We, the residents of Hicksville and Town of Oyster Bay, request your support in alleviating the amount of traffic coming to Hicksville every day. Yes, we have a railroad station but that does not mean every commuter has the right to have a parking space in Hicksville.

The parking garage was never presented to the residents of Hicksville as a Town of Oyster Bay parking garage for use by all residents of the Town of Oyster Bay when it was initially constructed.

We do not need a 1,500 to 2,000 car parking garage in the center of Hicksville since alternative solutions are available. Parking behind the Department of Public Works in Syosset on top of the old landfill would provide 2,000-plus parking spaces for the railroad commuter. Bus service can be provided to any available station. 

Every time we have a new commuter in the Town of Oyster Bay it does not mean Hicksville has to provide more land for parking. Taxing us $40 million to replace something that is not required and does not exist anywhere else in the town is really unfair to the non-users and senior citizens on a fixed income. Taxing us for commuter parking at the Broadway Mall or Sears is also not a town responsibility and an unnecessary burden on the already heavily taxed residents.

We, the residents, again request your support in finding a better solution to the commuter parking concerns rather than dump 2,000 cars into Hicksville every day. Building a garage on the north side of the tracks just moves the exhaust pollution problem to the other side of the tracks – Hicksville still has to breathe the polluted air.

Is there a problem with an environmental impact study being performed at the garage location? Since an environmental study was never done at the original garage location, it is vital to do a study now, something that might benefit the health of the Hicksville residents.

In closing, let me ask all the residents of Hicksville to tell the town we have too many cars emitting pollutants in our area every day and we do not need 1,700 more cars. We are not required to provide parking for the commuter.

Tom Clark

(Editor’s Note: Thomas L. Clark is a former Oyster Bay Town Board member.)