Summer vehicle traffic numbers from the Steamship Authority are on track to match last year’s record-breaking figures, and backups continue to snarl Island roads in July and August. As Islanders seek shortcuts and shun major intersections, data from the latest Martha’s Vineyard Commission Regional Transportation Plan and numbers from the Steamship Authority confirm what drivers already know: summer traffic has become an inescapable fact of Vineyard life.
The number of vehicles annually transported to and from the Vineyard by ferry — and onto the 177 miles of public roadways here — has increased by 16 per cent since 2007, according to numbers from the commission and the Steamship Authority. The number of vehicles registered on the Island, which peaked in 2010 at about 30,000, totaled 25,600 in 2015 — nearly twice the 1990 total.
Last summer, the SSA carried a record number of vehicles to and from the Island for the third year in a row, and so far this summer the ferry line has matched last year’s numbers within a percentage point.
In the first three weeks of July, the boat line carried 36,176 automobiles and 8,508 trucks, SSA communications director Sean Driscoll said, a small uptick of 25 cars and five trucks over the same period in 2018.
This June’s vehicle traffic was down slightly compared to last year: 44,398 automobiles and 13,680 trucks, compared with 44,796 and 13,801 last year.
“In the last few years we’ve hit highs in most of our categories,” Mr. Driscoll said. He declined to speculate about whether the boat line has reached a leveling off point. “It’s natural to see some backing off from that. Whether it’s a plateau or a one-off has yet to be seen,” he said.
Areas of high traffic are well-known: the notorious Triangle intersection in Edgartown; Five Corners in Tisbury, and Sea View avenue in Oak Bluffs during a ferry arrival.
At the Square Rigger in Edgartown this week, a line of cars on each side of the restaurant inched slowly toward the Triangle intersection of Beach Road and Edgartown-Vineyard Haven Road on Tuesday afternoon. Restaurant owner Dana Rezendes said impatient drivers often use his parking lot as a cut-through from one road to the other — to the extent that he hasn’t been able to hang onto the planter marking a handicap space for more than a week at a time.
“It’s gotten hit and run over. We saw somebody with it hooked to their bumper going down Dark Woods [Road],” Mr. Rezendes said. For his part, Mr. Rezendes avoids the Triangle at all costs, even though that means looping back up to the roundabout to get to the Edgartown-West Tisbury Road, lengthening his afternoon commute.
James Hagerty, Edgartown’s town administrator, said he’s gotten calls from frustrated drivers demanding a roundabout at the Triangle, where traffic can back up to Bend in the Road Beach on the Oak Bluffs side and as far out of town as Holly Bear Lane on the Vineyard Haven Road.
An Edgartown roundabout is “not even a twinkle in someone’s eye,” said Mr. Hagerty, who said he’s seen worse traffic in years gone by.
In Tisbury, fire chief John Schilling and EMS coordinator Tracey Jones said their first responders traveling in personal vehicles often struggle to get to calls, as there are sometimes no alternative routes to avoid the hot spots in that town, like the Five Corners intersection and the four way snarl at Edgartown-Vineyard Haven Road and State Road.
“That traffic definitely becomes a problem in that regard,” Mr. Schilling said.
Lieut. Chris Dolby of the Edgartown police said when the Chappaquiddick ferry line reaches Pease’s Point Way, Chappy-bound motorists are told to come back later.
“We’ve had to do that the past couple of days,” Lieutenant Dolby said on Wednesday. “We have to shut it off there, because we simply have no room to stack cars. We tell people to drive around for a little bit.”
Up-Island, traffic from the Saturday morning farmers’ market snakes up the Edgartown-West Tisbury Road every weekend. Other slowdowns clog the road near the airport entrance and the intersection with Barnes Road.
Recently-hired airport director Cindi Martin said a surface transportation study is underway, with a report expected in the early winter.
“We’re not blind to the fact that there is an issue, and we want to make certain it gets addressed,” Ms. Martin said.
Results from the transportation study will allow the airport to develop “a thorough approach to solving a problem, that has room to grow and to flex if need be,” she said.
The issue is hardly a new one; seasonal traffic has vexed Islanders for decades. In 1997, voters in all six towns overwhelmingly passed a nonbinding referendum to limit ferry traffic to no more than what came to the Island in 1995. But the numbers have continued to climb.
“There can be no dispute about the dimensions of the traffic and road system problems facing the Vineyard,” a 1997 Gazette editorial said. “The choking of Island roads will only get worse in the absence of solutions to ease the burden of too many cars, trucks and buses on a rural road system never meant to carry this volume of traffic.”
Sitting in his Oak Bluffs office in 2019, Martha’s Vineyard Commission executive director Adam Turner said the Island is now at a tipping point.
“The Island is nearing a moment where it’s going to have to decide whether it’s going to maintain its rural character or it’s going to begin to shift to a more suburban one like the Cape,” Mr. Turner said.
