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November 18, 2006 |
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Growth carries opportunities and challenges, and the recent occupancy of the apartment building at the Octagon has led us to step up a rethinking of transportation options on Roosevelt Island.
And that rethinking is possible because of the stronger financial position that the Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation finds itself in, which in turn is tied to the increased revenue that comes from responsible development.
Because Octagon is now the northernmost stop on our Red Bus routes, there have been occurrences during the morning rush hour when the buses are already full by the time they reach Main Street. We are discussing the possibility of using one of our buses as an express bus during rush hour from Octagon to the subway and Tram to relieve the pressure. That express bus would run every half hour, making the express loop, leaving the other buses to handle the remaining demand.
One of the reasons we can even think about setting up that kind of service is because of our expanded fleet. A year ago before Octagon opened, we had four buses in our fleet, while we now have seven. The new buses are environmentally state-of-the-art, and allow us greater flexibility in shifting to meet the transportation needs. And they proved their worth during the recent Tram outage, when we were able to use our additional capacity to operate rush hour express service from the Island to Manhattan
We also are looking into stepping up enforcement against double parking on Main Street by delivery trucks during rush hour, which causes delays in bus service and other vehicular traffic.
The Tram outage also reinforced our long-held belief that Roosevelt Island needs a multiplicity of transportation options because, after all, this is an island. That is why we have begun discussions about bringing back ferry service to supplement the Tram, subway and bus service, as well as the bridge to Queens for automobiles, which we already have.
A ferry would have been a much-appreciated transportation safety valve this past summer, especially on weekends, when track work disrupted F train service.
It is helpful to revisit the recent transportation history of Roosevelt Island, which began with ferry service and the old elevator that carried passengers down to the Island from a bus stop on the 59th Street Bridge. The Tram opened in 1976 as a temporary solution until subway service was introduced. When the F train stop was opened in 1989, the Tram had become such a signature element of life on Roosevelt Island that it was maintained in service, even beyond the life span it was projected to enjoy when it was first opened. Now with the State-supported complete modernization of the Tram scheduled to begin as early as next year, the Tram will remain one of the major transportation options for Island residents and visitors for decades into the future.
I also want to note that consideration of these enhancements of our transportation options is only possible because of prudent fiscal management. It was not that many years ago that RIOC was broke, with debt totaling around $1.5 million. Now we have about $30 million in the bank, drawn from ground leases, sale of development rights, retail rents and other sources, including a special fee paid annually by Octagon for the extended bus service. We have used that money to enhance the amenities on the Island as well as to tackle the capital needs in the areas of streets, sidewalks, lighting, electrical work, elevator repairs and the Tram itself, as well as the purchase of the new buses.
Sometimes it is hard to see, but we believe it all fits together to make Roosevelt Island such a special place to live, work and play.