As a long-time Syosset resident, director of Syosset's Recycle-A-Cycle program, and avid bicyclist, I urge all residents to take a few minutes between now and December 11 to browse the DOT's proposal for an extension of the very popular Bethpage Bikeway into downtown Syosset.

While I was growing up in Syosset, the possibilities for children to get from one place to another by bicycle were endless. I rode to Little League practice, pedaled to my drum lessons, even delivered newspapers on two wheels. Traffic was much lighter then, and there were way fewer cars parked along the roadways. Today, a child needs to exercise way more caution than should be expected of a child just to safely exit the driveway.

The Bethpage Bikeway, built in the 1930s and improved in the 1970s, has been a treasure to Long Island bicyclists, both experienced and novice, since the very beginning. Running from Bethpage State Park south to Merrick Road in Massapequa while only crossing one main roadway, it has provided years and years of family fun, exercise, and convenience for the thousands who use it on a regular basis. Using Bethpage State Park as a starting point, even a casual cyclist can travel as far as Jones Beach using a combination of the Bethpage Bikeway, a series of very low traffic side streets, and the wildly popular Wantagh Parkway Bike Path.

The extension will bring the bikeway through Old Bethpage, where it will treat cyclists to a preview of the Old Bethpage Village Restoration; then onto Plainview, as it roughly parallels the existing mountain bike trail in the brand new Trailview State Park. From there, it will continue to Woodbury and pass quietly along the outskirts of Rt. 135 until it ducks under Jericho Turnpike. Next, the bikeway will finally make good use of the abandoned Rt. 135 extension by using it as a right-of-way all the way to Convent Road, near St. Mary's.

Currently, the DOT plan is to designate a bicycle lane along Convent Road leading all the way to the Syosset train station, where the project will end. The reason the DOT must use the train station as a terminus has to do with funding from a Transportation Bond Act. My personal feeling is that, if the bikeway must end at the train station, there are safer ways to get it there than by dumping cyclists onto Convent Road, which is both a speedway and a parking lot at almost any time of day. An alternate plan I introduced is included in the DOT proposal on page III-4. This diverts children and other riders off Convent Road and onto a much safer wooded bike path along the perimeter of the Jericho Water District. From here, cyclists would end up on Miller Boulevard, a moderate traffic street that runs through a quiet neighborhood within walking distance of the train station.

This alternate would not only provide a safer right-of-way for all cyclists headed to and from the train station, but would also provide much safer access to the bikeway for the hundreds of children who live in the Miller Homes neighborhood. I believe making the bikeway safe for children should be a priority, as young people will likely account for the majority of bikeway users. Please consider this point and support the Jericho Water District Spur.

For those who have reservations about the Bikeway plan itself, you may find reassurance in the fact that neighborhood bicycle paths traditionally raise property values and desirability, create closer knit communities, and have demonstrated no potential for increasing crime or vandalism. Having ridden dozens of bikeways throughout and beyond the Tri-State region, I can honestly report that every neighborhood bikeway I've seen is perceived as a jewel to the communities they serve. I believe the Bethpage Bikeway Extension (which would hopefully be called the Bethpage-Syosset Bikeway) would introduce a whole new generation of young people to the great times I experienced zipping around Syosset on two wheels many decades ago. Please visit the Syosset Public Library to examine the proposal and send your comments before December 11 to Joseph Scariza, PE, State of NY, Department of Transportation, Veterans Memorial Highway, Hauppauge, NY 11788. You can also e-mail Mr. Scariza at BethpageBikeway@gw.dot.state.ny.us.

Tom Montalbano

Director, Syosset Teen Council/Recycle-A-Cycle