In some areas, action has been taken to mitigate the problems. In 2013, after prolonged debate, a roundabout was installed at the intersection of Edgartown-Vineyard Haven Road and Barnes Road in Oak Bluffs, and construction is expected to begin within the year on a state project to improve pedestrian and bike lanes on Beach Road. But road improvement projects are often met with anxiety about the loss of the Island’s character for the sake of mitigating traffic for eight weeks of the year.
The commission recently received a grant from the Massachusetts Department of Transportation to install traffic counters at six locations around the Island, which will enable planners to collect consistent data over multiple years.
“We don’t have any traffic lights. We’re not used to large volumes of traffic, nor do we have the infrastructure to really support it,” Mr. Turner said. “We don’t have four-lane roadways. We operate 10 months a year under rural conditions, and two months a year, we have 80,000 more people here.”
But looking to the future, Mr. Turner said traffic is not the largest threat to Island roadways; a changing climate is.
“My other priority is really looking at how we’re going to retrofit all these roadways and other nearshore infrastructure to climate change,” Mr. Turner said. “We have roadways that flood. We have storms that do more and more damage.”
To participate in the Vineyard Gazette's community survey about vehicle traffic on Martha's Vineyard, click here.
This article appears in August 2, 2019.
How about if they put in place a material increase in the price for non-residents to bring a car over on the ferry?
A great plan
When you serve the Golden Goose, what sauces do you provide?
If you view the Island solely as a commercial enterprise, then you can make the case that tourism resembles a golden goose. However, there certainly has to be limits, lest we flip over to a similar analog, with another barnyard animal, where pigs get fat and hogs get slaughtered. It feels as though we / the Island has gone beyond getting fat and we may slaughter ourselves unless we do something to manage or limit the ongoing waves of traffic and the associated ‘costs’. An increase in fares for visitors that bring cars could have a number of positive impacts: moderation of road traffic, perhaps a portion of the revenue or surcharge is directed to the Island for its own infrastructure or community needs, and also more revenue to support better service / maintenance of steamship boats and facilities.
Unless you make it $1,000 / car don’t you think the cost – whatever it is – will just be paid?
The goal would be to make a difference at the margin – surely there are some that would pay almost any price, but there are others who may be on the knife’s edge about coming in the first place who would not. Surely there could be research on the matter to come up with revised prices that would both increase revenue (to be made available to the Island for infrastructure funding, community services, etc or to the SSA for improvements, as mentioned in another post) and ease the crush of vehicular traffic slightly.
Problem is traffic not climate change ! Fix the traffic with new roads and round about intersections and leave nature to God
Thank you John, I was thinking the same thing!
is god not available to fix the traffic too?
That just prices out families from visiting. Currently, it’s almost $200 to bring a family of four over with a car. The real problem is it costs as much or more to leave your car ($15/day parking), haul luggage, and then use taxis (the true pirates of the Island), etc. The VTA is not an option for a lot of homes as it can be a fairly long walk to get to a stop especially if you have younger children.
Islanders have also made riding a bicycle an unfriendly experience with a lack of bike racks, bike paths that don’t go into the business areas but stop on the outskirts. Where there are no paths some towns decided to keep the roads narrow with no shoulders. Try riding a bike out of Vineyard Haven’s SSA terminal. It’s not safe.
So, the answer for many – book your car on the ferry. It’s less expensive, more convenient, and safer.
I think much of the daily traffic is the increased year round local population
If you were here in March, you would know this cnn is not the case.
I am and there are a LOT more cars on the Island year-round. The population has increased, everyone has at least two cars (usually one is a truck or large SUV).
Very respectfully I must advise you that you are delusional. The folks who are driving around do not live here year round!
Ahh,Delusional! That must explain why I find myself waving at what seems like every third vehicle.
The article states that the number of cars registered on the island has decreased. Given the cost advantage of lower insurance costs and lower car SSA fares for residents it would seem to be advantageous to register your car on the island. So would NOT seem reasonable that there are more year round cars and the year round population is not increasing by much due the lack of housing.
Doh. You can’t register a car unless you LIVE here… proof of residence, etc. , is required. We have the same laws as any town in Massachusetts and any state in the United States. This ain’t a country unto itself.
You are right!!
Why wouldn’t it be a factor?
All of those additional year round cars don’t disappear in the summer, they just add to the problem!
And, if they are year round, chances are there are 2 or more cars per household!
And, of course we fix that by spending the winter months trying to figure more ways to build affordable housing so that we can increase the year round population!!
The Triangle backup is also made worse by numerous cars turning in and out of Stop and Shop. Even if a roundabout was added, the traffic convergence at the S&S entrance and the folks turning in and out of Pinehurst would continue to back everything up.
You think its bad now wait until the new SS is completed.
