The Setauket to Port Jefferson Station Greenway Newsletter
Volume 2, Issue 4
May 2022
The Trail Mix is the monthly newsletter of The Friends of the Greenway. We established this bulletin to keep the Friends and users of the Greenway current on some of the “goings- on” regarding our Trail and to dispense a mix of bits and bytes of flavorful information. Hopefully, The Trail Mix will help to enlighten, inform, and entertain our readers. The Friends of the Greenway is a committee of our parent organization – The Three Village Community Trust.
Where Did All the Greenways Go? (A Three Part Series)
The Greenway, and the soon to be opened North Shore Rails to Trails, are places for bicyclists and pedestrians to enjoy a ‘safe space’ – to commute, recreate or spend some time with family and friends outdoors without major concern for vehicular traffic.
It is unfortunate that there are not more bike paths in the area – most people are surprised to learn that the Setauket to Port Jefferson Greenway at 3.2 miles has been the longest paved public bike path in all of Suffolk County. In fact, a major obstacle in building support for the build out for the Greenway twenty years ago was so few residents knew anything about bike trails – how they looked, how they were used, and how they promoted so many aspects of safer, healthier communities. The 10 mile North Shore Rails to Trails’ build out is a large part due to the popularity of the Greenway.
Bike paths, Greenways, Rails to Trails – whatever you call them – they are essential!
America’s roadways have become increasingly dangerous to bicyclists and pedestrians. Traffic deaths for “nonoccupants” (that’s the traffic experts term for you – a bicyclist or walker) of motor vehicles is climbing year after year. As detailed by Farhad Manhad in his recent New York Times article “Riding a Bike in America Should Not Be This Dangerous” (April 21,2022), we are in a critical period of time – increasing motor vehicle “accidents” have created a killing field unlike other industrialized nations.
So, the Trail Mix is going to look into this problem over its next few issues. Why are our roads so dangerous, why are so many bicyclists and pedestrians in danger, what can be done to make our roads safer, and why are there so few greenways? We’ll call this series: Where Did All the Greenways Go?
Part I: Accidents Happen. Really?
- A pedestrian crossing the street is hit by a car.
- A bicyclist is sideswiped and left for dead on the side of the road.
- A child is hit by a pickup truck while playing in the street.
Tragic accidents? No. When we talk about the human carnage on our roadways, we need to take a different view…
The one thing the events listed above have in common is that observers, news coverage and police reports, will term them “accidents.” A friend of yours might say, “I just saw an awful accident!” Or you might hear on the evening news or read in the newspaper, “An accident took the life of …”
But “accident” is not the term we should be using. Saying “accident” implies there was some uncontrollable force or forces at work, and that the event was essentially “unavoidable.”
Almost always, however, these “accidents” could have been prevented. It is almost always the case that the driver was traveling at a high rate of speed, drunk or drug impaired, distracted by their phone, sleep deprived, or not paying attention to road conditions. Instead of using care and deliberation to navigate a three thousand pound “projectile” travelling at sixty miles an hour, the driver was very likely careless and inattentive to the complex task of safely driving their vehicle.
Instead of treating driving as a highly complex, and extremely dangerous daily activity, too many drivers settle into a “driving complacency.” They are unaware of road conditions since they think of their vehicle as an extension of their home – allowing them to relax, eat, talk and text to friends on the phone, nestle with their pet (we’ve all seen this), and a number of other ‘living room’ activities.
Think about this: On average every year there are nearly 7 million car accidents in the United States. More than 38,000 Americans die in automobile accidents each year. Close to a million car crashes are caused by cell phone use while driving. According to the National Motor Vehicle Crash Causation Survey, fewer than 10% of accidents were caused by vehicle defect or the weather – almost all deaths in car accidents were the result of driver error.
Safety advocates increasingly are urging the use of the term “crash” instead of “accident.” The use of “crash” signals the event was not some random, unexplained, or unfortunate situation, but was likely the result of poor choices and decisions by the driver.
Why does it matter if we use the term accident or crash?
We should not be giving a “pass” to those involved in roadside tragedies. By distancing ourselves from the term “accident,” we are forced to focus on what caused the incident. By saying crash, instead of accident, we no longer minimizing the responsibility of those responsible for the event.
And be sure on this – the responsibility for crashes is sometimes the result of terrible decisions made by traffic planners who value the speed and easy movement of vehicles above the safety of the walking or bicycling public. And don’t minimalize the design and construction of ever bigger and faster motor vehicles. But more on this in a later issue.
Remember, next time you see a crash, it was no accident.
And, in doing so, we just might do a little self-reflection, and reevaluate how we drive!
Wow – that was fun!
