By Scott Brinton
State proposes widening road to accommodate bus system; environmentalists protest
The Herald invites letters to the editor about state plans to widen the Southern State Parkway.
Anyone who has ever crawled in traffic along the Southern State Parkway, taking 45 minutes to get from Rockville Centre to Bellmore, can testify how congested Long Island's major thoroughfares can be.
With the Island's population expected to rise dramatically in the next 25 years, growing by 15 percent to 3.1 million people, traffic arteries like the Southern State should only get more clogged with time, say state Department of Transportation representatives.
To prevent the Island's roads from becoming bigger parking lots than they already are, the DOT is offering its $5-billion, 20-year Long Island Transportation Plan 2000. The proposal calls for widening of all major thoroughfares across the Island, including the Southern State Parkway in 2015.
According to the state's preliminary plan, the Southern State would be widened by two lanes to accommodate what are called Rapid Transportation Vehicles -- 24-passenger buses that would ferry commuters between park-and-rides, says Eileen Peters, DOT regional spokesperson.
"The crux of this thing is the Rapid Commute System..." Peters said. "We think it's the answer for Long Island, moving more people in fewer vehicles."
According to Peters, the state's 40-member Technical Advisory Committee for LITP 2000 supports the concept of a Rapid Commute System for the Southern State and other thoroughfares, such as the Meadowbrook Parkway.
Environmentalists, however, criticize the Rapid Commute System, saying it would require tearing up the Southern State and roads like it, destroying acres of greenery. They also note that the state is trying the system in Suffolk County with the so-called 110 Clipper, and thus far, they charge, it has failed. Only 20-40 people are said to ride the bus daily, making it insolvent without state subsidies.
Lisa Tyson of North Bellmore is associate director of the Massapequa-based Long Island Progressive Coalition, a member of the Technical Advisory Committee and chairwoman of the Public Participation Committee for LITP 2000. Public Participation is one of six committees that report to Technical Advisory, which comprises government and private-sector representatives and holds sole authority to issue recommendations for LITP 2000.
Tyson says widening the Southern State represents a massive, five- to 10-year undertaking that isn't necessary. She believes the state could better relieve congestion along the parkway with a light-rail system, such as trolleys, that could run through South Shore neighborhoods.
The system would give commuters and residents access to north-south public transportation that now is practically nil and is only becoming worse as Nassau County continues to cut Long Island Bus funds, according to Tyson.
"The DOT says light rail won't work for Long Island, but I have experts who say it does," she said. A rail system would require too many transfers, according to the DOT.
Tyson also said that, if the Rapid Commute System fails after the Southern State is widened, the parkway would grow considerably more congested with the addition of two open lanes. "The fear is that the bus system won't happen, and then we'll have an expressway," said Tyson. Traditionally, greater numbers of commuters make use of roads once they're widened, she said. Take the LIE as an example.
Richard Schary of North Bellmore, an environmental activist who lives a block from the Southern State, says widening the road would devastate surrounding neighborhoods. He doesn't believe the state can run buses along the thoroughfare without straightening its many curves. The road, he says, was never intended for buses, only cars.
Straightening the road would mean cutting into the green spaces along the Southern State's outside median, where trees help absorb traffic pollution and create natural sound barriers for neighboring homes, Schary said.
He envisions homeowners calling on the state to erect cement sound barriers along the parkway when trees are removed, the way they have along the LIE. The barriers would bring more pollution, as they kill trees by blocking sunlight and trap exhaust in local neighborhoods, according to Schary.
He also noted that bridges would have to be raised so that the taller buses could pass under them. That, Peters agreed, would be a certainty. She added that the Northern State Parkway, where bridges were recently raised, "is a good indication of the type of work we would need to do."
Schary said, "Instead of being a better road, we're going to have more pollution, more cars, more noise, less trees..."
State officials insist that, so far, plans for the Southern State only include widening the road along its inside median. "Our preliminary indications are that it [the Rapid Commute System] would fit in the median," Peters said.
Right now, expansion of the Southern State is tentative, say state officials. Tyson, however, worries that the plan will eventually become reality unless "we, as citizens, get together to fight this."
She recommends that residents speak out during open houses for LITP 2000, which are to be held through June 28 (see above for schedule).
Peters said the state is seeking people's input about the transportation plan. "We want the public comment," she said.
To learn more about this issue, go online to www.litp2000.gov.
