To the Editor:

Why have the residents of this Island tolerated the pigeons perching above, and defecating on, the steps of the Tram entrance in Manhattan? Anyone taking the Tram is forced to walk under pigeons and risk being hit with excrement. There is a simple solution to this problem, just a few strips of spikes would prevent them from ruining someone’s coat, not to mention their day. Please tell me, how do we fix this problem?

Nicholas C. Steadman

 

To RIOC:

I have been on the Island more than six years and know that the Red Bus gets overcrowded every year when it comes to winter. I appreciate RIOC trying to find out solution to accommodate increased needs. However, I have to say that the operation of the express bus is the worst way to cope with the issue.

First of all, it is very inefficient. I won’t go into detail, as I know many people already have pointed it out, with many practical examples. Second, it is extremely unreasonable. An express bus may be the right solution if the bus runs a long distance. But everyone knows that there is no reason to operate express for a short distance. Third, it is unfair. Regardless of RIOC’s intention, it is understood that RIOC favors the Octagon by offering both express and local bus service. In fact, the Octagon is now the best served by Red Buses among all the apartments on the Island.

In order to find out the right solution, RIOC has to analyze the reasons and be aware of the fact that increased population is not the only reason for the situation deteriorating. Decreased frequency of bus service due to route extension to the Octagon and decreased practical capacity of transportation due to introduction of new buses has also had significant impact.

Here is my two cents: The solution is very simple. Estimate increased demand mathematically and practically, taking into account the three factors mentioned above, and increase the local bus service accordingly, and cease express service. I estimate that RIOC might have to increase bus service by more than 50% compared with last year, particularly for the peak time. If RIOC really needs to keep express service for Octagon, four buses should be operated separately and exclusively between 40 River Road and the Tram station, as they were until last year.

Also, I would appreciate it if RIOC would increase the bus service from 11:00 p.m. to midnight, as no bus is running on schedule during that time. As a matter of fact, the bus is usually running every 20-25 minutes and, per my observation, two buses should be operated to cope with the route extension to the Octagon and the increased passengers.

H. Kasama

 

To The Editor:

There now appears to be daily complaining, from bus riders waiting at the Deli stop, about Octagon express buses passing by – often empty. I think the Octagon express bus experiment has not worked. If anything, it’s heightened tensions between Octagon and Northtown residents. Although we were all getting along before, I think now there’s a sense that the mostly well-off people in the new Octagon building are getting special treatment, yet another example of RIOC bending over backwards for the real-estate interests, in this case, Octagon developers, at the expense of Northtown, and especially residents of the WIRE buildings [Westview, Island House, Rivercross, Eastwood] residents, a group perhaps not as economically "profitable" for RIOC.

More than anything, it’s the sense that RIOC doesn’t care for the poorer, possibly elderly, possibly disabled residents of Roosevelt Island. After all, how many of these types of residents live at Octagon? Not many, if any. Instead, the Island’s elderly and disabled residents are left to stand and wait while the young Octagon residents zip by – and even if the wait isn’t for more than a few minutes the message is loud and clear: RIOC favors Octagon residents over WIRE building residents. But RIOC is supposed to represent all residents, not just the ones living in the buildings where RIOC cut lucrative real-estate deals. If RIOC fails to respond in a fair and equitable way to resolve the bus problem, there is already talk of a petition/complaint that can be filed in Court. Then a judge can decide what is fair and what isn’t fair.

It is clear that the Octagon building added at least 1,000 new riders to the existing mini-bus system. It was RIOC’s responsibility to proportionally increase the bus service on the Island to accommodate the new riders – not divvy up the existing bus service in a way that excludes and cheats the mixed-income Northtown residents. RIOC should have required the Octagon developers to pay the additional funds needed for the additional buses/drivers as a condition for developing the Octagon project. Is this such a difficult concept to grasp? If Octagon developers want to play (profit from their real-estate deal), Octagon developers have to pay (for the additional transportation needed). In plain English: Since the Octagon developers have burdened the Island bus system with hundreds of new riders and are greatly profiting from their development, it should be their burden to pay the cost of adding additional bus capacity to transport the Octagon residents back and forth to the subway/Tram.

