Letter: Packed to the Gunwales, The North Fork, Overwhelmed
May 28, 2017
To the Editor,
I have been on the North Fork both summer & winter since I was a child.
I have never seen the NF so crowded as during the last two days. Endless lines of cars without a local sticker.
Traveling back from the NF Audubon plant sale in Southold the last two days has been a real eye opener and brought home the fact that we may have exceeded the carrying capacity of our community.
I saw every winery’s parking lot packed to capacity and the overflow all over the Main Road. Same with the breweries & restaurants. Even the North Road had traffic backups after it narrows eastbound.
We are as an island off the coast of New England, yet connected to the mainland and New York without the mitigating control of water travel.
I know this is all good for our local economy and provides jobs, but I am only pointing out that we need a comprehensive plan to deal with seasonal traffic.
If not, then the North Fork may become less desirable to everyone, including the day trippers and the money they bring with them.
Soon, more often than not I am sure, we will experience city-like ‘gridlock’ as I observed Saturday in Southold Village.
I have friends who tell me in the last few days they cannot find parking in Greenport, even though they live away from what is now downtown.
I feel closed in by all this traffic and I know other year-round residents feel the same.
Please let our elected officials find a way to mitigate the overcrowding and stress.
We all have ‘pride of place’ and must protect the North Fork in a way that protects business but also the lifestyle our residents.
Best regards,
Rick
Frederick R Kedenburg
Peconic
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It’s self-regulating: if you make a place more desirable, more people will come. Look at what happened on the South Fork: in an attempt to avoid overcrowding, the residents voted against road improvements, never thinking that people would come by helicopter instead. We all know how that worked out.
The South Fork has been a disaster for years. Montauk is an absolute miserable circus. East Hampton Town had a “Comprehensive Plan” about 10-15 years ago, and that place is worse than ever. The North Fork is now experiencing the same thing. Success comes at a price. Instead of complaining, maybe you should sell and find a more pleasant place to live.