Stop and Shop traffic will be a nightmare. Yet, all these years of discussion have brought no new ideas or even respect for those who rightfully thought putting it out at the airport. The traffic pattern was never really studied by professionals. The selectmen are loathe to make changes, and it will just get worse and worse. So, no one can really complain because the whole scenario was never really thought out. It’s where it is forever and Edgartown merchants and residents will be the ones to suffer, when people just give up coming into the town for shopping, meals, sailing, etc etc. because traffic will be unbearable.
Ridiculous. The current traffic is the current traffic. Do you really think people will stop going to Cronigs up island to go to S&S instead? The new S&S will simply be a nicer experience.
It is summer, time for another exercise in public traffic breast-beating when even simple improvements are as elusive as the mystical Edgartown coyote. here are some ideas: Move the Farmers market to the new Ag Hall; install a left turning lane for the Edgartown Stop and Shop; install a left turning lane at Five Corners by removing the brick tundra where people now hold signs (they can move back a little or move to the other side); build more bike paths — soon we will have been arguing about Beach Road as long as we argued about the evil roundabout most now admit works ; and stop complaining about the visitors that already subsidize SSA Islander fares. The problem is us.
Well said, some common sense dare I say solutions
Well said Nelson, essentially all good ideas and good luck seeing them done. You forgot about moving the SS to Barnes Rd/Airport area/State Forest if necessary [yes it would take years but anything can be done with by leaders with a will to get it done]. The current SS solution won’t solve much of anything. Island leadership is non-existant,
Do you serve the community in any way, such as a member of a volunteer board, or on the board of a non profit? I you don’t, please don’t pontificate that Island leadership is non-existent. Too many folks are out for the almighty buck and be damned to the long term consequences. Run for a board, serve your community, attend meetings, write letters, speak to your local officials and let them know what you think. Too few people participate in island leadership. Look how few races there are on the annual ballots. Some years there aren’t even enough folks to fill the spaces available with no other candidates!
All excellent ideas! I’d add the eminent domain taking, with generous compensation, of enough property at the intersection of State Rd./Edgartown – Vineyard Haven Rd. to create a traffic circle or other means of reducing the back-up.
Great ideas! A couple more: Left turn lanes coming into and out of the airport. Cobble together a bypass from from VH-Edg Road to the Edg-WT road, west of the triangle, to handle VH/OB traffic to South Beach. Bike trail on South Rd. in Chilmark. Subsidies for greater bus frequency. Financing? Surcharge on summer ferry passengers and cars – they would be the main beneficiaries. And they can afford it. What Vineyard entity can take the lead in pushing practical incremental solutions like the ones in this comment thread?
The SSA really needs to rethink its mission statement…are you serving islanders or your bottom line?
Cap the amount of cars from off island (Tourists) that can come to the Island Daily. That alone would relieve a lot of traffic Stress.
I miss Chester C. Vincent.
Who I also miss along with Lue Trebby, Bill King,George King,John Olson,Arne Fisher,
George Manter,Craig Kingsbury,and Trina Kingsbury,and Tebby Tilton,
Nelson Amaral ,Billy Norton,Denny Alley,David Madiros ,Danny Mayhue SR.,Lynn Murphy,Billy Dias,Billy Merry,
Gilbert Syilva,Bill Colby,Bob,Peg and Jeffrey Goodale ,and my dad and brother Sumner Baker,and Timmy Baker you
lose a lot of people in time, came with my dad in 1955 moved to the Island full time
in 1973 Sorry if my spelling is off and I know I have missed a few also, 54 years of Island life brings back to mind of
A great time with great people that made M.V. a place to write a book about. Split a lot of wood with him !
I miss him too!
The roundabout at EVH and Barnes Roads works very well, but it contributes to problems elsewhere. Traffic that used to be choked up at that intersection now flows smoothly down the road and chokes up instead at the Triangle, at the EVH – State Road intersection, and at the Barnes Road – West Tisbury Road intersection. Here are a couple of thoughts: traffic lights at those intersections that operate two or three months a year; and a roundabout not at the Triangle but at the Stop and Shop parking lot entrance. M
In what manner of insanity does the Roundabout add to the number of cars
He didn’t say it increases the number of cars. He point is on the mark. The roundabout has merely dispersed the congestion from the blinker intersection to other choke points. We’re still stuck in traffic just at a different intersection.
It is about the number of cars going in a specific direction at a given moment in time. Nothing to do with number of vehicles on the island.
Fred, you can’t be serious. Its all about the number of vehicles unless you are interested in building an interstate highway on MV. The round about does disburse traffic to different routes but the real problem will always be too many cars. It would help if people used the round about correctly, those on it slowing to allow another entrant to the round about and the entrants paying attention and entering the round about more effectively-in other words don’t be a chicken. The idea that works until the traffic volume is really heavy is to keep it constantly moving as merging traffic moves more traffic rather than stopping and starting-notice the large open wasted spaces between cars that stop and then start to get on the round about.