RIOC should expand bus operations at Motorgate, so that more buses can be acquired/garaged/serviced there, including a new fleet for runs directly to Manhattan (foot of 59th Street Bridge) from Motorgate, on an ongoing basis. This service, for which RIOC could charge $2 each way as it was charging during the Tram shutdown, might also take some of the pressure off the bus/train/Tram. This expansion should be paid for by the Octagon developers.

For the past several years, the middle-class has been left to "dangle in the wind." while those with money are welcomed in with wide-open arms. In our case, RIOC lets the middle-class wait in the cold as well-heeled Octagon residents get to ride by in express buses, exclusively for Octagon use only. This is the Republican way; however, the Democrats are about to take over in NYS, and perhaps this un-equal, un-American state of affairs will finally change. NYC is not just for the rich; it’s mostly populated by middle- or lower-income residents, and they certainly made their numerical power felt in the last election! Let’s see if this translates into social change and the righting of many wrongs in New York State in 2007 and beyond.

Helen M. Chirivas

 

To the Editor:

For the benefit of a few Public Safety Officers, the space in front of Island House is constantly and permanently blocked by Public Safety Department vehicles, making it impossible for Island House residents to unload/load their cars.

This is frustrating. RIOC apparently decided that the comfort and laziness of a handful of individuals is more important than the well-being of the residents of 400 apartments – not to mention the traffic problems generated by double-parked residents, who still stop to unload.

A possible solution would be to get rid of the Public Safety reserved parking altogether, allowing them to park one vehicle only, in emergencies. This would leave a designated loading zone for Island House tenants.

Because of a recent incident, I have sent the following letter to RIOC.

Mircea Nicolescu

 

To RIOC President Herb Berman:

Tonight I stopped my car in front of the hydrant (in front of my building, Island House) to unload groceries. I called my wife on my cell phone, asking her to come down and pick up the groceries from me. While I was waiting for her, inside my car and behind the steering wheel, one of the Public Safety Office personnel came to me and asked me to move my car, giving the reason that I was blocking the hydrant.

All my explanations were in vain. He did not seem to understand that it is legally allowed to sit inside your car in front of a hydrant.

This is the second time this has happened to me. The previous time it was a woman Public Safety agent who asked me to move the car for the same reason (and it was raining hard).

Luckily for me, by the time this argument took place, my wife took the groceries and I left.

Later, I went inside their office and tried to explain that they do not know the law and they abuse their function and positions.

All I got from the woman inside the office, who refused to read the printout I handled her (see below), was that after nine years with Public Safety, she is perfectly entitled to give summons to those who stop in front of the hydrant. Who am I to teach and tell her what to do? She feels she can issue a summons whenever she wants, regardless if this is legal or not.

But stopping your vehicle in front of a fire hydrant, as long as you are inside, is perfectly legal.

This issue is affecting all the residents of Island House, not just me. I suggest you send the Public Safety personnel to study the traffic law and avoid future similar incidents, and spare these aggravations to Island House residents, who clearly deserve better than this treatment from the people hired to serve them and be paid by them.

I am asking you to investigate and take disciplinary actions against the Public Safety personnel on duty tonight (December 27, 2006 between 7-9 p.m.), who clearly ignore the law.

Mircea Nicolescu

 

Title 7, Article 32, Paragraph 3, (b), 1: No person shall stop, stand or park a vehicle within fifteen feet of a fire hydrant except when such vehicle is attended by a licensed operator or chauffeur who is seated in the front seat and who can immediately move such vehicle in case of emergency, unless a different distance is indicated by official signs, markings or parking meters.

 

Dear Mr. Nicolescu:

It is not uncommon for an officer to request a person to move his/her vehicle from in front of a hydrant, particularly if there is sufficient space to do so.

It should be obvious that officers have not been instructed to give summonses in violation of an existing law. This was pointed out earlier.

I am able to identify the female officer to whom you handed the printout. Her version of the discussion that took place differs from yours. I cannot think of any reason why a private citizen would be in possession of any official information that is not already known to individuals of agencies which perform such functions.

Finally, I am somewhat puzzled by your frequent need to park in front of the fire hydrant.

