In Transit newsletter: Navigating Long Island without a car

Today marks the 14th annual Car Free Day. Each year, I make something of an effort to go "car free" or at least "car light" on this day, which isn’t all that difficult on a day I’m working from home or have an assignment in Manhattan.

But to mark this year’s Car Free day, I decided to do something last week that I haven’t done in more than 20 years — travel from my house in Valley Stream to Newsday’s offices in Melville, and back, without a car.

My journey entailed riding my bike to the Lynbrook LIRR station, about a mile and a half from home, hopping aboard a train to Amityville, transferring to the Suffolk County Transit Route 1 bus, then walking the last mile from Duryea Road on Route 110 to the Newsday building on Corporate Center Drive, and then making the voyage in reverse on the way home.

The trip — which on an average day takes about 40 minutes to an hour each way by car — took two hours and 10 minutes on the way in to work, and about two hours and 45 minutes on the way back (thanks in large part to the fact that my return trip Babylon train didn’t stop at Lynbrook, which meant I had to ride all the way to Jamaica and then double back). Had I remembered that Suffolk buses have bike racks mounted on the front of them, I could have shaved off about 20 minutes each way.

All in all, it wasn’t a particularly unpleasant experience, as the weather was beautiful, and I got through a few comic books I’ve been meaning to read. But it did triple my usual commute time and, at $17.50 in combined LIRR and bus fares, cost me more than I would spend on fuel, even at the current high gas prices.

So it’s safe to say that, given my limited transit options, regularly going car free isn’t a realistic option for me, nor for many Long Islanders. But that’s kind of the point, Car Free Day organizers say.

Encouraging Long Island commuters to leave their cars in their driveways for a day isn’t just about promoting local transit systems, but also about shining a light on their shortcomings and the need to invest in them.

Car Free Day Long Island organizer Mindy Germain said that message has been getting through in recent years, as evidenced by several transit improvements, including the boost in LIRR service that came with the opening of Grand Central Madison, the redesign of Suffolk’s bus system to reduce wait times on busy routes, and Nassau’s expansion of "microtransit" service in communities without traditional bus routes.

"Where there's these transit deserts, they're looking more at on-demand service. So, if somebody's left out of the main route, they are not left out entirely," said Germain, program manager for Transit Solutions, a federally funded MTA program aimed at promoting public transportation. "It seems that everyone's collaborating toward more frequent and flexible transit."

Germain said more than 5,000 Long Islanders have already pledged to go car-free today — up 40% from last year and more than any year since the COVID pandemic.

Seeing as I had to go into the office again today, I can’t promise you I was one of them.

Transportation news

• A circuit failure caused by a severed cable caused heavy delays at area airports Tuesday. 
• For the second time in a week, a vehicle crashed into a tollbooth at Sunken Meadow State Park, killing its driver, police said. 
• As the "microtransit" trend continues growing, both Nassau and Suffolk are expanding on-demand bus service using smaller vehicles and more flexible schedules.
• Keep your eye on your speedometer while driving across an MTA bridge or tunnel — or risk fines of up to the $100 starting today.
• Here’s one Penn Station announcement LIRR commuters have been waiting to hear for years: Tracks Raw Bar and Grill is back in its original home.
• They may help your teenager get around, but e-bikes also present "a public safety and a public health crisis," Suffolk officials say.
• Here’s how to apply for a refund for Suffolk’s illegally collected red light camera fees.

Travel watch

• With the United Nations General Assembly taking place all week, transportation officials are urging drivers to stay away from Manhattan. The New York City Department of Transportation has declared Gridlock Alert Days through Friday. MTA officials urge travelers to consider the LIRR and subways, which run every two to five minutes during the rush hour.
• Exit 19 of the eastbound Long Island Expressway in Queens will be closed on weeknights from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. through Saturday for pavement repairs.
• Two lanes on the eastbound Sunrise Highway will be closed from the Queens/Nassau border through Harrison Avenue in Baldwin overnights from Sunday through Friday for about four weeks for construction work.
• There will be no train service on the LIRR’s West Hempstead line this weekend, and revised schedules on the Babylon and Montauk branches, because of planned signal work. More information is at mta.info/lirr.
• Westbound Sunrise Highway (Route 27) will be closed between exits 53 and 52 from 10 pm. Wednesday until 5 a.m. Thursday for the removal of an overhead sign.

Readers speak up

Last month, I reported on a proposal for "through-running" train service at Penn Station, which would mean that LIRR trains would continue beyond Penn to stations in New Jersey. Despite plentiful skepticism, this reader believes some Long Island travelers would be very interested in a one-seat ride across the Hudson.

I don't know what the demand would be for all of NJ, but definitely EWR (Newark Liberty) airport. If you could board one train from Long Island and disembark at EWR, that would be high on my list — especially for long international flights which cost more and could be worth the extra time to get to EWR. Thanks for listening.

Nimish Doshi, Garden City

Would you ride an LIRR train to NJ? I can think of one obvious destination for Giants and Jets fans on Long Island. Where else would you go? Let us know at transit@newsday.com.

By Alfonso A. Castillo

alfonso.castillo@newsday.com@alfonsoreports

Alfonso Castillo has been reporting for Newsday since 1999 and covering the transportation beat since 2008. He grew up in the Bronx and Queens and now lives in Valley Stream with his wife and two sons.