The Roundabout really didn’t solve anything a temporary conventional traffic light couldn’t have solved. I think it is well established by traffic professionals that sleucing cars through the roundabout lands them at later intersections more quickly, which then become worse choke points, in the middle of towns.
That said, a lot of people do not know how to use a roundabout. Courtesy among drivers is a great thing—stopping to allow someone on a sidest reet or driveway to get out—but a roundabout is not the place to stop. It just confuses everyone and is potentially dangerous.
So, now the SSA is building its new slip. New slips = more trips.
An SUP on Beach Road in VH will solve nothing. In fact, it will open up the town to lawsuits the first time there is an “encounter” between a biker going the wrong way and a truck backing out of a commercial lot.
Ahh…so if you take 10 cars at one chokepoint and send them to 4 different checkpoints that will be worse?
This is the math you should be focusing on. In the 1970s there were about 3 billion people on Earth and 200 million in the United States. Now there are almost 8 billion and 350 million people in the US. Lots more of those people have money and cars. More people, more cars…popular place…guess what? Yep, more traffic. When was the last time a Vineyard road was updated, widened or a new route created? When was the last time the Vineyard cities did anything to make other forms of travel viable? The VTA helped, but there are many people that would travel by bicycles if it was a friendly environment? That hasn’t happened.
All in all though, there’s traffic at certain times of day in spots. If you live on the Island you can avoid the spots or the times. Gee, there’s a lot of people at the S&S on Saturday afternoon. Is that a shock? We go at night or when it opens and the store is almost empty. It’s two months a year…and all of those people pay for whole lot of people’s livings, school taxes, donations to Island charities like MVCS and subsidize the low fares on the VTA and Ferry.
Folks. We can not survive without the tourists. If we don’t let them bring their cars, then they won’t come. Then you’ll be complaining about the cost of everything that will have to rise without our #1 revenue source. Soak it in, smile, and know it’s only for 8 weeks. A small price to pay for the 44 weeks of our beautiful island.
Thank you VH. I’ve been coming to the Island every summer since 1968. I love it here so I don’t complain, I sit in traffic and think how lucky I am able to enjoy your Island for another summer.
Funny to hear the usual complaints about sticking it to the visitors. These are the folks that keep this economy humming, cheerfully getting gouged for mediocre goods and services. If the SSA offered free parking on the other side, it would discourage visitors from bringing a vehicle. But do you really expect a family coming with a weeks worth of clothes and groceries to get on a bus and walk onto the ferry? There are a few simple solutions. You show the pic of the traffic leading into Edgartown. Put a ‘connector’ road through HallsGate connecting the Edg VH road and the Edg WT road. Put a ‘satellite’ post office box station out of town.. Encourage those who get mail every day to sign up for RFD, thus eliminating multiple auto trips through the triangle. Encourage restaurant food delivery of meals. Expand the bus service to katama to run later in the evening. And in 2 weeks the traffic will be a memory so get over it.
High season traffic lights!
Amen. A few traffic lights would be such a blessing.
And they could be quaintly designed. And run them all year perhaps as Smart Lights that merely blink orange in down times.
Vineyard planners please ‘See The Light’!
Folks. We can not survive without the tourists. If we don’t let them bring their cars, then they won’t come. Then you’ll be complaining about the cost of everything that will have to rise without our #1 revenue source. Soak it in, smile, and know it’s only for 8 weeks. A small price to pay for the 44 weeks of our beautiful island.
Before Jaws and the Clinton’s the island did just fine with out the on slot of all these people. Yes times could be tough, but me all made due. The same summer families came year after year and things were not too crazy. Everyone made a fair living and were not as Greedy as everyone is today. My family had businesses when I was a kid and we did just fine with the few weeks in the summer when you had to make it to survive the winter.
They should try Block Island or Newport I know it’s nice there this time of year.
Solutions: more tourism and short term rentals so that there will be building and landscaping work for all, as well as other service industry jobs (tourism related). Food (and water) delivery services for those folks who cannot leave their properties due to the press of drivers. Locate a tent city in the State Forest for the summer labor force. It will be hot due to all the tarred surfaces, so set up free range AC. A side effect is that paving over the island would help with the tick problem while providing enough roads for everyone. Lower prices so everyone can afford to be here. Yeah!
Triangle traffic would be helped by:
1) Traffic circle
2) Cut through from Edgartown Vineyard Haven Road to Edgartown West Tisbury Road (divert South Beach Traffic)
3) Left turn lane for Stop & Shop
4) Larger park and ride lot with frequent small shuttle bus’s (and education program to convince people not to drive into downtown)
Four Corners: Theres a need to get a better flow of traffic into Steamship Station going in and out. Perhaps cars coming off the boat need to be diverted so all traffic doesn’t go through five corners.
