Signage Better at Subway Racks Regarding Overnight Bike Ban

It appears that the ongoing overnight bicycle ban at the Subway racks is working allowing a greater number of spots to be available to commuters biking to the Roosevelt Island subway station. The signage also has increased warning bike owners to not leave their bikes out overnight.

If as earlier reported it is true that part of this began due to complaints of the Riverwalk management I wonder if parking in their bike rooms (fee based) has increased or has this simply lead to a greater number of local Riverwalk bikes being paraded through their lobbies and elevators tracking dirt and grime along the way.

I certainly have not seen an increase in bikes locked to street signs and other immovable objects which RIOC also wanted to stop but then again I don’t ever recall that being too much of a problem.

It Has Begun...17 Bikes Removed Overnight

It has begun. The Roosevelt Island Public Safety Department has begun enforcement of the overnight ban on bikes being parked at the subway and tram bike racks. So if you are looking for your bike (17 of you should be accordin g to the below e-mails) and you missed the whole tagging process get yourself over to the PSD office at 504 Main Street to reclaim your bike within the next day or so.

No word yet on increased signage although I keep asking.

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

From: rooseveltisland360@gmail.com
Date: Wed, 27 May 2009 18:13:25
To: Keith Guerra
Cc: Estrella Suarez; Fernando Martinez; Sergeant Desk; Steve Shane
Subject: Re: Bike racks - enforcement start date ?

Keith -

Thank you for your reply. I am assuming that the statistics will prospectively be added to the daily public safety reports on an ongoing basis.

Any word on increased signage beyong the clipped laminated letters being posted at the racks?

Thank you again
Eric

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

From: Keith Guerra
Date: Wed, 27 May 2009 13:52:45
To: rooseveltisland360@gmail.com
Cc: Estrella Suarez; Fernando Martinez; Sergeant Desk; Stephen Shane

Subject: Re: Bike racks - enforcement start date ?

Eric

So far, over the last 2 nights, 17 bikes have been taken to Public Safety. One of the bikes was retrieved by the owner, without incident. There were 3 bikes that were tagged and not removed as of yet. Those had special bike locks on them and require a special tool to remove. They will be removed tonight - if they are still there.

We are noticing that many residents have removed their bikes on their own and there is now plenty of room for those that wish to use the bike racks.

Keith Guerra, Director
Roosevelt Island
Department of Public Safety

http://www.rioc.ny.gov/


----Original Message----
Date: Wed, 27 May 2009 18:13:25
To: Keith Guerra
Subject: Re: Bike racks - enforcement start date ?

Dear Keith -

May I ask how many bicycles were impounded due to last night enforcement of the overnight ban? I also noticed that while most bikes which were tagged previously were removed at least or two remained which had tags previously. May I ask what caused these bikes to be spared?

Do the enacted procedures now include a day count based on the tag date before a bike is removed? I had thought this was to be.strict interpretation of no overnight parking between 2am and 5am.

Thank you,

Eric

Still There....?

As of 8:10 am the tagged bikes were still chained to the bike racks outside the Roosevelt Island subway station.

No word as to what has delayed the expected enforcement.

Perhaps the thoughts were to wait a day for possible Memorial Day vacationers to return home? Stay tuned....

Subway/Tram Bike Racks - Enforcement Starts Tonight

This is it folks. Starting tonight at 2:00 am bikes left overnight at the two racks by the Roosevelt Island subway station and the one rack by the subway will be cleared of any bikes not retrieved prior to that time. All bikes to be cleared have been tagged giving them notice, theoretically, of their impending removal and very short storage before being given to charity.

------Original Message------
From: Keith Guerra
To: Roosevelt Island 360
Cc: Estrella Suarez
Cc: Fernando Martinez
Cc: Sergeant Desk
Sent: May 25, 2009 5:06 PM
Subject: Re: Bike racks - enforcement start date ?

Tuesday morning 2:00-5:00.

-----Original Message-----
From: rooseveltisland360@gmail.com
Cc: Martinez, Fernando
To: Guerra, Keith
Sent: 5/25/2009 5:03:42 PM
Subject: Bike racks - enforcement start date ?

Dear Keith -

Does the enforcement of the bike ban on the subway bike racks start tonight Tuesday the 26th at 2am or Wednesday the 27th at 2am ? Last week Mr. Shane stated next week but with the holiday I was unsure of the exact date and the tags don't give a date other than May 18th.

Thank you,
Eric

Bike Rack Enforcement Delayed One Week

Apparently the bike rack enforcement has been delayed a week. Perhaps we will get better signage.

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

From: Steve Shane
To: Roosevelt Island 360
Cc: Fernando Martinez
Cc: Keith Guerra
Sent: May 19, 2009 10:37 AM
Subject: Re: Bike Racks

We decided to put warning tags on this week. ......enforcement next week.

I'll forward your suggestion on signage.

