Listen to this articleLong Islanders are encouraged to leave their autos behind on Car Free Day LI on Sept. 22. Advocates say there are sustainable transportation options to reduce car use, lower emissions and improve regional air quality.
The advocates – students, academia and corporate leaders as well as representatives from Long Island Rail Road and transit partners – gathered at Farmingdale State College for a rally in advance of Car Free Day LI to explore these options. They say that transportation accounts for more than 30% of Long Island’s greenhouse gas emissions.
“NASA recently announced that June, July, and August were the hottest on record,” Sam “Gridlock Sam” Schwartz, the keynote speaker, American transportation engineer, columnist, author, and former New York City traffic commissioner, said in a news release about the rally.
“But there’s good news. LIRR ridership has been increasing for several months in a row, and with new services like East Side Access: Grand Central Madison and the LIRR Third Track, it’s easier than ever to leave your car at home,” he added.
“With nearly 3 million people on Long Island, if each of us drives just one mile less, it can add up to significant benefits for air quality, public health, traffic congestion and reduced greenhouse gas emissions,” Mindy Germain, co-chair of the Car Free Day LI Coalition, said in the news release.
At the rally, Neville Perkins, vice president of Capital Program Delivery & Oversight for the LIRR, said the railroad has increased in service frequency by 40%, in an effort to make public transportation more reliable and accessible.
NICE Bus, too, discussed efforts to expand service efficiently.
“We’ve tackled an age-old problem: How to expand our service footprint while responsibly managing public funds,” according to a NICE Bus spokesperson. “In July, we combined our Mini On-Demand service with our Able Ride paratransit service. Launched in 2022 on Nassau’s South Shore, Nice Mini is the county’s first on-demand, shared ride service, providing nearly door-to-door transit options for just $2.90 per trip.”
Also at the rally, students led a “car-smashing demonstration,” aiming to highlight the dangers of drunk driving and to provide another reason to go car-free.
The rally served as a call to action.
“The car has made us selfish, disconnecting us from thinking about the planet and sustainability,” Aaliyah Rowe, a senior at Farmingdale State College and Car Free Day Long Island ambassador, said in the news release.
“We need to come together for change,” Rowe added. “I wouldn’t ask you to do something I’m not doing myself. On days I travel to campus, I rely on the NYC MTA Q40 bus service and the LIRR Ronkonkoma branch.”
To take the “Car Free Day” pledge, click here.