Man In Wheelchair Run Over By Access A Ride Van On Roosevelt Island's Main Street - NYPD ESU Free Him From Underneath Van - Expected To Recover

Image From Riverwalk Bar & Grill's Jonathan Hoo

There was a bad accident on Roosevelt Island earlier this morning. A reader sent me the following message:

U see this on Main Street. Guy in a wheelchair got run over

Image From Riverwalk Bar & Grill's Jonathan Hoo

Another reader, Olya, was there on the scene and had this eyewitness report:

I was sitting on the benches between Starbucks and Duane Reade with a friend - and as I looked towards the Queens side of the Island - I heard a man screaming and in a split second an Access Van that frequent the island had run over a man in a wheelchair. My body and mind were in complete shock - but as I ran towards the scene I called 911. The man was alive, thank goodness and screaming - "Please lift it, my back my back". In the meantime, 911 was dispatching an ambulance, but was completely unsure as to where Main Street on Roosevelt Island was located. After giving an address of 455 Main Street, the operator assured me that they were on the way. FDNY was first on the scene and moved quickly and efficiently to free the man from under the van. And, he was then whisked into the FDNY ambulance. I am wishing all the people involved in this incident well - it was truly traumatic.

Image From Riverwalk Bar & Grill's Jonathan Hoo

I inquired of Roosevelt Island Public Safety Department Keith Guerra:

I understand that a man in a wheelchair got hit by a vehicle near 425 Main Street earlier this morning.

Can you provide any additional details as to what happened, the cause, type of vehicle, extent of any injuries etc.

Image From Riverwalk Bar & Grill's Jonathan Hoo

Mr. Guerra replied:

On Tuesday, September 7, 2010 at approximately 9:41 AM, a 61 year-old Male Goldwater Wheelchair Out-Patient was struck by an Access-A-Ride Mini-Bus. The accident occurred between 425 and 455 Main St. The victim and his wheelchair were wedged under the front wheel axle of the Mini-Bus. Members from PSD, FDNY and NYPD responded to the scene. The victim was extricated by the NYPD Emergency Service Unit and transported in an FDNY EMS Ambulance to the Cornell University Medical Center in Manhattan. He is awaiting surgery and is expected to recover from his injuries.

Images From Riverwalk Bar & Grill's Jonathan Hoo

Roosevelt Island Constituent Office Hours With State Senator Jose Serrano Today From 4 - 7 PM

Image of State Senator Jose Serrano

Today is the first Tuesday of the month so representatives from State Senator Jose Serrano's office will be holding Roosevelt Island constituent service hours at RIOC Headquarters (591 Main Street) beginning at 4 PM this afternoon until 7 PM.

Constituents should bring photocopies of any paperwork related to their situation so that the Serrano staff can effectively and efficiently address the issue.

September Events At The Roosevelt Island Public Library - Sci Fi Discussion Tonight, Painted Drum Book Club, Poetry Hour & Things For Kids

Image of Roosevelt Island Library From Travis

A reader points out that the new schedule for the New York Public Library branches have been announced. Happily, the Roosevelt Island Public Library will retain it's 6 day week and current hours.

The Roosevelt Island Librarian sends the following listing of upcoming events and activities for Adults and Children:

Children's Programs

• Story Time- Wednesdays at 11:00 AM (location to be anounced)
• Reading Aloud- Mondays and Wednesdays at 3:30 PM (starting September 15th)
• Autumnal Equinox Story Time- Thursday, September 23rd, 4:00 PM
  

Adult Programs

• Knitting Circle- Tuesdays at 10:00 AM
• Science Fiction Discussion- Tuesday, September 7th, 6:30 PM
• Book Discussion- The Painted Drum by Louise Erdrich, Thursday, Septmber 16th, 6:30 PM
• Poetry Hour- William Blake's Tyger, Tuesday, September 28th, 6:30 PM

Mark your calendars.

