Long Islanders expected to pack the roads for Labor Day weekend
The travel organization says high gas prices are a main reason why trips will be closer to home.
More Stories
Many Long Islanders will be hitting the roads this holiday weekend, but AAA says many won’t be going far.
The travel organization says high gas prices are a main reason why trips will be closer to home.
The high prices don't necessarily mean the roads will be empty.
“Roads are busy all the time now it seems, so it will be particularly busy Thursday and Friday,” says Robert Sinclair Jr., of AAA Northeast. “Friday is one that I would avoid at all costs because we anticipate traffic is going to be bad from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.”
Dan McCormick, of Manorville, says he just returned from Pennsylvania and that the price to fill up his tank was more than double than just a few years ago.
“It’s really a tough situation,” McCormick says. “One of the things, of course, is it affects other areas of spending. You tend to spend less money going out to restaurants, maybe going to other areas, recreational activities. The more you put in the tank, the less you’re spending elsewhere.”
AAA says the worst time to be on the road Thursday is between 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. because there will be commuters mixing with holiday travelers.
They say the worst time to return home is Monday from 6 p.m. to midnight.
Matthew Kondrup, of Matty K Travel Group, advises those who travel to be safe by leaving their contact information with a family member in case they get stranded. He also advises people to leave a light on at home and not to post on social media that you are traveling.
