Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone today announced that the County will be hosting public information meetings as part of the next round of updates and input on the Reimagine Transit Initiative. These meetings will be held on Wednesday, March 30th, from 12:00 PM to 2:00 PM at the Maxine S. Postal Auditorium in Riverhead and Thursday, March 31st, from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM at the H. Lee Dennison Building in Hauppauge. Residents will also have the option to participate in both of these meetings virtually, via zoom.
In addition to the public meetings, the County has launched a transit survey to obtain feedback on the proposed new bus network. Residents looking for additional information, including registration links for the community meetings and the transit survey can click here.
“As we continue to work on creating a transportation network that works for all of our residents, community input is critical to making sure that everyone’s voice is being heard,” said Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone. “The upcoming public meetings and online survey help to ensure that the Reimagine Transit Initiative benefits all communities across Suffolk County.”
Two virtual public meetings were held in May 2021 to share progress on the Reimagine Transit Initiative, identify public priorities, and gather input regarding potential changes to the bus network. A public survey was conducted both online and in-person throughout the months of May and June 2021 to share the two transit concepts and capture feedback from transit riders, residents and other stakeholders. The project team has incorporated that feedback and is ready to introduce the proposed new network. At the public meetings, officials will discuss the proposed network plan and its key outcomes, along with gathering feedback from the community.
Reimagine Transit is an initiative to rethink the entire network of Suffolk County Transit bus routes to ensure that the County is making the best use of its resources and aligning its investments with community goals and priorities. The goal of the initiative, which began in September of 2020 and is funded through a New York Metropolitan Transportation Council (NYMTC) Unified Planning Work Program (UPWP) grant, is to restructure transit services to offer a more effective transit system that is in tune with the emerging technologies and trends, and identify opportunities for the use of new tools, like on-demand transit services. For more information on Reimagine Transit please click here.
The initiative builds on Connect Long Island, the County Executive’s signature regional transportation and development plan, and the Suffolk County Mobility Study which evaluated the County’s transit challenges.
In 2015, County Executive Bellone first launched his Connect Long Island Initiative, a regional transportation and development plan that promotes long-term economic growth in Suffolk County through a model of increased access and mobility by alternative modes of transportation. The plan supports investments in regional mass transit systems, such as the Long Island Railroad, the implementation of new transit modes, the creation of transit-oriented developments and the connection of these transit-oriented developments and downtown areas to major research and educational institutions.
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