It’s only February but Chilmark residents, business owners and officials are already looking for ways to ease Menemsha’s summer traffic.

Summer traffic may seem worse, but results from six traffic counters across the island show a different reality.

Covid-19 and the Delta variant continued to have noticeable impacts on Martha’s Vineyard travel patterns, leading to fewer-than-expected passengers, but more vehicle traffic this summer.

New data from traffic counters across the Island shows a notable decline in vehicle activity on the Vineyard this summer — except at the beach.

Construction began Monday on the first six permanent traffic counters throughout the Island, providing access to new data.

Summer traffic on Martha’s Vineyard is causing significant headaches for people who visit and live here, according to the results of a Vineyard Gazette survey, with seven out of 10 respondents saying they avoid shopping in towns in July and August because of congestion.