Nassau Polling Residents On Transportation Improvements

NASSAU COUNTY, NY — Nassau County is polling people and businesses to find out what changes can be made to the county's roadways and public transportation systems. You can participate in the surveys right now.

The surveys will help guide the county's Shared Mobility Management Plan (SMMP), which is aimed at improving access to shared transportation options for residents, workers, students and visitors, with a focus on helping populations that are normally under-served.

There are two surveys: one intended for residents and one targeted to medium-to-large employers in Nassau. They are designed to provide insight to changing transportation needs and preferences, with consideration for the evolving commuting and travel patterns spurred by the coronavirus pandemic. The surveys can be accessed by clicking here and will be open until Sept. 3.

“This project underscores my commitment to addressing longstanding gaps in the county’s transportation network,” said County Executive Laura Curran. “Increasing opportunities for shared transportation services not only helps ease congestion on our roadways while benefitting our environment but boosts our local economy by making businesses, education, medical facilities more accessible.”

The SMMP will focus on transportation options that are shared among users, such as flexible or on-demand transit (NICE Bus’s Elmont Flexi), bike sharing (Citi Bike, Bethpage Ride), scooter sharing (Lime), ride hailing (Uber, Lyft) and car sharing (Zipcar). The plan will identify and outline opportunities for introducing new and enhanced mobility services to complement and extend the reach of existing transit services in Nassau County.

In addition to the surveys, the county is using other measures to gather information. Also planned are:

• Creation of a Stakeholder Committee to represent regional and local interests, including other Nassau County departments as well as local organizations representing social equity, civic, environmental, business/economic development, and transportation interests.
• Consultations with municipalities and technical advisors to help guide the direction of the project.
• Launch of a project website to house project information and notice of opportunities for public input (including public meetings) throughout the study period.

"We want to hear from a diverse cross-section of Nassau County residents, employees, students and visitors over the course of this innovative project to help shape future transportation investments,” said Curran.

The SMMP is expected to be finalized and presented for implementation by late spring 2022.