Pedal, Pedal, Pedal

Southampton Creates Bike Lanes and Trails To Connect Town

By Emily J. Weitz

In a place where a commitment to the environment is integral to town identity, we are taking a step closer to living in harmony with nature. Groups like the Nature Conservancy and the Peconic Land Trust, as well as the town preservation societies, work tirelessly to preserve the natural splendor of the East End. But then we come in, engines revving, in our Jeeps and our Hummers, our Explorers and our Land Rovers. And we burn up non-renewable sources and we breathe chalky exhaust into the crisp ocean air. Fuel-guzzling four-wheelers are among our culture’s greatest addictions, and the East End is no exception.

But honestly — what choice do we have? Everything is so spread out that there is just no walking to dinner, and public transportation is patchy. So we’ve kept off the dunes and donated to the Nature Conservancy and recycled our papers and plastics, puttering our way between environmentally conscious activities, always in our personal vehicles. Until now.

Finally, a proposal four years in the making has been presented to the town of Southampton to make the roads more accessible to an earth-friendly alternative to driving: bikes. The 11-person Southampton Bike Lane Advisory Committee has been in charge of identifying which public roads will be able to accommodate bike lanes. By working with the Division of Geographic Information Systems, this committee mapped out a plan for town officials to consider. The goal of these new bike lanes is to link the eastern and western halves of Southampton with a network of bike-friendly roads. These proposed lanes will safely guide cyclists through the village centers, as well as to significant attractions like beaches and recreation centers. With no emissions and no energy demands, except the power generated from your own legs, biking is a great way to offset your impact on the environment. In addition, it’s a great way to get some exercise in without feeling like a hamster in a wheel at the gym.

The bike lanes are intended for more than just environmental and health concerns, however. A portion of the workforce currently uses either public transportation or bikes. People who ride bikes on main roads without a designated lane are faced with a serious safety risk. Town Councilman Steve Kenny backs the bike proposal as a means of serving this part of the population.

The advisory committee has done detailed research to figure out exactly what this plan requires. Certain roads are eligible for the bike lanes, and others are not. It depends on several factors. First and foremost, the width of the road must be taken into consideration. On very narrow roads, it would be unsafe and impractical to install bike lanes. The committee is using the New York State Department of Transportation guidelines to delineate the acceptable numbers. Streets that are more than 32 feet wide are excellent candidates for the project, because they can fit two five-foot bike lanes, as well as two 11-foot wide vehicle lanes. Any road that measures between 28 and 32 feet wide may be suitable depending on traffic and other considerations. Roads narrower than 28 feet are probably not sufficiently wide to accommodate bike lanes. However, there are some alternatives to two full bike lanes. Since there are several major roads that are between 20 and 28 feet wide, the town may consider installing “Share the Road” signs along the shoulder so that motorists know it is their responsibility to respect cyclists.

Another factor that must be considered as the committee plans which roads will have bike lanes is the jurisdiction of the road. In other words, certain roads in Southampton town are the responsibility of the town and others are the responsibility of the County. For example, the Bridgehampton/Sag Harbor Turnpike is a County road, so the town needs to go to the next step of getting County permission to alter this road.

While the ultimate plan is far from finalized, this was a major first step in linking the sprawling town of Southampton by earth-friendly, health-friendly, cost-friendly bike lanes. Some roads that have been proposed as potential candidates for bike lanes are listed below:

Westhampton: Speonk-Riverhead Road, South County Road, Old Country Road and Stewart Avenue

East Quogue: Lewis Road and Head of Lots Road

Hampton Bays: Ponquogue Avenue, Good Ground Road, Shinnecock Road, Argonne Road East and Old Riverhead Road

North Sea and Noyac: North Sea Road and Noyac Road

Bridgehampton and Southampton: Scuttle Hole Road, Head of Pond Road, Lower Seven Ponds Road, Seven Ponds Road and David Whites Lane

The chairman of the Advisory Committee, Reynolds Dodson, pointed out that recognizing which roads have the potential to accommodate bike lanes is “only the beginning.” To turn Southampton into a truly bike-friendly town will take a lot more work. But it will pay off when we are able to spend the summers whizzing past bumper-to-bumper traffic on our way to the sandy beaches. And when we arrive, sweat glistening on our foreheads, there will be no hassle to park, and we can lock up our bikes and run straight into the crashing waves. After all, there’s no need for air conditioning with the wind in your hair, and there’s no need for cars when the bike lanes are open.