Rats On Roosevelt Island F Train Subway Platform - What Can The MTA Do?

Image of Subway Rat From NBC New York

Gothamist reported that rats are boldly swarming New York City Subway platforms:

"People have seen them sitting on benches," says Andrew Albert, an MTA board member and chair of the NYC Transit Riders Council. "From what riders have told us, they appear to be getting bolder." That's the subway rat population he's talking about, which many commuters say is surging, at least according to an amNY article that's teeming with great quotes. "Next thing you know the doors are going to open and one is going to come on the train with us," one exterminator predicts....

You Tube Video of Rider Experiencing NYC Subway Rat

Rats have even been seen on the Roosevelt Island subway platform. Last Wednesday, I received this message from a reader:

Any idea if MTA or anyone is going to do something about the rats on the subway platform?

In the morning, I saw 2 rats running around the platform (Queens Bound side).

On the way home, I saw 3 rats running around the platform (again, Queens Bound side).

It is one thing to see rats on the subway track, but on the platform where people wait for the trains? That is disturbing.

NBC New York reports that for rats the:

... the main attraction in many subway stations is the room where trash is stored after it is collected from waste cans on the platform. He said sometimes the garbage can sit for days, becoming a gluttonous rat buffet.

And rats typically live in the walls of the trash rooms, which are often located right on the train platforms.

"They're not down in that deep dark tunnel ... the rats are living in the walls behind that tile," Corrigan said.

A family of eight to 12 rats can make its home in one cinderblock, and every cinderblock in a wall can be occupied "much like we do with apartment buildings," he added.

That can mean as many as 150 rats live in the walls of one refuse room...

You Tube Video of Subway Rats Dining

What can be done? The NY Times reported on a joint MTA/NYC Department of Health Study that offered:

...some practical advice. Nothing quite excites a rat like a station’s “refuse room,” a storage space for bags of garbage waiting to be hauled away. For rodents, the room is “a restaurant,” as Dr. Corrigan called it, and he recommended that the transportation authority install poison bait in the rooms for a more surgical strike. (Currently, the authority places poison only on the tracks.)

Entrances to the rooms should be guarded, Dr. Corrigan said, so rats cannot reach the food. He also suggested that transit officials invest in more high-tech trapping systems, although he said budget concerns would probably stymie such plans....

You Tube Video of Bionic NYC Subway Platform Rat

If you have any suggestions to get rid of the Roosevelt Island rats, email the MTA"s F Train Line General Manager.

Disabled Extreme Sitting Athlete Makes World's First Double Back Flip In Wheelchair & Roosevelt Island Bike Messenger Rides With One Leg - Wow!

Image From Asron Fotheringham

Roosevelt Island has a large disabled population, many of whom use wheelchairs. Have you ever asked yourself this question that Digital Journal recently reported on:

Who do you consider disabled? asks one extreme sports wheelchair athlete. When life gives you limits, you should push them, says Aaron Fotheringham, who knows all about that: he successfully completed the first ever double back-flip in a wheelchair

Aaron “Wheelz” Fotheringham is an 18-year-old wheelchair athlete from Las Vegas, Nevada. Aaron was born with Spina Bifida, a birth defect of the spinal cord. For Aaron this means his legs don’t work....

You Tube Video of World's First Double Back Flip In A Wheelchair

ESPN 's Breaking Barriers profiled Mr. Fotheringham:

... "People call it wheelchair skateboarding," he says with a shake of the head, "and it's like, oh man, it's its own sport. It's hard-core sitting."...

and:

... Initially using braces to walk, Aaron got his first wheelchair when he was 3. It sat among his toys, and that was how he viewed it: as a vehicle for fun. By the time he was 8, after a series of painful hip operations, he was in the wheelchair most of the time.

From the start, he saw its advantages more than its limits.

That's why, when his older brother Brian invited him to wheel into a local skate park seven years ago, he didn't hesitate.

