Letters to the Editor: Rules include e-bikes
Riverhead
Rules include e-bikes
The banning of scooters on the recreation trail at EPCAL, through the adoption of revisions to Section 213-11 of the Riverhead Town Code, has led to the mistaken assumption that e-bikes are therefore allowed by default.
Another section of the current town code (Sect. 211-26) states that on designated “recreation trails, all means of transportation by engine are strictly prohibited” and that violation of this code could result in a fine of $500.
Granted, use of the term “engine” in the code could result in confusion with respect to the allowance of e-bikes on the trail. The code was adopted in 2014 and was most likely intended and directed to vehicles relying on internal combustion.
However, an official definition of an “engine” would apply to bicycles with an electric assist. This dated section of the town code should be updated so as to remove any misunderstanding regarding the use of e-bikes on the recreation trail at EPCAL.
Ample signage is posted on the trail informing the public that motorized vehicles, either gasoline or electric powered, are prohibited and in every application by the town for grant funding for the passive recreation trail at EPCAL and in every approval for grant funding, the trail’s intention was always for “non-motorized” use.
George Bartunek
Aquebogue
SCWA influencer?
Recently, during a declared “severe drought,” we were advised by SCWA to stop watering our lawns. Wise advice … however, their proposed pipeline to Southold and beyond seems somehow contradictory. If we already don’t have enough water for our current needs, how then will any of us have enough with hundreds of gallons per day flowing to the North Fork? And with summer drought-like conditions forecast for the coming years, how is this even sustainable?
Perhaps some huge real estate developer who currently owns roughly 1,000 acres on the North Fork has some undue “influence” over this project? How can you monetize and cash in on this investment if your proposed subdivisions have no water? Could it be that this developer, having already stated that he is not a “land steward,” is covertly funding this pipeline or perhaps, more darkly, paying SCWA officials to push it through?
Unfortunately, in America, today more than ever, this is how real business is done.
Alfred Ciletti
Greenport
Let go of lawns
Are people able to change their minds, beliefs and behaviors about something if it is unhealthy and totally destructive? Sounds like I’m talking about addiction. But I’m talking about something we consider benign: our perfectly manicured lawns. Do we really need big, perfect lawns at the expense of essential drinking water and pressure for fire hoses?
The aquifer beneath our feet cannot serve our addiction to perfect sod. During the summer, water use increases sixfold and 70% is used for lawn irrigation. According to the SCWA, the only solution is a 7.5-mile pipeline that will drain the aquifer west of here and send water to us. Does that make sense? Is it sustainable and the best use of land, labor, money and engineering knowledge?
How about investing in building gray water systems to recycle water for non-drinking purposes instead? How about classes and tax credits for people to incentivize them to replace sod with native shrubs, plants and trees. The money people are paying landscapers could be used to teach them useful knowledge and skills to do that work.
Natural diverse planting creates porous soils so rainwater filters slowly down and recharges the aquifer. Toxic run-off from lawn chemicals polluting bays and streams would be reduced. Algae blooms and aquatic die-offs can be prevented. It’s win-win for birds, fish, humans, insects and the fish/shellfish industries.
Our yards can be beautiful, sustainable, less expensive and less water hungry. During periods of drought, stop watering — not even every other day makes sense. Harvest rain with rain barrels or use collected gray water (shower, bath and dishwashing water) for irrigation. We don’t need to look perfect for our neighbors. We need to inspire them to give up their perfect lawns.
Please, everyone, let’s change the mindset. Our thirst for good-tasting clean water can be fulfilled not only for us but the generations to come.
Margaret Rose De Cruz
Orient
New resident weighs in
I am writing on behalf of my son, Willy Jr., who just moved here. He dictated it to me.
“Does the town intend to give training on how to use the traffic circle? Because people have no idea. It causes a traffic back up for no reason at all! And when I drive, I have seen cars sitting there not knowing what to do. Who ever came up with this, DUMB!
“Regarding the parking in Greenport, whoever came up with the idea, they did not think it through.
“The other day I had to shop in IGA for three items — tofu, chocolate chip cookies and ice cream. I could not park in IGA due to the full lots, because people are parking to avoid paying the parking fee. I had to park five blocks away. By the time I got back to my car, my ice cream turned into heavy whipping cream, my chocolate chips were melted.
“And what about the locals who can’t shop there — especially seniors who can’t walk five to ten blocks to find a parking space?”
Barbara Latham
Southold
School lights
I’m not sure who is responsible for the blinking lights in the Cutchogue and Mattituck school zones, but the ones in Mattituck are turned off every year shortly after school lets out for the summer.
As of this writing, the lights in Cutchogue are still blinking — and this is not the first time. This only teaches drivers to ignore the lights when school does open.
Kip Bedell
Cutchogue
Stupid stuff
On Jan. 18, 2017, President Obama coined a phrase that resonates in numerous ways He said to public officials: “Don’t do stupid stuff.”
Apparently, the trustees in Greenport Village weren’t listening and have never heard that Obama quip. So, what have they gone and done? Well, how about stupid stuff?
The new parking fee scenario in downtown Greenport has resulted in me reconsidering regular trips to Greenport to spend money. I’ve now limited, almost to zero, the number of times I will go there for dinner out. I feel bad for the restaurant and shop owners. They’re victims of a Board of Trustees that has successfully captured the art of doing stupid stuff.
No doubt about it, the residents would be doing themselves a favor by voting this crowd out of office. The mayor and two trustee seats come up for election in March 2027, less than eight months from now. Greenport should seriously consider electing people who will undo the stupid stuff their current representatives have foisted upon them.
Michael Levy
Cutchogue
No one is above the law
Laws are written, debated and passed. The supreme law of the land is the Constitution itself. Most of us have a general idea about what is not lawful or what a law says.
Many of us have broken a law by not fully stopping at a stop sign or crossing a double yellow line in the road. Jaywalking is another. Some obstruct the enforcement of law, claiming to be a protest.
All law enforcement officers are trained in tolerance. Many protesters take advantage of this tolerance. There is, however, a point where the tolerance level breaks.
Protesters then disobey lawful orders being issued and things get out of hand. This is when the right of peaceful assembly becomes an unlawful assembly. And protesters take on culpability of their action.
Immigration law is quite different in that it exists to create a fair and equitable means for legal entry into our nation by immigrants. It does this by securing the border, ensuring national security and managing public resources.
It was only 25 years ago this Sept. 11 that failure to fully enforce immigration law (overstaying a visa) resulted in 2,977 deaths. ICE was created out of two law enforcement agencies and placed under the new Homeland Security as a result of this heinous and cowardly act.
Those who have an “unlawful presence” status are breaking our law. If they are incarcerated by local police then they have broken another law. In these cases, ICE detainers should be honored. To not do so places culpability on the local agency for any further unlawful act made by these individuals.
Bob Bittner
