To the Editor:

I have had continuous difficulty in obtaining service from Access-A-Ride. I phoned MTA complaints (718-339-3322), to whom I was referred by Access-A-Ride. They told me they don’t follow up on complaints; they simply mail a copy of the complaint to Access-A-Ride. This is about my fourth complaint. I was also advised by the MTA person to write to the Mayor, bringing to his attention the multiplicity of difficulties for Access-A-Ride patrons on Roosevelt Island. I hope others will do the same.

Elizabeth (Liza) Williams

 

To RIOC President Herb Berman:

I sincerely hope you aren’t the one who decided the placement of the new Westview bus shelter.

I was truly astonished, and not just a little bit dismayed, when I left my building this past Monday afternoon, walked to the Red Bus stop and saw what appeared to be a growth of quite large proportions growing out of the middle of the sidewalk in front of the deli. My goodness, what could this extraordinary thing be, I thought? Imagine my surprise when I found it to be a bus-stop shelter! I immediately assumed, of course, that it must have been a mistake made by the workmen who installed the structure, as I felt sure you couldn’t possibly have been aware of this very inconvenient, not to say inappropriate, placement.

Surely, you would have recognized that the site needed to be a few feet to the north, placing it nearer to the crosswalk and closer to the curbside. This placement would have taken advantage of the ample open space between Westview and the deli, affording more walking room on the sidewalk behind said structure, as in the placement of the shelter at Good Shepherd Plaza.

As it is, two strollers, two wheelchairs – actually two of anything in tandem – are hard put to pass in front of said edifice, much less behind it. Therefore, I felt quite sure this was just a contractor’s goof – right? – and not a plan OK’d by you, the head of RIOC, which agency, as we all know, is in charge of the betterment of the Island and, by extension, the comfort of the life of the community.

I urge the relocation of the shelter. I feel sure, now that you have been made aware of the ineptness involved, that you will rectify this with all possible speed. I thank you for your consideration.

Teri Sheridan

 

To the Editor:

As the buildings keep going up on Roosevelt Island, and the population swells, we need to think seriously about alternative ways of getting off this Island. Both the Tram and subway are already maxed out at rush hour. There are those buses that go somewhere in Queens and Ferry Service had been tried before. But to the best of my knowledge no one has yet proposed this idea:

Let’s build a staircase at the foot of the 59th Street Bridge that would wrap around one of its legs and provide a free alternative escape route for those motivated people who are already walking because they have given up on the overcrowded Roosevelt Island buses. If you cannot wait in the ever-growing line at the Tram, just walk up to the bridge and Manhattan is only half a Bridge away.

Another alternative would be an elevator up to the bridge, but perhaps that idea is too forward-thinking. It is so forward-thinking that it actually once existed in the distant past. While that would be nice, I would be happy to settle for a staircase to the heavens.

Neal Weissman

 

 

To the Editor:

I sent this letter to Judith Berdy, President of the Roosevelt Island Historical Society.

 

Dear Judy:

What a glorious sight! As the Tram was touching down on Tuesday, I looked out and saw the new Visitor Welcome Center being moved into position.

And of course you were there, watching and supervising like a proud mother hen making sure her chick crossed the road safely.

All of Roosevelt Island owes you a huge debt of gratitude for saving the kiosk. You had the imagination to visualize the possibilities and the savvy and political connections to make it a reality. I hope this will be an inspiration to other Island residents.

It is possible for one person to make a difference. Thank you.

Sharon Bermon

 

To the Editor:

As an invited member of the panel at the October 23 Roosevelt Island Market Oriented Housing 1975 to 2006 panel discussion, I was most eager to participate and learn more about the design concepts of our early architects and planners. It would be a rare opportunity to get some of the Island planners in the same room at the same time.

I have been in contact with James McCullar, Vice President of the AIA New York Chapter for some time after a Spring event on the Island’s beginnings to do this panel. He was on the original Johansen team to design Rivercross and Island House. I was eager to hear and ask about their concepts for the buildings. Unfortunately, this part of the evening never arrived.

Instead I got an earful of embittered comments from certain former and current RIRA Common Council members and a few other Islanders. This was not a RIRA or RIOC community meeting on the Island but a special program for architects and professionals at the American Institute of Architects Center for Architecture in Manhattan. Our neighbors decided to take their bad manners to someone else’s event.

After a stream of negative comments and pointed questions, Commissioner Calogaro made an inappropriate comment about NIMBY and racism. This comment was uncalled for and the Commissioner was off track.

Bruce Becker and Alfreda Radzicki of Octagon and Southtown were panel members and are used to the usual audience members and their negative comments. However, I was appalled and sorry that certain parties were thrilled to see the event sidetracked.

The story in The WIRE was just as prejudiced. I noticed that my only negative comment on the lack of assimilation of the Southtown residents was the only one of my ten minutes of remarks that Ms. Bernard chose to write about.

I will privately invite some of the panelists to meet with myself and others and we can discuss the original concept in a civilized way. It will be on the record for future Island historians to read and learn from.

Judith Berdy