"A bunch of skaters helped me up to the top of the ramp, and practically just pushed me over on to my face," Aaron recalls with a laugh.

But he got up, and got back into the chair. He kept falling, kept getting up, kept trying. Soon enough, he was racing around the park and wondering how to spin and jump.

"Just being included," he says, recalling the feeling of that first day, "and saying, 'Hey, I may be able to go somewhere with this.'"...

More on Aaron Fotheringham from his web site.

What this shows is that disabled people can have just as much guts or be just as nuts as any other extreme athlete. Not sure which it is but probably some combination of both.

Then there's Roosevelt Island's own Dexter Benjamin who works in an occupation which may be just as hazardous as an extreme athlete. He's a New York City Bicycle messenger - who rides his bike with one leg! (Thanks to Kris via Aus for finding the video)

You Tube Video From AM New York

Roosevelt Island Tram Parts Subject Of New Photgraphy Exhibit At Gallery RIVAA - R-I-T Roosevelt Island Tram Past and Future

You Tube Video of Gallery RIVAA Roosevelt Island Tram Parts Exhibit from Dave Stone

Have you ever dropped in to view the art presented at Roosevelt Island's Gallery RIVAA? If not, give it a look. There's a new interesting exhibition of photographs currently at Gallery RIVAA featuring

Image From Gallery RIVAA

photographs by Tad Sudol. The exhibit is titled R-I-T Roosevelt Island Tram Past and Future and will be showing through September 26. Mr. Sudol is:

presenting large format photographs from the old Tram machine room with the design for the permanent sculpture exhibition of the tram parts, including the spinning wheels, at the Roosevelt Island Motorgate.

The Gallery is open Wednesday and Friday from 6 - 9 PM and Saturday and Sunday from 11 AM - 5 PM. An opening reception for the Exhibit is scheduled for September 11 from 6 - 9 PM.

Image From Gallery RIVAA

Here's a previous post on the gears that power the Roosevelt Island Tram.

Roosevelt Island At The Forefront Of New Technology & Urban Planning - Latest on Bicycle Sharing Plan- Come Test Out Your New Ideas Here

RIOC President Leslie Torres & Rivewalk Bar/Nonno's Pizza Owner Alphonse At Bike Sharing Demonstration

Roosevelt Island receives much grief from many of our fellow New York City residents for being strange, insular, creepy, spooky, stuck in the past etc - and some of that is true. But there is another side to Roosevelt Island which is at the forefront of urban planning and the use of new and exciting technology for the betterment of those who live, work and visit here. For instance in varying degrees of progress, there is the:

• Roosevelt Island Tram Modernization and Station Upgrades (Tram planned to be back in service on October 5 with one cabin, second cabin on October 16),
• See Click Fix web and mobile Problem Reporting System which will be Roosevelt Island's own 311 System,
• GPS Satellite Transportation Tracking System For the Red Bus,
• Bicycle Sharing Plan,
  
• Verdant Power's East River Energy Turbine System,
• AVAC Underground Garbage Removal System,
  
• New Energy Efficient Fuel Cell System For the Octagon to be installed soon (more on that in future post) and other projects to come in the future.
  

This Tweet from Roosevelt Island Operating Corp (RIOC) Director Jonathan Kalkin tantalizes us with some possibilities:

Meeting @EPA today, discussed my LED, electric car chargers, Solar, Wind, Solar Ferry, bike sharing initiatives

Here's the latest on one new proposed project - the Roosevelt Island Bike Sharing plan. As reported in previous post, a B- Cycle Bicycle demonstration project was held August 24 on Roosevelt Island.

Image From Jonathan Kalkin

According to StreetsBlog:

As cities across the United States open new bike-sharing systems this year, New York City's commitment to launching bike-share remains cloudy. On the semi-independent Roosevelt Island, however, momentum is building to launch a small bike-sharing system with or without the rest of New York...

and:

... Wilder expects bike-sharing to be used for all kinds of trips, from commutes to errands and recreation. "We have a lot of bike riders on the island," she explained, noting that bike racks are consistently packed full.

