traffic lights on LIE service road in Nassau County.

Synchronize timing of lights on Route 110.

Fewer stop signs and lights and more overpasses and cloverleaves.

Put in light from Northern State to Glen Cove Road.

Design of Northern State Parkway east of the Meadowbrook has created constant bottleneck.

Raise speed limit on LIE and Southern State.

Open LIE east shoulder lanes at 3:00 PM to lessen traffic (Exits 52 - 57; 57 - 62; etc.).

LIE speed limit should be 65 mph.

Access at particular points along LIE causes congestion; add lane to ease entrance, relieve congestion.

Provide for peak-directional traffic flows on LIE.

Extend LIE to Plum Island, and to Providence (?).

Deal more with commercial, rather than passenger vehicles, on expressway.

Extend more exits like Exit 62. (LIE?)

Create Exit 65 (LIE?) to lessen traffic at Exit 64.

Convert Sagtikos Parkway, create a north-south way, would halve travel time from that on Sunrise Highway(?).

Too many lights in Port Jefferson and Stony Brook.

Plan to make Nicholls Road a north-south highway?

Third lane on Nicholls Road should not be considered until more bridges are constructed to handle traffic of a third lane.

What are options for Nesconset Highway (Route 347), given studies of a few years ago and more recently?

Add shoulders to Northern State Parkway, LIE, and some other roads (barriers on either side are dangerous).

Roads, like Jericho Turnpike, have too many turning lanes and only a single lane forward.

On Sunrise Highway by Lakeland, Sayville, last-minute shifts of traffic between left-turn-only and other lanes create congestion.

There is no traffic light on Route 25A in Riverhead where there is a nursing home.

On northbound Meadowbrook Parkway, replace bridge with tunnel and lengthen ramp.

When Sunrise Highway in Oakdale is completed, traffic will increase in Lindenhurst.

No noise walls along Sunrise Highway, where homes are closer to road than along LIE, which does have noise walls.

Roadway Widening

Widen Veterans Highway.

Progress on widening Northern State in Hauppauge?

Widen Northern State by two or three lanes, rather than just one.

Widen LIE; widen LIE between Exits 39 and 40 (or add HOV).

Widen LIE to eight lanes, put all bridges below as tunnels.

Expanding Southern State?

Create two physically restricted lanes in median of highways, one direction in AM, reverse in PM.

Expand Route 107 for college traffic.

Bridge/Tunnel/Ferries

Start ferries from Syosset.

Bridge to Connecticut; Oyster Bay Bridge to Connecticut; Route 135 extension to Connecticut; Route 135 to Rye, New York.

Ferry service to Connecticut.

Tunnel to Connecticut.

Network of high-speed-ferry routes for all of Long Island to avoid overuse of existing ferries, including Orient Point.

Freight Movement

Move freight on rail or by water instead of by truck.

Install freight trains on Long Island Rail Road to reduce trucks on LIE.

Double-track LIRR for freight as well as public transit.

Moratorium on movement of solid waste by rail has resulted in more truck traffic on LIE.

Trucks

Why can’t pick-up trucks use highways (e.g., Northern and Southern State Parkways)?

Get truck traffic off LIE and onto railroad.

Ban trucks from LIE during rush hour.

Keep trucks out of left lane during commuting hours.

Limit all truck deliveries to off-peak hours.

License plates should say "truck" instead of "commercial" so they stay out of certain lanes.

Don’t permit commercial vehicles in left lane.

Enough traffic at night without trucks traveling at night.

Trucks stopped when entering LIE cannot get up to speed to enter roadway.

Why aren’t dump trucks permitted on parkways?

Trucks should be limited on LIE to Saturdays and Sundays.

Trucks should not be on roads from 6 - 9 AM and 4 -7 PM.

Rail

Need better and more frequent LIRR service; more tracks, more lines.

Fix gaps in train station schedules.

Feasible to place stations at rail intersections with LIE?

Why is MTA divesting itself of Suffolk County infrastructure (closed 32 stations, 40 machines one year ago)?

Electrified Central Branch; if problem occurs on Babylon Branch, reroute to Central Branch.

Need LIRR service from Ronkonkoma to Manhattan.

Extend rail service from Ronkonkoma to Yaphank and Patchogue.

Double-track main line (Ronkonkoma) and Sayville.

Port Jefferson Branch evening service into Manhattan for entertainment activities.

More frequent service weekday evenings on Montauk Branch (Babylon, Patchogue).

Extend Long Island Rail Road to Port Jefferson.

Connect three LIRR branches from Patchogue to Port Jefferson to relieve "stress" on railroad.

Railroad service from Greenlawn (home) to Port Jefferson (work) at inconvenient times compared to frequent service from Long Island to New York City.

Locust Valley commuters have only LIRR and only two-hour service on weekends; need better services.