Long term: Move Steamship port down the harbor and create three ways to travel in and out. This would allow downtown to be developed down to the water and reestablish the street grid. The waterfront could have low scale restaurants and hotels and a beautiful ocean walk could go from the new Steamship port to the downtown. Zoning needs to change along the harbor all the way down to the draw bridge.
Rea;;u don’t think you’re goimg to hsve much luck moving the Ferries. The only other deep water is at Ralph Packer’s.
Despite all the complaints from the local population about the Steamship Authority, they really do an excellent job of moving people and cars. The towns however take no initiative in solving those problem intersections. Traffic cops at 5 corners, the triangle, or VH-Edgartown/State Rd would help.. Drivers could use some help.
I have always wondered why there isn’t a traffic cop at 5 corners during busy times.
The competition getting thru the intersection is intense. No light, just someone who can take control and make the transit more efficient for all.
That has been tried. What actually happens is that adding a person in the middle of that mess just slows down and gums up the works even worse.
Absolutely correct Tom. Frankly I have little trouble getting through that intersection. People / drivers are accommodating.
Congrats to all the drivers at the Triangle who diligently do an every other driver between the VH stop sign and the thru traffic from OB. Polite and friendly during those busy rush hours into town.
The drivers at the Triangle, for the most part, do a wonderful job with a difficult situation. The problem is a little ways down the road, at the entrance to Stop & Shop. Too bad their expansion got approved without requiring them to contribute to a solution — like giving up a bit of their land to make room for a left-turn lane.
Virtue signaling is the sport du jour…..Americans will not give up their cars. Period, End of story…..
New, favored MV pastimes; complaining and expert ‘opinionating’
Climate change. I think we need Al Gore to resolve this one.
There are just too many vehicles here in july/august and no roundabout is gonna fix it. In july/august the SSA needs to stop bringing so many cars here;
If you don’t own a house of have a rental agreement you can’t bring your car here.
1-3 BR rental gets you one vehicle
3+ BR rental gets you two vehicles
SSA needs to drastically lower parking prices for their lots on cape so they don’t encourage people to bring their cars.
Increase rates for non residents in July/August.
A couple of my ideas to make MV tolerable again.
These are really good ideas! Practical, I don’t know, but I love them.
Absolutely correct on limiting cars and Ilike the formula. It would take some time to implement [real enforcement might be the biggest issue] but it all can be done now thanks to the digital capabilities. Frankly something has to done. This simply can’t continue.
I might add there needs to be a shift in attitudes. The drive for revenue / profit from property owners to the Trustees through the towns is the driving force turning this Island into another version of Coney Island. Just look at the parking lot on Trustee/Edgartown administered South Beach. I have been coming here since the late 60s and never would have imagined …
I agree wholeheartedly. The SSA now is proposing adding more boats to accommodate more traffic. This is insane and unfair. The roads here are a mess in many areas just from the amount of traffic. You cant walk in the streets, its unsafe to ride a bike, its dangerous in terms of emergency vehicle access. This goes beyond traffic, our hospital and emergency services cannot handle this volume. Its time to enforce a binding referendum from all towns to limit traffic. If we consider the island as a space, then code violations would be enforceable. Based on this, we are heading right into a crash (literally) where people are in danger.
That’s true, the parking rate should be reduced,as it’s cheaper to bring your car over than park.also, maybe rental cars should be cheaper, zip cars. I do think the bike traffic should managed…most people don’t know the bike path is there, signage would be welcomed
Totally agree re drastically lower parking prices in SSA lots.
I really cannot afford to leave my car in Falmouth for more than a day.
Although I am an islander and need to get back and forth because of some special current circumstances. I don’t really need my car on the Vineyard–I have a bike, can take the VTA, someone can pick me up, or if needed I can hitch a ride—but it is cheaper to bring it over than to leave it in the lot for a few days.
Many visitors could make do without cars if the incentives were effective. Carrot and stick? High ferry prices and lower lot prices? Also, lower prices for smaller cars? In congested areas I that notice a lot more people drive Mini Coopers.
Wow. Too many cars on the island. The roundabout moved the problem, did not solve it. The buses are running mainly near and even empty at least on Beach Road and the buses are too large, way too large whether electric or diesel, and 32 buses an hour going into Edgartown – well what do you think about that? 40 ft times 32… that’s almost a line of traffic 1,300 feet in itself every hour. It’s hard to imagine that we ever got to this point. And Nelson Siegelman, you are wrong as usual. There will be extensive damage to properties on Beach Road, the bi-directional path crossing curb cuts and an intersection with bikes crossing are all insanity. I imagine you were all for the Commission refusing to do a DRI on the project, and Mass DOT refusing to hold public hearings. That would be you.
The summer traffic problem is a function of vehicle volume and bottlenecks. Remove either one and the problem dissipates.
