New Parking Spaces Chalked Out

The first new on street parking spaces on Roosevelt Island are starting to be chalked out between the subway station and the Blackwell House Triangle along the West Road facing Manhattan.

Sorry no photos yet as the camera on my phone was not working this morning.

Will it Create Parking Spaces out of Thin Air ?

A snippet of the new release about the new parking system. We all know we have a limited amount of parking spaces on the streets of Roosevelt Island and we all know the same cars seem to hog the spaces day to day. Will this make the situation better? I am not wholly sure how this works yet or how it creates more parking spaces but it appears to be another step by RIOC Board Member Jonathan Kalkin to be innovative and bring RIOC and Roosevelt Island into the next century through the use of technology.

"Innovative Sensor-Based Solution Creates New Parking Spaces Near
RooseveltIsland Subway and Historic Tramway

PR Newswire

SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 28

SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 28 /PRNewswire/ -- Streetline Inc. today announced that the Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation (RIOC) will deploy Streetline's sensor-based smart parking solutions on New York's Roosevelt Island, part of the borough of Manhattan. Roosevelt Island is creating new "smart" parking spaces next to Roosevelt Island's subway and historic tramway. The innovative program, which marks Streetline's entry into the East Coast market, aims to help Roosevelt Island better assess its parking management policies, give citizens and visitors a better parking experience, and address traffic congestion.

The new "smart" parking spaces will be outfitted with Streetline's patented parking system which includes ultra-low power sensors that communicate with one another to deliver valuable real-time information, such as how long a caris parked and when a car enters and leaves a parking space. The initialsystem also lays the foundation for smart parking meters allowing for easierpayments and better pricing."

We shall see how the public takes to this as the new system goes into use. THe entire news release can be read here.

When asked about the system Mr. Kalkin responded with the following information:

Roosevelt Island presently has a number of parking issues. Parking in Motorgate is too expensive for short term parking, parking on Main Street is supposed to be for dropping off and picking up items and therefore it is limited to a maximum of forty five minutes. Some areas of the Island like Southtown are limited to two hours. However, if you walk the street you will see many cars parked there for more than twice that period or all day. Some of them have placards that are suspect, and many just feed the meter indefinitely.

As a result, if a person wants to drop off items at their place or just wants to have a friend in for a cup of coffee, parking becomes impossible. In addition, that person has to either drive around the island to look for a space which leads to additional pollution and traffic congestion, or drives all the way down to Motorgate and pays a hefty fee to park for that short period. All of these factors are a strain on Main Street and our
residents and visitors.

We want to encourage parking for it intended purpose, want to make sure that parking period of time is reasonable, and we want to relay that information to the resident or visitor. We also want to utilize more spaces by the hospital on the weekends and evenings (when they are usually empty) and in front of Southtown, but want these to be used efficiently. The information that parking is available ahead can be shown with signage on the street, on the internet, and on mobile devices. We can lower the price of short term parking at Motorgate to encourage the use of the facility for that purpose. Public Safety officers can flag vehicles electronically that use illegal placards and most importantly a vehicle in violation will be shown on their
mobile devices so they can spend their time more efficiently serving the
community or directing traffic on the street.

The sensors themselves will be embedded below ground so you won't see them. This is a trial that will eventually be integrated with our parking meters as well. This test phase is the start of several transportation and operations projects that we will be examining over the year like electric car charging stations powered by solar and east river tidal energy , bike sharing, LED energy efficient lighting, tap cards and mobile payments for the red bus and parking, arrival time clocks and information signs at the bus shelters and Tram stations, a SeeClickFix Island 311 system, a Solar
Hybrid Ferry, Island Park WIFI Internet, and a new Director of Transportation to make it all come together.

As the new Chair of the Operations Committee, I am excited to work with our dedicated team at RIOC and our tireless board members who help make this all possible. Roosevelt Island will lead the city and now the country with innovative solutions to our daily problems, making this place an even better place to live and work.

A video of the system in use can be found on You Tube HERE.

