East End Towns Prepare For Impending LIRR Strike

As of Tuesday, East Hampton Town and Southampton Town officials were urging Long Island Rail Road officials to help coordinate alternative transportation plans for the East End in the event of a rail strike in the coming days, issuing a joint press release that said local businesses could not afford to lose thousands of patrons in July, “which is what a LIRR strike would mean.”

And as the days drew closer to a potential strike, East Hampton Town was planning for a substantial increase of vehicles on the road.

The LIRR draws about 300,000 weekday riders systemwide, according to the MTA’s website.

On Monday, discussion between the railroad’s unions and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority fell apart, failing to resolve an impasse over a proposed wage increase. Union representatives have set a Sunday, July 20, deadline for a new contract to be resolved and threatened to go on strike at that time if it is not.

In East Hampton, town and village officials are preparing for an increase in traffic and hoping to find ways to make sure vacationers still make it out to their vacation houses and hotels for weekend visits, and back to the city.

Town Supervisor Larry Cantwell said this week he is concerned there is not a strong contingency plan for bus service to East Hampton and has sent a letter to the MTA asking for just that, plus permission to use railroad parking lots for a bus staging area.

Last week, Southampton Town Supervisor Anna Throne-Holst also sent a letter to the MTA asking for the same, and the Town Board approved a bill that temporarily lifts restrictions on parking buses and motor coaches in LIRR parking lots, allowing other mass transit companies to use them.

While Southampton Town has lease agreements for a couple of its railroad station parking lots, East Hampton Town and Village do not.

According to Becky Molinaro, the East Hampton Village clerk, Police Chief Jerry Larsen would have the authority to suspend any parking restrictions in lots and spaces close to the LIRR station on Railroad Avenue if needed to accommodate other mass transit companies.

Mr. Cantwell said he is waiting to hear back from the president of the LIRR, Patrick Nowakowski, so that buses can use the LIRR parking lots, especially in Montauk. On Tuesday, Mr. Cantwell and Ms. Throne-Holst said in the release that they had not received a response.

“It’s very important to have this set up ahead of the strike,” Mr. Cantwell said on Monday. “I’m very concerned the plans for runs east to East Hampton and Montauk are lacking. We need an alternative, and I’m not at all convinced the railroad has provided for that alternative to East Hampton.”

He said more and more people are relying on the railroad to get to and from East Hampton over the summer, especially on weekends.

“I’m very concerned about two things: one, there’s either going to be less people, or, two, there will be more people driving to create more traffic congestion and parking problems throughout the town,” he said. “Unless there’s a strong contingency plan for alternative bus transportation, it’s going to be a real problem.”

Hampton Jitney Vice President Andrew Lynch said that while it is unclear how many people the bus service will accommodate, the company is contracting with other bus companies in Connecticut, upstate New York and even Florida that are also members of the International Motor Coach Group to provide additional buses and drivers. He said at this point he doesn’t know how many extras will be needed.

“It’s unclear. It could be a lot of people who don’t travel, or there could be impossible situations getting into Manhattan,” Mr. Lynch said on Monday. “We don’t report customer counts. If there is a strike, the days that will be most affected will be weekend days, and Fridays and Sundays especially.”

Mr. Lynch said Hampton Jitney is also adding additional stops in Speonk, at the Office Depot parking lot in Riverhead, and the Montauk train station, pending LIRR approval. Mr. Lynch said while he couldn’t calculate how much, the impending strike will impose a financial burden on the company.

“It’s a tremendous amount of planning,” he said about preparing for the strike. “We have people coming in all week to help with scheduling contingencies. It’s likely we’ll do a lot of planning and not see the amount of increase that some people say may occur.

“Nonetheless,” he continued, “we owe it to the East End to do as much as we possibly can to help in case there’s a strike.”

Updates about the schedule and stops will be made on the Jitney’s website, he said.

Some businesses are expecting a change of pace, too, knowing there won’t be a flood of traffic flowing from the train stations.

Missing that flow from the East Hampton Village train station, Mary’s Marvelous is in the perfect spot when it comes to catching customers on their way to and from the train. According to Caitlin Baringer, the manager of the company’s pastry department, it’s likely that if the strike were to go on, the coffee and food shop would miss out on those customers.

“It’s a lot of people,” she said. “I think business would lessen just during the times of when the train comes, but it wouldn’t hurt business overall.”

The manager of the front section of the store, Isch Michel, while too busy to fully comment, said it would be a definite blow to the business because of the close proximity to the station.

Meanwhile, the eight unions fighting for a pay increase represent approximately 5,400 railroad employees, who have threatened to walk off the job if an agreement is not reached. The unions are seeking a 17-percent raise over six years. As of early this week, things looked bleak in terms of reaching a negotiation.

“Expect roadways to be extremely congested and unusual commute times to be significantly longer,” the MTA said this week. “Work from home, or stay with friends or family in or near the city. Discuss telecommuting or flex time options with your employer.” The MTA also advised that commuters carpool or use existing bus services.