I posted essentially the same information below to a Gazette article on the very same subject back in July 2018. Some bottle necks can be reduced by simply trimming vegetation, such as when looking left toward on-coming traffic while attempting to exit the airport.
Massachusetts General Laws Part 1, Title XIV, Chapter 89, Section 9 covers “Designation of highways as through ways; traffic control signs and devices”. The law states in part:
” … every driver of a vehicle approaching a stop sign … shall stop at a clearly marked stop line, but if none, before entering the crosswalk on the near side of the intersection, or, if none, then at the point nearest the intersecting roadway where the driver has a view of approaching traffic on the intersecting roadway before entering it.”
The law clearly infers that an intersection which includes a marked stop line must, if properly designed and constructed, allow a driver to have “a view of approaching traffic on the intersecting roadway before entering it.”
The “view” with regard to stop signs on Martha’s Vineyard is typically inadequate. To safely enter an intersection with a stop sign requires the stopped driver to view on-coming traffic to a distance commensurate with the speed of that traffic.
Here on the Vineyard drivers typically have to inch out beyond marked stop lines in order to safely enter an intersection. Doing so impedes the orderly flow of traffic, creates safety hazards, and we all experience added delays.
So correct and appreciate your research re the statute.
Pedestrian traffic would be greatly helped if shrubs had to be properly trimmed. If the property owners can’t get it done, the towns should do it and lien the land owners.
Cars mean people and people mean money! Easiest solution is to create more shuttles and buses. Have buses run the loop into Edgartown every 1/2 hour. Have the bus pass ties to free or reduced admission at the museums and other venues. Have it tied to discount shopping. Use the shuttle, get a discount. If it’s easy to get to Edgartown or to the various large festivals and markets, you will reduce cars. Make it worthwhile and easy to take shuttles (buses run too infrequent and stops have no protection from the sun). Allow parking at the unused schools for a small fee with shuttle service. We can do something and still get the benefit of the tourists. However, I think the new tax may reduce rentals anyway.
Much of traffic in towns, roadways and parking lots is composed of ever multiplying Uber/Lift cars from off-island and out of state.
You’ll see them clogging up OB SSA, VH Stop & Shop and available parking spots while waiting for fares.
Use a local Taxi, boycott Uber, it’s not the island way.
Agree. I would never use Uber.
My definition of a taxi is you get in a car, tell the driver where to go, and be taken directly there. We mostly have vans that pile as many fares as possible charge each fare as if it were an individual ride and get an unwanted tour if you happen to not be the first off. MV is the only place in the state that is allowed to do this. Otherwise, it is known as a shuttle and usually shuttles are cheaper than taxis.
You think Uber drivers are paying almost $200 a day for round trip ferry tickets? These are local residents offering up a real alternative to overpriced taxi vans.
With all the Property Taxes my family pays being Summer Residents there needs to be a Rental Tax per Moped for each and every Moped that is rented on top of the Sales tax Moped Riders must pay when they rent their mopeds AND the Fines for improper use of a MOPED should be steep.IF a moped rider runs into a child god forbid make it a $2,500 fine IF the child is injured!
Expand VTA so buses circulate on major roads into downtowns with enough capacity that you don’t have to wait more than 10 minutes. And make them free. Encourage micro-parking areas close to bus stops. Petition the State to allow a surcharge to SSA vehicle tickets to pay for it. Make the excursion fare for islanders apply 12 months a year. Vacationers still have choices. Many would take their cars to M.V., but would leave them at their vacation house/micro-parking areas when they want to visit a downtown. Fewer cars on the roads, more people visit downtowns, businesses do better, and the island can market itself as having a free electric bus network for all.
As long as the Steamship Authority continues to advertise for more and more Martha’s Vineyard tourists to use their services and neglects their responsibility for the safety of all who end up here after they have deposited them here — our roads are full, our hospital full, our police and fire fully in use — we are going to have a problem. It is about limiting traffic and cars and the only ways cars get here is by…the SSA. They are not simply meeting demand but rather advertising, last year with a budget of $1.3 million dollars, to bring us more and more cars and visitors. It is unsafe and unsustainable. The board of the SSA is little help and it is probably time for Marc Hanover, as popular as he is among some, to be replaced. He is failing at protecting us. Board members from New Bedford like Moira Tierney see our island as having the problem — she has said so — and that magically the SSA is without options to work together. It’s a bizarre and pathetic state of affairs. If nothing else, creating prices for those who do not live here that are stratospheric does not hurt us, but can both limit the cars and increase the SSA bottom line. What’s to lose? If you’re reading this and are from elsewhere and are offended, think of it this way: our home is invaded every somewhere. The old rallying cry of “we survive off tourists getting gouged” holds little water. There will be plenty enough even if the car traffic is a few thousand less.
