BY RICH KNUTSON
It's been in the 50's in February, 40's in March, and the 80's in April. This is seasonal weather? What happened to our harsh winter? Hello summer? With summer comes the other time people go places. Summertime is still when most people travel, even though Winter recess, Spring break and Fall Foliage trips are becoming more and more popular. You are probably noticing more and more construction on our roadways then ever before. Long Island has been given a lion's share of State and Federal monies for road construction. It's about time? Of course with all this construction, this means tolerance for the delays that may occur. Who else has noticed the price of gasoline going up? It seems nobody is immune to ongoing conflicts that are happening in the Middle East. When taking to the roads, rails or airways this summer, please be respectful of others. Highway patrols are being more diligent against aggressive drivers. Wearing seat belts, signaling before changing lanes and most recently, hands free cell phones are NYS laws. They will be enforcing these this travel season. Provided are links to the various modes of travel that are available to Long Islanders. They are there for your use. As always, have a happy, safe and healthy trip. As an added bonus, I have included the Long Island Traffic Pattern Study that was conducted in 2000. It provides some interesting reading.
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Rich Knutson is a born and bred Long Islander who understands the joys and frustration of getting around on Long Island. He is a 15+ year LIRR - LI Bus/Suffolk Transit commuter and is a member of a two-car family.