Is Increasing Main Street Parking Rates the Answer?

Is the answer to Main Street's parking woes raising the parking rates so parking on the street is more expensive than parking in Roosevelt Island’s Motorgate? This was one of several proposals put forth by the students that participated in the Columbia Transportation studio. See the April 18th Main Street WIRE, for detailed coverage of the proposals. In theory I can see how this can make sense with respect to individuals who are looking to park for several hours.

I am not disagreeing with Frank Farance, our RIRA President, in his argument within this week’s May 2nd dated Main Street WIRE, that increasing the rates would be unfair to short term parkers who are loading or unloading etc. But to be honest many of those individuals from what I have seen double park or park in no parking zones for the short period they need and while a number are told by PSD to move their vehicles many finish their loading / unloading without incident. I do think Frank missed the Columbia student’s point that it is the long term parkers that they were trying to target. But to fair to his point, the students may not have been familiar with the short term parkers.

According to today’s Gothamist, the NYC Department of Transporation, started a pilot program in Park Slope, Brooklyn, of increasing parking rates during peak hours only. Perhaps that is a compromise that would work on Main Street? Your thoughts?

[Image from Gothamist.]

No Parking Spots? Blame Zip Car Event

This morning while walking on my way to the Tram I noticed that Zip Car had taken up three to four spots on Main Street down by Southtown. I am assuming this is just for temporary promotion purposes. For RIOC and PSD to agree to give up these spots when parking is already tight on this island would make no sense.

According to Keith Guerra, Director of Public Safety, the spots used by Zip Car have not been permanently assigned to them. So for now SouthTowners excited about the possibility of vehicles being available nearby will continue to need to go up to the Octagon to rent these vehicles.

DOT Decision in Queens Impacts Manhattan Residents Parking

As I reported about 6 weeks ago the DOT was putting into action a plan to remove parking spaces on Vernon Blvd, LIC for bike lanes. At the time, not owning a car, I did not expect there would be an impact on Roosevelt Island car owners. Boy was I wrong.

As any resident knows Roosevelt Island has only limited on street parking, all meterered, and the only other choice is parking at Motorgate Garage on the island. Well the third choice that I forgot about was many car owners parked for free on Vernon Blvd and underneath the Roosevelt island Bridge.

The above and below images can be found as part of the larger LIC bike path plan.

Well the DOT apparently removed the parking signs this week and a few Roosevelt Island residents who were informed of this at last nights Manhattan Community Board 8 meeting were not thrilled to learn what their fellow residents had already found out when they moved returned with their cars.

The question then, at the CB8M meeting, was what did their fellow Queens CB1 and CB2 know of this and did the Queens CBs even realize that the impact on their Roosevelt Island / Manhattan cousins who are connected to them by the Roosevelt Island Bridge. And lastly should CB8M say anything to the Queesn CBs.

New Bike Lane for Vernon Blvd at Expense of On-Street Parking

StreetsBlog is reporting today, May 29, 2008, that as part of NYC’s goal of expanding cycling infrastructure that the DOT may be removing parking spaces along Vernon Boulevard (located just over the Roosevelt Island Bridge) in Long Island City in favor of adding bike lanes and pedestrian islands.

The plan, according to StreetsBlog, calls for the removal of the majority of the parking spaces on the East River side of Vernon Blvd from 45th Avenue all the way across to Main Street (down by Costco and Socrates Park). The parking spaces would be replaced by a painted dedicated bike lane.

What is amusing about the DOT PDF presentation regarding this plan is that it indicates that currently the Roosevelt Island Bridge includes an “existing off-street path” which indicates to me they are considering the pedestrian walkway that path. In an earlier post I reported on a possible plan to add a dedicated bike path to the Roosevelt Island Bridge. No mention of that possibility was evident in the DOT presentation or StreetsBlog posts.