Steve


----Original Message----

From: Roosevelt Island 360
To: Steve Shane
Sent: May 19, 2009 10:00 AM
Subject: Re: Bike Racks

Dear Steve -

I expected to see virtually empty bike racks this morning but I believe many of the bikes were there the night before. Am I incorrect or was the enforcement delayed and if so why?

I also wanted to ask if the policy notices posted could be posted more prominently. The two notices I found on the rack adjacent to the subway were not very visible as they were almost blending in with the bikes as the notice is clipped to the rack. Could the notice be posted on the wall behind the rack above the handlebar level? I think that would be better received than the current notice locations.

Thank you,

Eric

Bike Rack Enforcement to Begin Tonight at 2am

A reminder to all Roosevelt Island residents who have been "storing" your bikes on the Riverwalk bike racks that RIOC is still planning to start their enforcement of no overnight parking tonight.

So make sure before you go to bed to remove those bikes or tomorrow you will find your chains cut and your bikes in temporary storage. After two days the last plan I heard was bikes not retrieved from storage will be given to the Thift Shop.

Bike Rack Update - Only Tram & Subway Racks Affected

Updated 5:50pm

Stephen Shane, President of the Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation, according to a report on the Roosevelt Islander, has stated that the enforcement of the overnight bike parking ban will ONLY apply to the racks outside the subway and tram.

It appears based on the below response that the Southtown bike rack facing Queens on New Main Street will also be included in the overnight ban as RIOC believes it close enough to the subway to qualify. In subsequent e-mails, Mr. Shane indicated his belief that because the two sets of Riverwalk racks are so close that residents who are just clogging the racks would just do so as well at the rack near the Japanese restaurant.

Apparently this all began based in part on the requests of the Riverwalk developers to RIOC. It has been pointed out to me that perhaps some of the bikes parked outside are outside as opposed to their being parked inside interior Riverwalk bike rooms that are available to residents only for a fee.

Conclusion: No Southtown - Riverwalk Commons bike racks are safe to park at overnight.

------Original Message------
From: Steve Shane
To: Roosevelt Island 360
Cc: Keith Guerra
Sent: May 15, 2009 4:51 PM
Subject: Re: Bike rack by Japanese Restaurant ?

Safe? I would not recommend leaving a bicycle overnight. Isn't the rack by the Japanese restaurant close enough to the subway and visible enough so that the same reasons apply? Your fellow residents are the originators of this initiative. "Eyesore", "hogging available space to discourage others who would use their bikes", propagates chaining to street signs and other inappropriate places. The Southtown commons is not supposed to be a storage area.

------Original Message------
From: Roosevelt Island 360
To: Steve Shane
Sent: May 15, 2009 4:33 PM
Subject: Re: Bike rack by Japanese Restaurant ?

Steve, I read your response to Rick that only the subway and tram racks will be enforcing the overnight ban. I presume the Southtown rack by the Japanese Restaurant is safe for overnight parking? At least for now?

Thank you,

Eric

No More Main Street Bicycle Storage

5/15 update at 430pm See new post.

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Update: Re Roosevelt Island Impounding of Bikes Left Out Overnight:


5/15 330pm:

What I have been told is that the complaint has been that the racks are being used as long term storage by residents who don't want to take their bikes inside and that those bikes are preventing commuters and others from using the bikes on a daily short term basis.

There is some logic to this.

-----Original Message-----
From: RIOC Advisories
Sent: Thursday, May 14, 2009 3:27 PM
To: RIOC Advisories
Subject: Bicycle Storage Addendum

While we wish to encourage residents continuing to ride their bicycles as it is a healthy activity, we wish to discourage residents from storing their bicycles overnight on the bicycle racks throughout the island.

Bicycles will be removed by the Roosevelt Island Public Safety Department between the hours of 2:00 a.m. and 5:00 a.m. and stored at Public Safety for a period of 48 hours. If the owner retrieves their bicycle during the 48 hour period there will be no charge for storing their bicycle. If the owner does not retrieve their bicycle during the 48 hour period it will be donated to the Thrift Shop.

Storing the bicycles on the bike racks has been a quality of life issue for many residents, thus we wish to address this quality of life issue.
Thank you for your anticipated cooperation.


Sincerely,
Roosevelt Island Operating Corp Advisories Group



PSD Advisory: Roosevelt Island PSD to confiscate bikes left on racks overnight.

Original Post:

No word yet on where the bikes will be impounded to or whether a fine will be levied to get the bikes back or whether unclaimed bikes will be sold, auctioned etc. More later.

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

From: RIOC Advisories
Sent: Thu May 14 14:49:34 2009
Subject: Bicycle Storage

Please be advised effective Monday, May 18, 2009 there will be no bicycle storage on the bicycle racks island wide between the hours of 2:00 a.m. and 5:00 a.m. (overnight).