Connect rail system north-south; especially in Nassau County.

Improve condition of tracks, shorten travel time.

Modernize service with higher-speed trains on LIRR.

Condition of rail cars poor (e.g., leaks on rainy days); trains not comfortable.

Open Landia rail station in Syosset.

Railroad transportation to airports; monorail to airports.

Monorail: along/in medians of the highways/parkways; along/over LIE, over LIE and Route 110; stops at park and ride lots; high-speed; replace trains with monorail.

Put monorail in LIRR right-of-way, then demolish railroad and build four-lane highway.

Light rail system over LIE.

Rail in medians of LIE and parkways.

Tram in median (like in airports).

Introduce trolleys; network of modern trolleys for north-south access.

Build subways on Long Island.

Maglev trains, as in Europe.

Can LIRR costs be lowered?

Lower LIRR fares and better service would result in more ridership, fewer drivers, less congestion.

Closer, more parking for rail users.

Underground parking at stations.

Why limit parking at LIRR stations to local residents?

Why close ticket office in Copague? Why close three east end stations in Hamptons, forcing people to drive?

Too many transfers required.

Trains not safe for women.

Raise train stops in Suffolk above ground level, as done in Nassau.

Bus Transit

Need more north-south bus routes to connect more train stations.

Use school buses in summer, running north and south, to save on public transportation budget.

Revive dial-a-bus program.

Bus transit should be closer to places people need to go.

Extend buses hours (early morning, late evening, on Sundays, holidays); need more buses, more drivers.

Run buses on 24-hour schedule.

Increase bus frequency.

More express buses.

Use jitneys.

More buses along Route 110.

More buses from Long Island into New York City (as is the case from Queens).

For people with disabilities, it’s difficult to get a bus; need more.

Coordinate bus and train schedules to accommodate transfers.

Bus schedules are not adhered to.

User-friendly bus stops: current bus schedule; major bus stops with weather info, schedule on TV monitor.

Use smaller buses where few users (e.g., Wantaugh, Belmore).

Need more buses between towns.

Too many bus transfers necessary to reach destination; make routes longer.

Private express bus lines from City to Long Island, mainly Suffolk County.

Provide free bus service to decrease traffic going to railroad stations (i.e., free exchange between bus/rail).

Free bus service.

Drivers miss stops; educate drivers.

General Transit

Expand mass transit.

Put transportation funds into mass transit.

Provide discount for transfers between trains and buses as incentive for ridership; other incentives (e.g., cash for driving less, higher auto insurance rates) to promote mass transit use.

Need mass transit to airports.

High-speed system down middle of LIE.

Need better north-south mass transit.

Need more economical transportation (i.e., lower prices), especially for those who don’t drive.

Plans to implement transit impact fees?

Tolls/Congestion Pricing

Eliminate bridge tolls; convert tolls to one-way.

Use congestion-pricing "tolls" for investment in new roads.

Put tolls on Northern State Parkway.

Telecommuting

Stagger work hours (7 to 3, 8 to 4, 9 to 5).

What are companies doing to help telecommuting in the era of the "virtual" office?

Make employers offer flexible working hours and days.

Will telecommuting be enforced?

Possible to pass a law giving telecommuters more rights?

Four-day work week of 10 hours per day, Monday - Thursday, Tuesday - Friday; use summer for a trial.

Bicycles/Pedestrians

Accommodate bicyclists; encourage bicycling.

Assist bicyclists on transportation systems (e.g., LIRR).

Are there plans to inform public that lockers are available for bicycles?

Bicycle lanes on Bethpage Street (?), on parkways.

Where, other than on side streets, are mopeds permitted? Make separate moped lane.

Special Needs

Equip buses with speakers to announce stops, for visually-impaired passengers.

Need walkover bridge for people to cross streets and reach buses; street crossings dangerous, especially for handicapped.

Large senior population in Suffolk County (especially, Ridge) needs more bus service.

Incident Management

Does HELP personnel patrol 24 hours?

HELP trucks very useful; do same with snow

plows.

AAA should provide help on all, not selected, roadways.

Tow trucks should be permitted on parkways.

What is procedure for calling out snow removal staff; can it be accomplished before storms?

Publicize emergency ice and snow number (378-3552) (number in phone book is wrong).

Police/Enforcement

Police should remove cars they pull over to location off the expressway.

Increase number of troopers (travels Southern State Parkway, never sees troopers).

Police don’t seem to enforce speed limits.

Station police at bottlenecks during busiest times.

Ticket rubberneckers.

Put up temporary blinds around accidents to prevent rubbernecking.

Three-foot high barriers, or plants, in medians would eliminate rubbernecking.

Improved Driver Information

Sensors for cars to keep distances; time-saving devices for cars.

Bigger street signs; change parkway icons.

Each building should have street number to assist in finding destination.

Computerize roads.