Once the surveys gathered yesterday are compiled, said Wilder, "it's just figuring out the funding aspect of it." She estimated that setting up the program would cost the RIOC around $3,500 per bike, although membership and rental fees would repay some of that cost. "At first we'll take a hit, but in the end, it'll pay for itself within a two-year, three-year period," she said.

For now, Roosevelt Island is moving toward bike-sharing on its own. "It would be great if we could be the pilot location for New York City," said Wilder, who added that integration into a citywide bike-sharing system would be the preferred model. "But if New York City doesn't want to bring it," she shrugged, "folks can always come and this will be an attraction."

The "Wilder" mentioned in Streetsblog article in RIOC Community Relations Specialist Erica Wilder.

RIOC's VP Of Planning & Intergovernmental Affairs Rosina Abramason Taking A Ride on B-Cycle

The NY Daily News also reported on a possible Roosevelt Island Bicycle Sharing program:

... Roosevelt Island cyclists said they were intrigued by the idea of bike rental terminals.

"The bike is real smooth. It rides better than my bike," said Angel Roman, 34, a carpenter from Flushing who visits his uncle on the island twice a week.

Teacher Aly Figueiredo, who lives on Roosevelt Island, said she and would use the bikes for weekend trips to the farmer's market.

"I was thinking about buying a bike, but my apartment doesn't have storage," said Figueiredo, 24.

Because the Roosevelt Island Operating Corp. has autonomous jurisdiction over the island, B-Cycle was able to launch its experiment there without lengthy regulatory approval from other city or state agencies, Wilder said.

and:

"Here in Roosevelt Island it's ideal, because we have a number of bike paths and limited transportation," said Leslie Torres, president and CEO of the Roosevelt Island Operating Corp.

RIOC President/CEO At B-Cycle Bike Sharing Demonstration

Roosevelt Island Operating Corp (RIOC) Board Director Jonathan Kalkin adds:

It was really exciting to see people come out and test bike sharing on Roosevelt Island. I came out several times and the feedback was good. Many (myself included) had not been on a bike in years. It is true, you never forget, but it takes a minute or two to remember. I'm putting it on the agenda for our next Operations Committee meeting so we can examine the survey results and hopefully move forward with an RFP.

At RIOC we have to do a couple things to make this successful. Many studies including the Columbia, Hunter, and most recently the Cornell Landscape study I commissioned stated we need proper signage throughout the island and a well connected path. We have currently picked a firm to set this kind of program in motion. This would not only help people who bike, skate, run or rollerblade, but would make it easier for our disabled population to travel around the island.

I don't know if bike sharing is a commuting alternative, but it is a great way to exercise and bike around Southpoint and our other parks. It may develop into something else, but for now the feedback I got was for mostly recreational use. This is why I have been also looking into inexpensive or free long-term bike parking for people who use their bike everyday to go long distances. Ideally, we will have other areas of the city involved with their own bike sharing stations. Therefore, I have contacted our representatives to see if we can get some bike sharing partners. We used to be the place of new ideas and it is really great to see the island leading the way again.

RIOC Directors Kalkin and Faye Christian At Bike Sharing Demonstraton

Some more scenes at the Bike Sharing demonstation



and a slideshow of the event from RIOC.

RIOC is also taking a survey to see what you think of the Bike Sharing idea. Click here to fill it out.

So if you have an idea for a new urban planning project bring it to Roosevelt Island. You never know, we may be able to do it! The Welcome mat is open!!!!!

