Suffolk Launches Interactive Bike, Walking Portal From Public Transit

BABYLON, NY — Suffolk County is aiming to be a more "bikeable" place to live.

County Executive Steve Bellone joined Babylon Village Mayor Mary Adams, local and state officials on Friday, to launch the "Transit to Trails Program", to link residents and visitors to parks, trails, and downtown amenities which are "walkable or bikeable" from public transit.

The announcement was made at Argyle Park in Babylon, in celebration of National Bike Month (May) and National Train Day (May 13).

“We’re excited to be connecting more people to the thousands of acres of parks right here in Suffolk County without adding a single car to our roads,” said Bellone. “We hope that this will entice visitors to stay a little bit longer to explore our local downtowns before heading home.”

Through this new program, users will be able to search and download interactive trail maps for parks and open space throughout the county that are located in proximity to LIRR stations, to serve as a guide for car-free exploration of Suffolk County, a release said.

The maps are intended to generate interest in visiting the abundance of natural spaces throughout Suffolk County, while also generating economic activity in our downtowns and business districts near train stations.

“The Transit to Trails program designed by Suffolk County is a wonderful way to have visitors, families and children learn about our wonderful communities on Long Island," said Mayor Adams. "The Village of Babylon has so much history to enjoy, so many restaurants and a vibrant downtown to explore and as well our parks and playgrounds. I applaud our County Executive for designing this program that will benefit our downtown and all that Babylon Village has to offer to our visitors and families.”

Transit to Trails launched with seven station can be accessed from the Connect Long Island website. There, users can view stations, learn about nearby amenities and read station descriptions. Once a station is selected, users can open a mobile friendly PDF map or print station brochures, which will guide them from the station to the trails and nearby amenities.

In addition to parks and trails near stations, the maps include nearby amenities such as: downtowns, museums, theaters, historic sites, boat rentals, bike rentals, skate parks, beaches, bowling alleys, ice skating rinks, golf courses, playgrounds, boardwalks, breweries, vineyards and distilleries. Users can also discover places to rent bikes.

Much of the county’s 160,000 acres of parks are within walking or biking distance from public transit, a release said.

The maps of the Transit to Trails Initiative will continue to be updated as new pedestrian facilities from the plan are implemented and featured on the Pedestrian and Bike Network Portal.