Transportation

Long Island, and Suffolk County in particular, is a frustrating place to get around. Heavy traffic and scant other transit opportunities mean that almost all of Suffolk residents own at least 1 car, and drive everywhere. The LIRR is used mostly to get to and from the City, and bus options are extremely scarce. This increases costs for Suffolk residents, spending thousands of hours on gas and seemingly thousands of hours stuck in traffic.

• We must fund not only new trains on existing LIRR routes, but expand the LIRR to become a commuter friendly option with regard to traveling through Suffolk county. Similarly, we must fund new buses, new bus routes, and increase people's access to public transportation. It should be easy to hop on a train or bus in Huntington, and travel through Suffolk with ease, in safe, reliable, and fast trains/buses. We have the money for these projects, and the money spent will immediately pay dividends for Suffolk residents, saving them money on transportation.

• We must however, address LIRR price gouging. It is completely unacceptable for a train ride to NYC from Huntington to cost 20 dollars. Public transit shouldn't be as expensive as private transit.

• Suffolk will never not be car dominant, but easing the reliance of Suffolk citizens on the need for cars is one step. The other, is to move people towards EVs and funding development of renewable forms of energy to power cars. Innovation is not only important, but should be the feat of American ingenuity. We can do it, if Congress allows the funding.