Assembly Member Micah Kellner's Constituent Office Hours Session Today Moved To Good Shepherd Community Center & 2009 CPB8 Interview

CPB 8 12/2009 Interview With Assembly Member Micah Kellner

If you are planning on attending Assembly Member Micah Kellner's constituent office hour seesion this afternoon be advised that the location has been moved to the Good Shepherd Community Center. According to RIOC:

Please be advised that constituent hours for assembly member Kellner’s office schedule for Thursday Sept 2nd will be from 3pm to 7pm and held at the lower level of the good Shepherd Community Center Chapel (543 Main Street). Constituent hours will resume next Thursday September 9th at 591 Main Street.

Roosevelt Island Women Charged More For Shirt Cleaning Than Men At Valet & Riverwalk Cleaners - But Not The Main Street Dry Cleaner

Image of Man's & Woman's Shirt From NY Times

A Manhattan Park resident was upset to find out that Valet Cleaners charges more for having a woman's shirt washed and ironed than a similar man's shirt. The issue was raised on the Manhattan Park Google Group:

I just tried to set up an account at Valet Cleaners in 30 River Rd, and found out they discriminate against women! They charge $1.50 to wash and iron a man's short sleeve white shirt, but charge $4.50 to wash and iron a woman's short sleeve white shirt!!!!

Isn't this illegal?!?! Even though it's farther away, I'll just stick with Roosevelt Island Cleaners on Main St. They charge the same price for men's and women's shirts. Maybe a boycott is in order. Has this happened to anyone else, or just me?

I spoke with the Riverwalk Cleaners and they told me the same thing that they charge more for cleaning a woman's shirts than for the equivalent man's shirt. The NY Times had an article about this.

For women across New York City and beyond, it basically amounts to being taken to the cleaners. Women’s shirts often cost much more to launder than men’s, even if they are smaller and made of the same cloth....

and explained the difference in pricing from the Cleaners perspective:

... Asked to explain the price discrepancy, several launderers cited the size and shape of their industrial pressing machines. They were built for men’s shirts, they said, explaining that the smaller, tapered women’s garments were often ill-fitted for the big, manly presses or were otherwise too delicate. That meant hand-pressing, which is more labor-intensive.

“They won’t fit the machine; they would rip,” said a woman at Alpian’s Garment Care in Midtown East, where it costs $9 to launder a woman’s shirt, $2.75 a man’s...

A second Manhattan Park resident reported:

I never noticed that problem, as I live alone, however I had another problem with Valet Cleaners.

I had a business meeting and had a suit cleaned for that meeting. I [told] the man there I needed it by 4:00PM in 2 days. He promised to have it delivered to me by 2:00.PM.

I could not find the man in Valet Cleaners, nor my suit, unitl 5:00 PM the day it was promised, after my business meeting. The man had nothing to say and he had collected the money from me before hand. I am sorry, but in America business is just not acceptable that way.

Another resident wrote:

We also had terrible, terrible experiences with them. My wife left her jacket to be cleaned and they shrunk it! What kind of laundry professional is that? Also, did you know they use the machines in the building? You have to compete with them during the day to get your laundry done. And they use a lot of machines! Just absurd. Don't use them. The one at Riverwalk is way superior.

and a suggestion for an off Island cleaner:

If you have the opportunity to get off the island, I use a cleaners in Queens on 21st St and Broadway. They are great I have no complaints. Broadway Cleaners. I have been using them for a few years now. I started off using Valet Cleaners and I thought they were ripping us off.

The Dryclean's Blog explains the Cleaner's perspective:

Why are women's blouses more expensive to clean than men's business shirts?

The reason cleaners charge more for women’s blouses than men’s business shirts is because they are passing along their increased cost of production to their customers. Depending on the cleaner’s equipment, it costs them between three and four times the labor expense to properly “finish” a women’s blouse compared to a men’s shirt. Here’s why…

The biggest production cost for a cleaner is their labor expense, the money they pay their employees. Most of their labor goes into the “finishing” of a garment. Finishing is a combination of machine pressing and hand ironing. Most garments require a combination of machine pressing and hand ironing to achieve the desired finish. Many cleaners have special “assembly line style” machines that can finish the typical men’s business shirts without any hand ironing. These machines greatly reduce the time and labor needed to finish a shirt compared to a women’s blouse which sometimes requires as much as 100% hand ironing to achieve the proper finish. Depending on their equipment and the skill of the presser, most cleaners can finish three to four men’s business shirts in the same time it takes to finish one women’s blouse...

