Suozzi Outlines Plan To Help Commuters In the Event of a NYC Work Stoppage

Mineola, NY - Nassau County Executive Tom Suozzi urged commuters to take advantage of special carpool staging areas, Park & Ride locations and the LIRR in the event of a New York City subway and bus strike on Friday.

"We're going to do everything we can to help people get to work," Suozzi said. "We have a plan in place to assist commuters in the event of strike and we will be activating our emergency command center to make sure we have the latest information available to help our residents stay informed and safe."

Along with LIRR President James J. Dermody and Long Island Bus President Neil S. Yellin, Suozzi unveiled the county's five point plan, coordinated by the Office of Emergency Management, to assist commuters. The plan includes:

1. Use Carpool Staging Areas
   Beginning Friday, December 16, 2005, New York City will require four passengers or more in any vehicle traveling across the East River, from 5 a.m. to 11 a.m., Monday through Friday. Commuters should use these regional areas to meet and form carpools for travel into New York City:

   • Southeast - Jones Beach State Park
   • Northeast - Cantiague Park, Hicksville
   • Southwest - Nickerson Beach, Lido Beach
   • Central - Eisenhower Park, East Meadow; Nassau Veterans Coliseum, Uniondale
   • Northwest - Macy's parking lot at Community Drive & Northern Blvd.
   • East - Bethpage State Park

   Call Long Island Transportation Management at 877-4COMMUTE (www.litm.org) for assistance with identifying riders available for a carpool to a specific New York City destination.

2. Use Park and Ride Locations
   In Nassau County, commuters can use these park and ride locations:

   • Park at Nassau Coliseum and ride LI Bus N 70, N71, or N72 on Hempstead Turnpike to Hempstead LIRR station
   In Queens:
   • Park at Shea Stadium and walk to LIRR.
   
   
3. Long Island Bus Service
   LI Bus serves 47 railroad stations throughout Nassau County. Commuters should take buses to the train stations to avoid traffic congestion and limited parking availability. Metro cards, which can be purchased in advance, may be used on all buses. Call 516-228-4000 for LI Bus Travel Information or click on www.mta.info.
   
4. Long Island Rail Road Service
   Call 516-822-LIRR or click on www.mta.info for train service. Commuters should be aware that a heavier volume of riders is expected at the following train stations: Valley Stream, Mineola, Hicksville, New Hyde Park, Lynbrook, Freeport, Manhasset, Rockville Centre, Great Neck and Floral Park. Commuters should purchase tickets in advance. Use Drop and Ride: to reduce congestion at LIRR stations, ask a family member or friend for a ride to the station.
   
5. Be Patient
   In the event of a transit strike, Nassau County residents will need to be patient. Allow extra time for all trips into New York City. Commuters are encouraged to telecommute, stagger work schedules and use alternate work sites.

Nassau County Car Pool Staging Areas and Park & Ride Locations
( .pdf file - Adobe Reader® Required )