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.

Transportation Study to Come to Roosevelt Isle via RIOC Board Nominee Kalkin

As a result of publicizing my own Roosevelt Island “transportation survey” I was contacted by RIOC Board Nominee Jonathan Kalkin who has been working behind the scenes even though he has not yet been appointed by the Governor nor confirmed by the State Senate to the Board. The below text are Mr. Kalkin’s comments regarding a transportation study he has been instrumental in bringing to the island.

I am not sure what weight the study will have outside its presentation to RIOC but I would expect since it will be of a high caliber from a prestigious program such as Columbia’s the suggestions that it will include can be presented to the MTA and DOT and we could expect serious discussions at that point.

I am hoping the Columbia folks will attend the late June meeting planned by Manhattan Community Board 8 where they will be focusing on island transportation issues. It would be interesting to hear their take on that night’s proceedings.

“The Columbia University Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation will be conducting a large scale transportation study on the island. This will be conducted by one-fifth of their graduate student body and will include formal presentations to the community coupled with press exposure both on and off the island. This is an award winning group overseen by Columbia and led by a Professor [Floyd Lapp] who was the former Director of the New York City Department of City Planning. Over the weekend, we toured the island and the Professor saw all the good things we have on the island. He saw some of the transportation problems we have and was positive about improving them. I will be writing an article in the WIRE for May 31st issue.

I feel it's important to continue improving the quality of life for all residents on the island. When I was campaigning for a seat on the RIOC Board, I promised that even if I wasn't elected, I would continue to do positive work for the island. This study will have great weight because after meeting with both board members and the President of RIOC, they have agreed to allow RIOC to be the client and promised full cooperation. To top it all off, this world class study, by an award winning Professor, will be free of charge.

Best,

Jonathan Kalkin”

Daily News Runs Article re RIOC Board Nominee Election

Today's New York Daily News, Sunday, February 10, 2008 includes an article on Roosevelt Island's recent RIOC Board Nominee Election.

It appears that the Daily News has run the article in its Queens edition. It does not appear to have run in the Manhattan edition. I am guessing Island residents who buy the paper on the Island today will see the article as I am guessing our deliveries of the paper come in via Queens.

I doubt the paper is under the belief the Island is part of Queens as it does state that elected nominee Jonathan Kalkin (pictured above) is also a Democratic county committeeman for the 65th Assembly District which does not extend beyond Manhattan.