Letters

Our elected officials have tried to fix the traffic problem, but they have only taken baby steps. This problem requires a significant lifestyle change for all.

I’ve observed that 75 percent of the cars in traffic have only one passenger per car. Trucks seem to travel whenever they want. Landscape equipment and construction vehicles are nearly always parked on the road.

Let’s take these one at a time.

We have to set up a share-driving program, which means we have to set aside land (town, Pine Barrens or Shinnecock Nation land) for carpooling.

Any car with only one person in it between 6 and 11 a.m. and 3 and 7 p.m. will be ticketed. This will be done with a monitoring system like in Manhattan. Tickets will be issued to the license plate holder. All village residents will be exempt (sticker). All trucks will be restricted to the hours 7 p.m. to 6 a.m. and noon to 4 p.m. They can apply for a waiver, at a cost.

Landscape vehicles must park in the driveway of their customers. They, too, can apply for a waiver.

It’s hard to change habits, but we are obsessed with our cars and our free use of them and have forgotten what life was like when there were fewer.

I will work with anyone to bring this about.

Gerald Rosengarten

Southampton