Motorgate Monthly Parking Rates to Increase Effective July 1, 2008

According to the below e-mail the monthly rates at Motorgate Parking Garage are going up this July equalizing the rates between residents and nonresidents. My prior email certainly did not cause this so don't blame me. Heck at these rates I just might buy a car.

-----Original Message-----

From: "Stephen Shane"
Date: Fri, 01 Feb 2008 17:15:57
To:,"Erica Wilder" ,"Fernando Martinez"
Subject: Re: Motorgate Parking Rates

After review, we have decided to increase the Motorgate rates, effective July 1, untouched for more than 6 years, by $10/month for residents (and employees of on island businesses) and $30/month for off island patrons, in both cases to $190/month, less than 1/2 of the rates available in Manhattan. We have under 200 off Island monthly parkers and just under 1000 resident parkers, with a total capacity of over 1300. The extra income will be ploughed back into Island operations to offset some of the relentlessly escalating expenses.

Questioning of those with institutional memories only gets hazy recollection of differential parking rates to try to attract off Island users to enhance the revenue stream during dire budgetary periods.

Stephen H. Shane
President & CEO
Roosevelt Island Operating Corp.

Will Roosevelt Island's Parking Garage be Overun by Manhattan Drivers? (A Congestion Pricing Side Effect?)

As a side effect of congestion pricing will parking garages just outside the congestion zone be jammed with new monthly tenants looking to avoid the added fee to enter Manhattan below 60th Street? Will garages inside the zone have to drop rates to entice drivers to enter the zone? Will garages outside the zone jack up their prices?

Currently the monthly parking garage fees to park at Motorgate, the only public parking facility on Roosevelt Island stand at $160 per month for nonresidents which curiously is below the $180 rate charged to residents.

When I asked Erica Wilder, RIOC's community liason, about the rate discrepancy she replied that "[RIOC was] currently in the process of setting up current and appropriate rates for the Motorgate Garage.". I doubt they are changing rates due to congestion pricing but it was strange that nonresidents were getting a better rate. I hope they fix that discrepancy and also create a rate class for nonresidents that can prove they work on the island as they should not be penalized.

Comparing the current rates to the average Manhattan garage rates of a few hundred dollars per month not including the added congestion fees it almost would be worth it to a die hard driver to deal with the added red bus / mass transit commute to get from Roosevelt Island to Manhattan. Although most would probably scoff at this second commute they would need to take on just to save money. But there are always few folks who will do anything to save what will undoubtedly be a substantial amount of dollars.

Roosevelt Island Placard Parking Issue Makes Daily News

Link HERE for story at the Daily News.

In The Paper - The Main Street Wire - 2007 Nov 3 - Preview

Per an email from Dick Lutz, the Editor of The Main Street WIRE, the issue due out this Saturday will include :

> a lead story on Rivercross's plan to privatize without waiting for an extension of the building's ground lease

> a story on the unified political endorsement of the Louis Kahn design for an FDR Memorial at Southpoint Park

> stories on Island parking enforcement, the upcoming election for RIOC Board nominations, a new children's book by Island authors, help from Island Kids for parents trying to figure out the private school question, and a story on Blair Madison's efforts to break into show business through American Idol.

The Roosevelt Island Resident Association Blog – A New Blog on the Block

RIRA Communications Committee Chair Frank Farance apparently started a new blog, linked HERE, back in January but only now has started advertising its existence…and what a way to start. I learned of its existence from a poster on one of the bus shelters and on a couple of the poster kiosks.

The poster addresses an issue concerning a RIOC employee and parking privileges. It’s quite a confrontational poster and more direct than I expected from RIRA. The poster indicates it is the opinion of Frank Farance personally. I am not sure if that means he also personally paid for the posters or whether RIRA paid for them.

The below snag of the blog’s September 2, 2007 post heading duplicates the posters intent. The poster and the blog post feature a picture of the employee (a RIOC Public Safety official), a picture of his SUV, and a picture of the SUV's license plate.


I think the blog will be a great resource to both RIRA and the community. If all the posts address issues of concern this directly it should be quite an interesting read for those visiting the website.