What Our Readers Think: Summer Woes in Montauk

Last week, East Hampton Patch posted a video in which Montauk locals voiced concerns about their hometown, from traffic to wilder parties. They said Montauk is loosing its small-town feel. 

Patch readers responded, adding their two cents. The following is a round-up of their comments. Feel free to keep the conversation going by adding your thoughts to the comment section below. 

Christopher Woodring: Wake up Montauk, you want tourism. Heavy traffic volume, big partying and the occasional misbehaved person, all go with the territory. 

Montaukman: We all need to remember, the Jersey shore is more or less gone(ever see so many NJ plates). The Rockaways beaches are gone, Fire Island is a shell of what it was. Our beaches are the healthiest in the area. This contributes greatly to the "overcrowdedness" of all of East Hampton in. In time, this will all settle down again. We all must have patience.

Bob Ehmann: Montauk is turning into something it was never supposed to be, part of the Hamptons.

John Pine: The Cidiots (or Bennys as they call them in Jersey) are out of control over the whole east end of LI. It's a shame that nice, relaxing places like Montauk (as well as the north fork, yeah its starting there too) have been turned into a satellite version of Manhattan in summers. From Riverhead on east it's just a parade of BMW's and Range Rovers clogging the roads.

SadderBudweiser: Are "to go" cups now allowed in Montauk? At approximately 9:00 pm last night I noticed drinks and beer bottles beings consumed openly by people walking to and/ or from Surf Lodge, Sole East and near Ruschmeyers/Navy Beach. I like these places and support their right to exist an provide entertainment...to a reasonable and safe number of people at reasonable hours.

podjoe: I last visited Montauk about ten years ago, It was a tourist trap then, I can't imagine it being anything else now. You get what you ask for.

podjoe: More Police is the answer. Try driving through Westhampton Beach sometime. Anybody there complaining? You drive into town through a traffic circle and right there is an enormous Police precinct. I go there to see a doctor weekly , the second time there I was pulled over for speeding (entrapment). I hate even going there, it's like driving through Nazi Germany, always cops there wallowing around in speed traps or following you, and hell, I'm not even a minority, unless you consider a middle aged white man to be a minority, (that's already here, my friends)