The transportation system of Dukes County is made up of the following components.-
Water Transportation: The Steamship Authority carries more than 2 million passengers and almost 500,000 vehicles to and from the Island each year on ferries operating from Woods Hole to Vineyard Haven and Oak Bluffs. There are also close to 300,000 passenger trips on private passenger ferries linking the Vineyard and Gosnold to various mainland ports.
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Air Transportation: The Martha's Vineyard Airport handles about 250,000 passenger trips each year. The Katama Airfield handles small private planes.
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Road Network: The Island’s network of narrow, generally two-lane roads is the backbone of its transportation network, carrying the 25,000 cars registered on the Island, plus almost 10,000 additional vehicles during the peak summer period. There are 177 miles of public, paved roads. There are no traffic lights or parking meters on the Island. Traffic can be quite congested in Down-Island towns during the summer. Even at the peak of summer, traffic is largely year-round residents, at least in the down-Island towns.
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Buses and Taxis: The Martha's Vineyard Transit Authority (VTA) VTA has grown from a limited, seasonal shuttle service transporting 71,000 people in 1997 to an Island-wide, year-round, bus service that carries more than a million passengers a year. There are many taxi companies operating out of the three Down-Island towns.
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Bicycles and Pedestrians: Martha's Vineyard has about 35 miles of Shared Use Paths (SUPs), off-road paths accommodating bicycles and other non-motorized travel. Sidewalks are found mainly in the central parts of the Island’s main towns.
Transportation Links
- Vineyard Transit Authority
- Steamship Authority
- Martha's Vineyard Airport
- Other Ferries: The Martha's Vineyard Chamber of Commerce website lists information about all the ferries serving the Island.