Town Seeks To Limit Number Of Bike, 5K Events On Area Roads

When Ronkonkoma resident John Acquaro survived a heart transplant, he wanted to do something to raise awareness about organ donation, and organized the North Shore Bike Tour, which has taken place in Southold for the past three years.

Acquaro is not alone.

Southold Town police chief Martin Flatley came before the Southold Town board at its work session Tuesday to explain that the number of requests for bike rides and 5K events is spiraling.

"It's becoming an unmanageable situation with these rides," Southold Town Supervisor Scott Russell said. Some not-for-profit events, which have a "redeeming larger social purpose," have been given the green light in the past but now, a growing number of for-profit event organizers have asked to use Southold roads.

Flatley said the number of event requests is growing -- and the number of participants who take part in annual events is swelling, sometimes to over 1000 per event.

Just a cost analysis, Flatley said, is not indicative of the resources utilized by the police department for the events. Not only are officers needed during the first hour of the events to organize runners or bikers, but there is "hidden activity" involved, including motor vehicle accidents and aided cases when someone falls off a bike.

"We're looking for direction," Flatley said.

Russelll said there is a need to "start putting something on the table" and establishing criteria.

Some groups are actually advertising that they have outgrown areas including Riverhead and points west, Flatley said, and host events in Southold "because there's more room on the road. A lot of rides that took place in more congested areas on Nassau or Suffolk County are looking to the North Fork," he said.

Some events, such as the ALS "Ride For Life," are different, Flatley said, because they work with Southold High School or other local groups; the ALS event is a power wheelchair awareness ride, he said, and is a community event with only about 50 participants. The board approved that May 6 event at their Tuesday night town board meeting.

Councilman Bill Ruland said a policy must be developed regarding priorities for events.

Restricting the number of participants at an event could also be considered, Flatley said.

Some companies are moving forward with events without securing required permits, he added.

"Is the board willing to hold a hard line stance -- no for-profit events?" Russell asked.

Ruland said events that offer no benefit to the town should not be granted permits and that guidelines should be established in fairness to all.

Local business owners and residents, Ruland added, are inconvenienced by event participants who use local bathroom faciliies and spark traffic woes without frequenting area shops or eateries.

Events such as 5Ks require twice as much manpower, Flatley said, because streets need to be shut down to make the routes safe for runners. Other events, scheduled for holiday weekends, are problematic, he said.

Russell suggested blackout dates be established, and said criteria was critical.

"If you're just lookking to make money, there's no reason for you to come to Southold," he said. "We have public health, safety and welfare to consider. We have a right to deny applications."

Ruland suggested the board take a look at what other towns have done; Russell agreed and said the goal should be to set criteria over the next few weeks.

The supervisor warned that there might be some backlash from popular local event organizers and participants disappointed that a family event is not approved. "If we're going to say 'no," we need to say 'no' and stick with it," he said.

"It's time we come up with a policy," Councilwoman Jill Doherty said.

Acquaro spoke to the board and said his group raises awareness about organ donation, does not disturb local commerce, patronizes local businesses, cleans up after the event, has an "unblemished safety record," and schedules the event for early Sunday, to not disturb residents. He said he would could possibly donate a portion of proceeds from the event to the town.

Flatley said Acquaro's event, which starts at Ospreys Dominion, has also increased in size; Acquaro said he would consider capping the number of registrants.

Councilman Chris Talbot asked why the Ronkonkoma-based event had chosen Southold.

Acquaro said safety issues and Southold's "beautiful" flat roads, wider than those further west, were all factors.

The town has had lawsuits from bike accidents, Talbot said. "If you look at the history of Southold, we're lucky that 30 years ago, someone took care of the town and open space. We should not have to bear the burden of other towns because of their inability to plan."

Councilwoman Louisa Evans said the challenge is that many events raise money for good causes.

"We've got to draw the line somewhere," Talbot said.

Russell said the board would look to come up with specifics and criteria and work to adopt legislation in the coming weeks.