There is NO REASON for New Bedford to have a board member. Who cares what the opinion of the New Bedford board member is. Let me refresh your memory. That member seat was created by a powerful crooked state representative from that district who saw a new Bedford route as a way to subsidize his failing city at the expense of MV residents. Of course this same crook is the one who forced the SSA to allow a failed Boston to MV fast boat, that never paid the SSA the agreed upon license fee. And what a surprise…there is a boat builder in his district that makes these fast ferries. Nothing but Massachusetts politics. And for those who don’t get it…the SSA was created as ‘an extension of the state highway’ by the state legislature. What a nice way to stick it to the people on the vineyard with a $100 toll for the same 7 miles that those on the mass pike might pay a dollar. Another dumb idea trying to stick it to the tourists with a different fare. There is already the preferred island pricing and scheduling. Your ‘home being invaded’ is quite an arrogant statement. Those ‘invading’ your home keep this economy rolling. Who else do you think would cheerfully pay $35 for the proverbial rubber chicken sandwich. Its 6-8 weeks. Get over it. By the way if you ever get off the island, go sit in traffic on route 95 on a Friday. MV does not have the exclusive right to complain about summer traffic. its everywhere.
i was never very good at physics, but it appears to me that no matter how you reconfigure it, the island is still an island and with 87 square miles i don’t see how you can accommodate 57, 000 vehicles (in june no less!) to flow smoothly. when i lived there i landed up using my car as little as possible and just having patience ! leave home early to get to work, take the bus to events, walk when you can and car pool with your kids’ parents. i didn’t go to the beach and we rarely went off island. it is the price you pay for being able to live there.
I grew up on MV graduated and moved away after college. I come home to visit every summer. My family is usually a party of 7. We bring 2 cars over about $500. This year we are coming the hell week ( 1st time ) I can’t wait for my kids to see the fireworks. Now a tourist instead of an islander, I see the traffic is bad. Mostly at the 4 places discussed but we always manage, parking seems to be the huge issue. Since we are coming the week of craziness, we aren’t bringing cars. We need to park in woods hole ( 2 cars) for 4 nights. I’ve called taxis services to get prices from OB to OB( we are staying with a friend in OB), OB to State Beach and OB to South. For 4 days the estimated price between parking and cabs 5 adults ( 2 kids) is $200 each adult $1000 , compared to $500. Yes we possibly can now take the shuttle if it travels by my friends house, now that the strike is over. You can see though it can be pricey. I’m fortunate to stay with a friend, but if not cabs and Uber’s could add up. One year we didn’t take our car we wanted to leave state beach we waited an hour or more for a bus that finally stopped bc it’s wasn’t full from south beach people. That was frustrating.
So no car cost us more and we have to struggle with all our stuff on and off the boat, but parking is terrible for the beach and going out for the evening. Either way you choose to visit is a hassle , but worth it for the memories you make on MV with your family.
My family has been coming here for 35 years. We were introduced to the island by Marvin Winston, my mom’s second husband. He owned property in Chillmark. Unfortunately he passed away before they could build. Mom sold the property, but we have been coming ever since. I can assure you we have contributed mightily to the local economy. The biggest change we have noticed is not necessarily the traffic, but the amount of trash left at the beach. Each day we go we pick up something new and put it in our beach trash bag. Usually it is some level of sandwich bags, labels, cigarette butts, plastic bottles, beer cans, spent remains of fireworks, plastic bags, beer bottle caps, and yesterday a wet diaper. To me that is the biggest shame. People are so lucky to vacation and live here and yet the trash parade rolls on and on. I just don’ get it. I guess some folks don’t give a damn, nor pay attention to what happens around them.
I have read most of the comments. Really interesting, everything from bizzare to some really good, thoughtful suggestions. Where are the town leaders?
The last paragraph is the one to pay attention to. Drive out of Oak Bluffs to Edgartown and as you pass the sea wall you will notice that the shore line is slowly taking over the road.
I think that an option also, similar to what Mr Patterson said, is to make it unaffordable to bring over a car for a day or two – tier the pricing to favor “vacationers” and residents, and be unattractive for daytrippers and weekenders. There are plenty of taxis and ubers now so if the pricing were such that other transport means were attractive relative to bringing over a car, maybe we could reduce the number of cars… (And perhaps keep the steamship authority profit similar… – by those who DO pay the ridiculous price….) Pricing is an amazing tool!
Except for the Fourth of July week I have found this summer to be much quieter in terms of car traffic. Getting into the WT road and what would be considered peak times I have experienced no traffic coming or going which is unheard of. I have also had to go into VH in a number of occasions and experienced no back up whatsoever at the look out or beyond. I have always had other family members who have experienced the same thing. I have seen many more bicyclists and runners on some busy roads that is concerning in terms of their safety but overall I think it’s been a pleasure comparatively.
