Harbored View
Chris

Perry


Okay. I’ll admit that the traffic is

out of control. All of my short cuts are now common knowledge and streets like Winn and Joy are nothing more than major throughways.

I’ve never been one who supported efforts to limit cars or curb automobile use. I’m a believer in Keynesian economics, supply and demand and Ben Franklin's motto of “a small leak will sink a big ship.” Still, I decided to reconsider my position on the island's present, chaotic traffic situation and do a little investigation of my own.

Without the benefit of having one of Nantucket’s famously overpriced consulting reports at my fingertips, which tries to tell us something we already know, I opted to watch and count the traffic patterns at two of Nantucket’s busiest bottlenecks. There were plenty of candidates; however, I selected Five Corners and the intersection in front of Nantucket High School.

My “scientific” investigation started by watching and counting 100 automobiles on a weekday at Five Corners at 7:30 a.m. and again 5 p.m. And on another weekday, I did the same at Nantucket High School.

Before I pass along my “scientific” conclusions, here are a few random observations…

• It only took roughly 20 minutes to record 100 vehicles.

• People listen to some awful music when they drive. I mean truly loud and awful music.

• Of the dozen or so bike riders who entered into the intersections each period, only two observed the stops signs, which again proves my point that the fancier the biking outfit, the more oblivious they are to common sense.

• Only Libby Gibson and Al Peterson slowed down to say hello and ask how my day was going.

• I estimated that 1 out of every 5 had a cell phone super-glued to their ear and their lips were moving as fast as they were powering through the intersection.

• I used to chuckle at creative, vanity plates. Not any more – there are some pretty weak efforts out here.

• I did not see one Canadian plate, nor any other foreign tags.

• Horns are popular, but one-fingered salutes are what bring out the best in motorists.

At Five Corners, vehicles (excluding police, fire and NRTA) with Massachusetts plates came through 162 times out of 200. Connecticut and New Jersey were next at eight apiece. New Hampshire and New York were at six each and individual states such as Ohio, Florida, Virginia and Nevada filled out the rest. Of the 162 cars from Massachusetts that went through the Five Corners intersection, only 30 had more than one person inside the car.

So, a quick summary of the numbers shows that 81 percent of the vehicles were from Massachusetts; and of those 162 cars and trucks that passed by me, approximately 82 percent had a lone driver inside.

At Nantucket High School, 132 vehicles out of 200 had Massachusetts plates. Connecticut and New Jersey tied for second, followed by New York. From there, I witnessed individual states such as Pennsylvania, Missouri, Maine and Florida.

Of the 132 Massachusetts vehicles, 41 had more than one person inside. I sensed camp and beach traffic played a role in that number since most of the extra passengers were young children almost always buckled in place. Furthermore, the traffic appeared heavier at the high school with lots of walkers, bike riders, skateboarders and strollers factored into the mix.

So, a quick summary of the high school traffic numbers show that 66 percent had Massachusetts tags and 69 percent of those Massachusetts vehicles had a lone driver inside.

What is my conclusion?

Before we start to blame our traffic problems on everyone from off island, which seems to be a popular conclusion, perhaps we should slow down. Banning cars before they board the ferry during the summer does not appear to be a reasonable solution. With vacation rentals down as much as 30 percent across the island (that comes from local brokers), B&B’s staring at empty rooms (that comes from innkeepers) and merchants crying at a 20 percent drop in business (that comes from a local store owners), I am not surprised at the huge difference between the number of Massachusetts plates versus out-ofstate tags. While out-of-state drivers are certainly part of the traffic issue, I was not surprised to see that the traffic congestion was dominated by cars and trucks with Massachusetts plates.

So, the question(s) is: Where do all these Massachusetts vehicles come from, and who are they?

They come from Nantucket. The traffic issues appear to be a mess of our own doing. I watched “Nantucketers” – be they seasonal residents or year-round locals – in great numbers causing the traffic snarls. Landscapers, contractors, delivery trucks, mothers, fathers, plumbers, neighbors, family and friends were all part of the quagmire. We are a product of our own success. We drive larger family cars, bigger delivery vehicles and stronger pick ups with enough room to carry eight, plus the gas grill out onto the beach. And why not? We live here. We’ve worked hard and we have earned it. Despite getting hosed at the gas pump, let’s enjoy the fruits of our labor.

The guilt is spread evenly around the island. It seems everyone I know owns a car or truck – and sometimes two or more. It appears everyone who owns a seasonal house on the island has two or three cars tucked away in their garage. I am just as guilty. Do I really need three cars for the three licensed people in our house? I would have to agree with my 17-year-old son – “Yes!”

Before we bite the hands that feed us, let’s reconsider all those efforts to limit cars on the ferry or restrict the number of vehicles traveling to and from the island. Let’s take a long, hard look in the mirror. Maybe we should consider a size limitation; but before we ask our visitors to leave their car(s) in Hyannis, we must be fair and ask ourselves to make sacrifices, too.

Have I changed my opinion on Nantucket's traffic problems? I will agree with you that it is worse than ever before and it is not even August 1st. However, I still believe that things have a way of taking care of themselves.

If our traffic problems continue down the present road, people will simply not want to come to Nantucket. Why put up with long lines and heated exchanges when one can do that every day on the Jersey Turnpike?

Nevertheless, my opinion on Nantucket's traffic hasn’t changed yet.

To combat the problem, I’ll try to find other short cuts. I’ll schedule more time between visits and leave for the dump earlier. I like my truck. My wife likes her car and my son likes his Jeep, even though his car stereo is worth more than the vehicle itself. And with the precedent set, I assume my 12-year-old daughter is already looking ahead for something out at Don Allen.

The cars are too big. The streets are too small. Coupled with the fleet that travels over to Nantucket during the summer, the majority of us on island simply “require” too many cars and trucks oftentimes for just one person.

Until someone comes up with a fair and equitable solution especially for those of us who live on Nantucket, I defer to a friend of mine who said, “Welcome to my world.”

I