On Saturday, April 23, the Friends of the Greenway conducted its first major cleanup of the season. There were lots of Trail Stewards and volunteers participating. The weather was great. And lots of litter and debris from the winter was removed. A Trail Steward breakfast before the cleanup provided an extra boost to the morning’s activities.
Big Kudos go to:
Our intrepid Trail Stewards: Bill Negra, Norm Samuels, Aaron Hoffman, Charles McAteer, Susan Colatosti, Martin Buchman, Greg Nicklas, Laura Rotondi, and Gretchen Oldrin Mones.
The Stony Brook School: Mary Beth Mebane, team leader, with her many student volunteers.
Bagel Express: David Prestia, owner and operator, for his generous donation of bagels and coffee for the entire Crew!
Aaron Hoffman: Aaron brought his ‘big rig’ to do the heavy lifting of litter, tree limbs and even a discarded automobile engine.
Missed the last cleanup? Well, don’t miss this one: ….
Our next Clean Up is on Saturday, May 14th – the Town of Brookhaven’s 2022 Great Annual Clean Up at 9am. Starting location: The Port Jefferson Station Trailhead. This May cleanup is always a great event. A big turnout is expected. And…like last year, Curby may make a guest appearance.
Need more information? Want to become a Trail Steward? Wish to Donate to the Greenway? Want to be on the Friends of the Greenway’s email list?
Email Herb or Charlie:
HJMones@gmail.com
cfmcateer@gmail.com
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Keep in Mind:
The Three Village Community Trust is our parent organization and is now holding its Annual Membership Drive! Without the Trust, the Friends of the Greenway would not have the needed financial support, the necessary insurance coverage, and the organizational capacity to effectively maintain our stewardship of the trail.
So, if you are a Greenway user, a trail advocate, or simply someone committed to the community, please consider joining the Trust today to “Protect the Places You Love.”
Membership Form
☐ Senior Friend (65 and older) $25 ☐ Village Friend (Individual) $35 ☐ Village Supporter (Family) $50 ☐ Preservationist or Business Friend $100 ☐ Village or Corporate Donor $250 ☐ Village or Corporate Patron $500 ☐ Village of Corporate Benefactor $1000
Name:__________________________________________
Street address and Town: __________________________
Wow, it was a great idea!
If you remember, back in the Fall of 2021, we announced we are running advertisements and messages to fund Greenway projects. We wrote:
Want to advertise your business or service, and at the same time help the Greenway?
With the wild popularity of The Trail Mix (or at least we’d like to think so), we have decided to give businesses and individuals an opportunity to advertise in our newsletter. At the end of The Trail Mix, we’ll post advertisements and personal messages for the whooping sum of $25 per issue. All proceeds will go to the care and maintenance of the Greenway – gloves, tools, trash bags, cleaning supplies, and other basic necessities for the Trail Stewards and volunteers.
Interested in advertising: Contact hjmones@gmail.com with your content, and the payment method and other details will be emailed back to you!
Well, here are some of our advertisements:
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Bagel Express at 15-5 Bennetts Road in Setauket. Owned and operated by David Prestia, Bagel Express generously donates the catering of our Trail Steward breakfasts. Delicious bagels, hot, steaming coffee – sooo good! Thanks, Dave.
Suffolk County Legislator Kara Hahn is our Trail booster! Kara can be found running on the Greenway, picking up litter on the Greenway, and ‘talking up’ the Greenway with her constituents. We thank Kara for her support!
And, we would like to recognize a special donor to the Greenway:
Emerald Magic Lawn Care’s horticultural consultant, Craig den Hartog has been providing flower bulbs for the Greenway over many years at “no cost.” We planted 200 bulbs that Craig recently donated. We planted a big bulk of these bulbs at the kiosk on Gnarled Hollow Road, Setauket.
Craig generosity is part of his beautification effort known as Old Town Blooms. And, Craig was a driving force behind the Great Daffodil Dash benefiting the Port Jefferson Station-Terryville community! Why not support Emerald Magic who supports us!
www.EmeraldMagic.com
631-286-4600
631-804-9205
194-4 Morris Ave
Holtsville, NY 11742
Want to help the Friends of the Greenway. Here are three ways:
A. Click here to become a member of the Three Village Community Trust!
B. Click here to donate during our parent organization’s $50,000 Challenge Grant, still in effect, though we have broken the 50K mark!!!
C. This really Helps: Please consider the “Care to Share Program” at Investors Bank on Route 25A in Setauket. If you have an existing or newly established account at Investors Bank, simply by designating the Three Village Community Trust as your favorite not-for-profit, we will receive regular donations by Investors Bank to our organization!
Editor-in-Chief: Herb Mones