Life experience is a wonderful gift for learning. Learn from your mistakes. 25 years ago I had an idea. Try to improve the traffic flow on Upper Main Street. I tried it. Didn’t go well. I learned a valuable lesson. Never ever try that one again …
Ebb and Flow: a recurrent or rhythmical pattern of coming and going or decline and regrowth. For my fellow islanders; we all are quick to cuss the out of state license plates as they cut us off, meander around, or park with no regard. Just remember that the economy is in a great place right now and that the very people that are inconveniencing you on the roads are the same people who are happy to give you their money in some regard to enjoy this amazing island. We will all be wishing for record high traffic during the next recession. Don’t bite the hands that feed you. To those visiting our home, do your best to respect other drivers, be cautious, be alert, and above all else please be courteous of the islanders that are working extremely hard to make your vacation come to fruition.
who wants to spend their vacation stuck in traffic? What kind of people are coming here? What kind of values are they bringing to our community?
Visiting here from Vermont, and somewhat embarrassed by the size of the vehicles nudging their way along these streets. It’s strange to see Tahoe’s and Suburban’s coming out of the ferry like extra large eggs from a steroid induced chicken. In VT we have mostly small cars, probably because of the gas mileage and distance travelled for work and groceries. Here, gas mileage doesn’t seem to be an issue, but quant narrow streets are. For that reason, small vehicles would make more sense too. Perhaps automobiles should be treated like luggage and the size should be taxed. We sort of do this with water, the more we use, the more it costs per gallon. Anyway, I’m embarrassed because I see this island being abused and taken for granted by visitors like me.
We’re all missing the real solution here. It’s time to build a bridge from Woods Hole to West Chop. Once a car comes over by ferry, it’s stuck for the duration. With a nice new bridge, cars can come and go at will. Too much traffic on MVY, head back across. Immediate self regulating traffic control. With a nice toll coming over to help support island infrastructure. We missed the boat (pun intended) when the island land holders rejected the Kennedy bill in the 1970’s. You reap what you sow. Plant corn, get corn. So let’s stop the halfway measures of traffic lights, roundabouts, etc and just go for it! Build the bridge!
My solution. I bring wine/beer and food every time I come to the Vineyard. My car was quite full this last car ride up.
Less trips to stores/restaurants, great selection, great prices and great quality. The restaurants and shops do not miss me, plenty of visitors to fill in.
The towns should be implementing a bike share / electric scooter share program (citi bike, bird, lime) – this would alleviate some of the traffic problems. People should also take alternative modes of transportation when possible (bus, moped, bike, walk). It’s only a problem for a few weeks a year. Plan your day around it and the towns should be encouraging visitors to use transportation friendly methods like bikes, bus, etc.
20-25 years ago I had an idea. Steal an idea from Seattle. Take the 50-75 unclaimed bikes piling up in the attic at Edgartown PD… for bike-sharing. Paint them the same or mark them in a way so they could be easily identified. Sound easy, right? How’d steal’in that idea work out…
FREE bus service for all from Memorial Day till Labor Day. Who is going to pay for it? Every registered commercial establishment, that’s who! I visited Block Island years ago and could not believe it, a FREE bus runs islandwide until at least 2am. I used it immediately. I inquired about how this could be done. Yes, the business establishments pay for it. Takes a lot of vehicles off the road. You folks should look into it. Think about it. Who is making the money in the summer? Yes, the stores, bars, restaurants, etc. Come on, cough it up guys. Don’t be greedy and P/O your fellow islanders.
I think we need to pilot a limited number of parking meters and try to observe the result. But I’m afraid local governments will get addicted to the new revenue stream and overuse it
The SSA is an AUTHORITY – it is not a private boat line. It is exactly like the Mass Turnpike — it’s paid for by public funds and anyone can go on it if they pay the required “toll”. The SSA is an EXTENSION of our highway system so let’s stop being ridiculous and coming up with ideas that are against the law. Do you think the Turnpike can tell motorists who can or who cannot travel on its highway or what section of the highway they can circulate on? We don’t own the water or the island ….. it’s public and the SSA is the public form of transportation for ALL PEOPLE wherever they live.. here, there, anywhere in the world. I can’t stand people who think they own this place. You only own your own personal property …. you don’t own public lands. Tourism is our livelihood, like it or not. You CHOSE to live here and it’s not YOURS.
The SSA already treats different people and businesses differently and it appears to be completely legal so I’m not sure what you are talking about? Residents get preferential treatment, so do the elderly and people in need of medical transport. Transport companies get discounted rates and so do passengers with the lifeline card. You just don’t have all the facts. Non residents just don’t have a right to bring their cars whenever they want and for whatever price they want to pay.
Wait til you see the traffic when the Music Festival happens this weekend!!
Smaller electric buses. Free.
Arriving at 10-minute intervals.
Shelters and benches to protect from rain and sun at all bus stops.
That would majorly increase ridership, and no time spent paying for the fare. So buses could zip along from stop to stop much faster.