Increase number of INFORM signs above LIE. (They’re great but not enough.)

Electric signs reminding drivers not to rubberneck.

Timing lights on LIE (?).

Alert drivers of road endings with signs in advance (County Center, Suffolk).

Need more traffic reports to inform commuters of conditions.

Information system on side of road wrong, especially Exits 39 and 40 in morning rush hour.

INFORM system is inaccurate and unacceptable.

Signs on parkways should indicate parking for LIRR.

Driver Behavior/Safety

Address drivers (as part of the problem?), not just roadways.

quality, not quantity of drivers is the problem.

Improve driver training.

Drivers show no consideration/respect for other drivers.

Drivers should pay attention to road-work signs and follow instructions.

Stop selling liquor on train platforms since people eventually "drink and drive."

Biggest problem is drivers’ habits, e.g., unnecessarily using left lane.

Post overhead signs: "keep to right if not passing," "trucks not allowed in third lane."

Tax drivers; tax drivers on basis of mileage as incentive to drive less; at time of annual inspection.

Environment

Train horns at all hours of the day too frequent, bothersome.

What will be done to alleviate problems of residents along service roads?

Put sound-proof walls along major highways and roads.

Why use asphalt, which has many environmentally unsafe issues?

Land Use/Patterns

Move jobs to where homes are.

Provide tax incentive to people to move closer to where they work?

What are plans for land between Route 25A, Kings Park, between Church and Sunken Meadow?

What lands are anticipated to be taken?

Overbuilding of Long Island is the problem.

Curtail growth of Brookhaven until construction of roads "catches up".

Must stop/curtail industrialization of Suffolk County.

Suffolk County government must reduce development pressures and, therefore, control population growth.

Construction

Limit crews to midnight to 5 AM; eliminate union labor and use contractors.

HOV construction too lengthy; provide contractors with incentives for faster construction.

Leave one major highway open rather than working on all simultaneously.

Police need to enforce speeds through construction safety areas and cones as a matter of safety.

Use something with better traction than asphalt at crossovers.

Increase efficiency of highway work crews.

Planning Process

Should have physically disabled people on subcommittee to address their accessibility and other issues.

Possible to reduce plan to five years, rather than 20?

Do planning and transportation people work together?

Coordinate planning with Brooklyn and Queens, also on Long Island.

Will be more telecommuting in future; why does planning assume opposite trend of increased traffic?

What plans will cover land use planning? Any commitments from local governments to implement what study will recommend?

Need more transportation options on Long Island.

Need coordination among state, counties, towns, each of which appears to be working independently.

Create a zero-emission transportation plan for public transit; should have renewable resources economy for Long Island as an accelerated plan.

Is maintenance included in the plan?

What happened to urban planning on Long Island?

Televised Town Hall Meeting

Let citizens address transportation issues on air.

Have more broad-based questions, rather than personal issues/grievances.

Very informative.

Do panelists use HOV; mass transit?

Great that issues is being discussed on air, as problem is getting worse.

Miscellaneous Comments/Questions

Build airport in Calverton.

Safety problems are not being addressed.

How get information on Transit Checks and get employer involved?

What percentage of toll revenues used for mass transit?

Electric cars.

What happened to Route 347 project?

Encourage people to shop by phone or computer.

Will federal funds be re-instated in Clean Air Act?

What is goal of construction on Northern State Parkway from Exits 31 to 34; how many years will it take?

What are construction plans for Route 110 due to modification of Walt Whitman Mall?

Construction at NCMC should be finished to make way for ambulances.

Why planning to build rest stops along LIE and Northern State Parkway; they’re unnecessary.

Disclose truth of why there are no exits between 39 and 40 (LIE?). Fifty-year covenant to prohibit exits between 39 and 40 (affluent area) is reason there are no exits there.

Timeframe for work on center median at LIE Exit 62? Will it have noise barrier?

Provide sound barrier during Sunrise Highway construction in Suffolk County (Nassau County has it).

What sort of sound barriers being constructed on service road between Exits 64 and 65 (LIE?)? Concrete better than wood.

Why building a bridge on Hicks Road (a driveway)?

Use questionnaire to ask seasonal residents what manner of travel they prefer (i.e., peak demand outweighs roadway capacity; cars are from City; increase rail service).

Evacuation plans were canceled. Where did money go; will evacuation plan ever be put into effect again?

What are plans for coastal evacuation? LIE won’t be able to handle traffic volume?

Raise wages in Suffolk County to keep people in Suffolk and eliminate commuters.

Reduce taxes to preclude need for two-wage-earners per families; would eliminate need for extra cars.

Why are there more manned than EZPass lanes on the Throgs Neck Bridge?

Eliminate two-way tolls on Throgs Neck and Whitestone Bridges, as on Verrazano Narrows Bridge.

Concern that Pataki will not support HOV extension?