Oak Bluffs residents and business owners on Wednesday strongly criticized a plan to turn part of Dukes County avenue into a one-way street, during a well-attended public hearing at the public library. Everyone who spoke at the meeting said they opposed the plan, which is currently under discussion by the town roads and byways committee.

The committee presented several options for changing Dukes County avenue, the high-volume roadway one block over from Circuit avenue. One plan calls for the road to be made one-way heading toward the town harbor, from Wing Road up to the intersection of Vineyard avenue, where it would again became a two-way road.

Another option would make the road one-way from Vineyard avenue to Wing Road, with the traffic heading away from the town harbor.

The committee also suggested that two of the connecting roads between Circuit and Dukes County avenues — Masonic and Warwick avenues — could be made one-way streets.

Police chief Erik Blake, highway superintendent Richard Combra, planning board chairman John Bradford and selectman Duncan Ross presented the options. Although they said a one-way road would improve traffic flow and enhance safety, they conceded one of the motivations was relieving congestion near Tony’s Market.

Tony’s Market, on Dukes County avenue near the Wing Road intersection, has been a source of traffic problems for years. Although the store has a parking lot, most customers and delivery trucks park on the road in front.

Several residents said the problems at Tony’s do not merit a one-way road.

“I am wondering if the problem around Tony’s Market is really [owner] David Richardson’s problem, and not the town’s problem,” said Vineyard avenue resident Sara Crafts. “I am also wondering why his parking lot isn’t being used; are people just parking on the street because they are lazy?”

“There is a lot of work being done here for one business,” said one man who did not identify himself. “I don’t understand why it has even come to this, without someone just saying you can’t park here, or you can’t load in the road . . . if this business was somewhere else, we would be all over them.”

Bob Clermont, general manager of the Camp Meeting Association, said he worried changing Dukes County to a one-way street would cause more drivers to cut through the Camp Ground.

Circuit avenue resident Jean Meersseman voiced concern about traffic pulling onto Dukes County from Wing Road. “People already drive very fast around that corner; if you choose [the option of a one-way away from Wing Road] it could be dangerous,” he said.

Michael Hunter, who owns Pik-Nik, a gallery and boutique on Dukes County avenue, said he worried people would have a hard time finding his business if it became a one-way road.

“My business is sort of lost in the middle. I guess I am going to get much more familiar with Warwick avenue in my daily pursuits, which is sort of a narrow, obscure little road . . . this will not be good for business. I wouldn’t know how to begin to tell someone coming from Edgartown to get to my store, and I have owned it for 13 years,” he said.

Alison Shaw, another Dukes County avenue gallery owner, said everyone in the arts district is opposed to the change. She said most people, however, support building a new sidewalk, and she asked if that could be done without changing Dukes County to a one-way road.

“I can’t begin to tell you the number of people who arrive at our doorstep in the summer who are simply shell-shocked; they headed out from the harbor and they are lost and upset ... it is a very unfriendly road to try and walk down,” she said.

Mr. Richardson, owner of Tony’s Market since 1997, said many delivery trucks formerly made their deliveries from Winthrop avenue in the back of the store, which helped alleviate congestion along Dukes County avenue. But several years ago, complaints led the zoning board to ban them from taking deliveries there.

“We made the argument we should be grandfathered and be allowed to bring the commercial activity of the trucks over the 16-foot wide residential ribbon of land. But the [zoning board] did not agree, and they told us to stop,” Mr. Richardson.

When someone in the audience asked Mr. Richardson if he supported banning parking in front of his store, he was skeptical.

“You’ve got to be kidding. No, I think that would be a regrettable choice. We only have 18 to 20 spaces in the parking lot . . . it would be impossible. As it is now, I get complaints from people if they have to park farther away [from the store] entrance,” he said.

The road and byways committee did not end up making a decision. “Let me ask this: is there anyone here in favor of making Dukes County one-way?” asked Mr. Ross toward the end of the meeting. Nobody raised a hand. “I think the committee has heard you,” he said.