MTA urges beach visitors to stay away from trains and buses on this Memorial Day weekend.
“We understand people have been locked up and will want to celebrate Memorial Day weekend, but [mass transit] remains for important workers and those who travel only, “MTA Chair and CEO Patrick J. Foye said in a statement Thursday.
“This is not a recreational trip to the beach.”
The message came as officials fretted over the possibility of city dwellers flooding the beaches of Long Island. And while the city’s beaches remain technically closed for swimming because of the coronavirus, the NYPD said on Thursday that visitors will be able to go with their ankles or wading through water and surfing will be allowed.
Nassau County Executive Laura Curran has called de Blasio “irresponsible and short-sighted” for refusing to open the city’s beaches, and Hizzoner on Thursday called on Big Apple residents to “keep it local.”
Speaking at the Jamaica Station in Queens, President of Long Island Rail Road, Phil Eng and MTA Bus President Craig Cipriano also told city residents not to take trains and buses to the beach.
LIRR usually add service on holiday weekends.
Many Long Island officials plan to limit beach access to local residents. The police will be ready “in key locations” to monitor the crowd, Eng said.
“What we don’t want to see is people taking the train to Long Beach only to have to take the train back because they can’t get to the beach,” he told reporters.
“If we have to, to [prevent] Density, we will limit some passengers on the train [and] ask them to take the next train. “