James Fry, Director
Public Safety Department

 

Dear Mr. Fry:

In regards to your puzzling, I do shop for groceries, about once a week. Those are the only times when I need to stop my car in front of Island House (not to "park," a big difference), and unload the groceries to my wife, who takes them upstairs. You know very well that it is almost impossible to find a metered parking spot available when you need it, so the hydrant spot becomes the only option.

This only takes a minute, and as stated, I was approached twice by Public Safety officers who asked me to move my car – in violation of existing laws – and threatened with summonses.

Let me also clearly state that it is not at all "obvious that officers have not been instructed to give summonses in violation of an existing law" based on my own discussions with Public Safety officers on two separate similar occasions, and on a third occasion I witnessed. Quite the contrary.

Other than that, may I suggest that you contribute to the well being of Island House residents by moving the designated Public Safety parking area somewhere else (Motorgate parking has plenty of space), and create a loading/unloading area for Island House residents in that spot. As a resident of Island House for 12 years, I’ve noticed how this area reserved for Public Safety became bigger, and the number of vehicles increased. I’ve noticed that new buildings on the Island have loading/unloading areas, and I believe Island House should have it too, even if this affects the convenience of Public Safety officers.

I do completelly understand and agree with the need to have an emergency vehicle parked in front of your office, but not an entire fleet, especially when this affects the daily life of aproximately 1500 residents, and does sometimes create traffic jams on Main Street.

Those people are paid by our rent and tax dollars, and are here to protect and make our life on Roosevelt Island enjoyable and safe. Based on personal experience, this is not the case. I’ve noticed so many times how your fellow employees stop their cars in the middle of the road, just to talk to somebody on the sidewalk for a minute, with complete disrespect to cars queueing behind them. They are here to serve the comunity, and not the other way around.

Mircea Nicolescu

 

Lappin to Spitzer: Let’s Help Roosevelt Island

Hon. Eliot Spitzer
Governor of New York
330 Madison Avenue, 19th Floor
New York, NY 10017

Dear Governor Spitzer:

Congratulations on your inauguration as New York’s 56th Governor. I am greatly looking forward to working with you in the years ahead and, in particular, to working together to reform the Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation and to improve the quality of life for our constituents on Roosevelt Island.

As you are aware, New York City leased Roosevelt Island to the State in 1969 for a period of 99 years. As a result, the City has very little control over the governance of the Island.

In 1984, the State Legislature created RIOC, which is a public-benefit corporation, to maintain, operate, and develop the Island. RIOC oversees everything from maintaining street lamps and repaving Main Street, to negotiating ground leases and developing new parks on the Island. In ways large and small, the decisions made by RIOC determine the quality of life for local residents.

The President and Board of Directors of RIOC are selected by the Governor, which means that your appointments will have an enormous impact on the Island. It is crucial that all the staff and members of the Board, from the Commissioner of DHCR on down, are honest, qualified, and dedicated to improving the lives of Island residents.

In addition to reforming RIOC, I hope that we can begin working together right away to address two critical and timely issues: ground leases for the residential buildings coming out of the Mitchell-Lama program and Southpoint Park.

Tenants in Westview and Island House, two middle income Mitchell-Lama rental buildings, are in the middle of negotiating tenant-sponsored buy-outs with the owners. However, in order to move forward and complete these deals, RIOC must negotiate ground-lease extensions with these two buildings. These deals are complicated and require appropriate study and review. However, time is of the essence, as these deals are linked to the current status of the real-estate market. The fate of these tenants rests in RIOC’s hands, and I hope that you will direct your appointees to move these discussions forward quickly.

I also am very much looking forward to working with you to develop a full-build Southpoint Park. Creating Southpoint Park is one of my top priorities as a Council Member and, just six months into my term, I was successful in allocating $3 million in capital funds for Phase One of the park. In Southpoint, we have a rare opportunity to create a spectacular 14-acre park – a park that will be one of New York City’s finest open spaces. Governor Pataki allocated $8 million for Phase One, as well; however, questions remain about the boundaries and design of the park. Your support for a full-build 14-acre park is critical.

Thankfully, a new day is dawning on Roosevelt Island. I look forward to collaborating with you on these and other exciting projects. Together, we can greatly improve the quality of life for our constituents. As always, please feel free to contact me directly with any questions or concerns.

Jessica Lappin, Council Member
5th District, Manhattan