Any bicycles found in violation will be removed by the Roosevelt Island Public Safety Department.

Thank you for your anticipated cooperation.

Sincerely,
Roosevelt Island Operating Corp Advisories Group

Please visit us on the web at http://www.rioc.com/

Bicycles in the Snow

Ritwik Dey from Deydreamers has posted a number of wonderful shots of Roosevelt Island in the snow over on his Flickr pages and are definitely worth checking out. The above shot can be found HERE.

Bike Safety Event - A Big Success !

Kudos to the Roosevelt Island Public Saety Department for hosting a sucessful first ever Bicycle Safety event!

According to reports from PSD Director Keith Guerra 244 bicycle helmets were given away to children and those adults requesting helmets and "NYC DOT & Safe Kids NYC has agreed to come back to Roosevelt Island to do it again" based on the great turn out. Again congratulations to everyone involved in this event!

NYC Bike Sharing Outpost on Roosevelt Island ???

For a long time I have thought Roosevelt Island a great place for bicyclists to visit. I am wondering whether residents and / or NYC DOT would think Roosevelt Island a good place to establish a bulkhead for the NYC bike sharing program? I figured the bike racks could be set up near the Tram station (close to the walkway that wraps around the North end of the Racquet Club) under the Queensboro Bridge.

Tourists and visitors could take the tram or subway onto the island and then pick up a shared bike and then use the bike to ride around the island or into LIC to go to the Noguchi Museum or Socrates Park or wherever. They could then return the bikes at the end of their visit and exit off the island via the tram or subway. Residents could use the bikes to travel into Queens. Having the bikes on the island would increase tourism onto the island and into the section of LIC closest to Roosevelt Island. With the new bike paths along Vernon Boulevard it would make for a natural fit.

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.

Costco Without a Car

Over the two years that we have lived on Roosevelt Island we have managed quite well without a car to patronize the Long Island City Costco location. Generally we walk to Costco and take a car service back with the trunk of the car service loaded down justifying the $6 to $10 fee charged for the short one way trip.

I keep thinking how can we do away with even this added cost? After all we only live across the East River. Walking presents challenges as there is only so much stuff you can stuff into a granny cart or shove into a backpack. Bicycling presents the same challenges along with weight distribution issues on a bicycle being walked back on the Roosevelt Island Bridge.

The answer was provided by Ikea of Copenhagen which apparently offers bicycles with trailers to their customers to carry their purchases home. The trick is now convincing my building to allow me to store a trailer such as those pictured in our bike room. Keeping the trailer in my apartment is not an option. In all seriousness I'd be willing to look into buying such a trailer and sharing the costs with other residents if we could solve the storage and access question.

Perhaps we can convince ZIP Car to get into the bike / trailer rental business opening up the option to all residents?

Bike Ride: Lighthouse to Tram Plaza

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

OK, this bike ride still has some bumpy spots as I ride from Lighthouse Park down to the Roosevelt Island Tram station, along the East River, but how many 20 year bikes have shocks that can make a video camera look good.

Later in the week I'll post some other island shots and figure out the smoothest path to ride around the island.

Does Anyone Commute via Bicycle from Roosevelt Island to Manhattan?

What I am curious about is does anyone bicycle from Roosevelt Island to Manhattan via LIC, Queens to the Queensboro Bridge into Manhattan? I know a few bikes travel via the Tram into Manhattan but they are few in number and I have not heard any complaints due to the low number.

StreetFilms today, ran a story today with accompanying video, about Transportation Alternative’s 7th Annual Commuter Challenge from Fort Greene Brooklyn to Union Square, Manhattan. To give away the ending the bike won at 16 minutes, second place went to the car at 22 minutes and the transit rider (bus/subway) came in last at 29 minutes. The biggest surprise was the last place finish of the transit rider but that may be do in part to her combined bus / subway trip as opposed to a single subway ride.

I would have to expect that if a similar challenge took place from Roosevelt Island that the cyclist would be starting from a disadvantage having to ride first in Queens and then across to the Queensboro Bridge.

Please participate in the below poll question re bicycles and commuting into Manhattan:

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.

Before the Batmobile

It is a little known fact that when Batman was a little boy he grew up on Roosevelt Island and it was quite clear then which vehicle was his even if he did not yet own the Batmobile.

Dedicated Bike Path for Roosevelt Island Bridge?

I am not sure I am reading this map correctly but does the legend indicate that the Roosevelt Island Bridge when completed will have a dedicated bike path? The legend (see image below) indicates that “green intermittent squares” represent a planned or proposed bike path. So it appears that a dedicated path could happen. The map images are taken from the official 2008 City Bike Map. May 2008 is Bike Month in New York City.

Currently bike riders must either dismount their bikes and walk across the bridge’s pedestrian walkway or risk shredding a tire when riding across the metal grate surface of the bridge.

Who do we contact to push for this to become a reality?