Letter: Gasoline gobblers on the LIE
The Long Island Expressway at dusk. Credit: David Pokress
Gasoline prices are ridiculous ["Credit cards help fuel high gas prices," Opinion, March 19], yet this doesn't seem to change anyone's driving habits.
I travel the Long Island Expressway daily from my home in Queens to my office in the Financial District, and most days the traffic is horrendous. The barely 15-mile journey routinely takes 45 to 90 minutes going in, and the return trip usually runs 60 to 120 minutes. The only reason I drive is because I'm in an employer-provided vehicle. When I don't have access to this vehicle, I do the smart thing and use mass transit.
When I venture into Nassau and Suffolk counties for my work, it's not unusual for me to sit in bumper-to-bumper traffic in the middle of the day. When I try to drive about our region on the weekend, forget it. All of the highways and parkways are clogged, the malls are packed with shoppers, restaurants are full.
When do we begin to take responsibility for our own actions? And when do we change our behavior to adapt to the changing world? If our almost 24-7 traffic congestion is any evidence, my point of view is certainly in the minority.
I would place a toll booth at the Nassau County border. It's commuters from Long Island who add a great deal to the traffic that clogs the city daily.
Jonathan Seabrook, Fresh Meadows