You Tube Video On How To Press A Shirt

Does that explanation resolve the issue?

Fun Times With Trivia Tryst At Roosevelt Island's Riverwalk Bar & Grill - RIRA Delegates Win Big

Image of Trivia Tryst Logo

Last night was another fun time at the Riverwalk Bar & Grill Tuesday Trivia Tryst Night.

I must admit to feeling some frustration during the evening as my aging brain cells struggle to recall answers to trivia question hiding way, way, way deep inside my skull. Sometimes, the frustration is alleviated as an answer, even better, a correct answer, manages to find it's way out of my mouth and onto the answer sheet. A drink often helps - even if it's only Ginger Beer.

Anyway, last night's game was won by the team of Sphincter Wink composed of Manhattan Park RIRA delegates Ava and Joe together with their friends John and Skylar

and here's is their winning Trivia Tryst Award Slip.


Congratulations on your victory.

I am also happy to report that after an embarrassing last place finish the previous week, my team of me and B came in third of thirteen and got 10 bucks off our tab. Great job B!

Why not come by next Tuesday for Trivia Night and have some fun. Maybe former champs Crazy 8's will be there to challenge for the Trivia Title.

Hurricane Earl Likely To Miss New York City But Is Roosevelt Island Prepared For A Direct Hit?

WNYC is reporting:

Hurricane Earl is threatening the East Coast, but New York is not likely to get a direct hit. Meteorologists still predict high winds and heavy rains starting this Thursday night.

The city's Office of Emergency Management Commissioner, Joseph Bruno, says residents from Coney Island to the Rockaways should be especially vigilant:

"At this point, we don't see any reason to ask people to move," Bruno says. "If something should change, as soon as that happens, we will start notifying people and we will utilize the resources of the city to ensure that an orderly opportunity to leave was possible."...

Roosevelt Island Resident's Association (RIRA) President Frank Farance sends the following message to the community:

I asked PSD Director Guerra and the RI CERT Team Chief Howard Polivy about the planning for the hurricane at the end of the week. I received the following response from Mr. Guerra, who said it is OK to share this with the community. Separately, Mr. Polivy let me know that NYC OEM (Office of Emergency Management) does not plan on any deployment of the CERT Team this weekend. Sounds like we have everything covered.

Roosevelt Island Public Safety Director Keith Guerra replied to Mr. Farance as follows:

Thank you for your email. As you may or may not know, I am in constant contact with the folks at OEM, and the updated information I have received is that, as of right now, they do not expect a significant impact to New York City. The Hurricane Accuracy Service gives a pretty accurate outlook (within 3 days), and Long Island is the area in line to receive more than a glancing blow. My contacts will update me sometime tomorrow morning. We are aware that the CERT Team is available and we will coordinate with Mr. Polivy if we get any information indicating that more planning is needed.

What would happen if a Hurricane made a direct hit on New York City? Here's the scary scenario.

You Tube Video From the Daily Green

Roosevelt Island 360 found this informative video of a Hurricane Emergency Preparedness Presentation for Roosevelt Island sponsored by Community Board 8's Public Safety Committee held in 2006.


In the event there is a need to be evacuated from Roosevelt Island to a shelter, the NYC Office of Emergency Management recommends Newcomer High School in Long Island City at 28-01 41 st Avenue.

Image From NYC OEM

What Does It Cost To Advertise Inside The Roosevelt Island Red Bus? RIOC Has A New Pricing Policy

Image From RIOC

Roosevelt Island businesses and non - profit organizations expressed unhappiness recently with RIOC's pricing policy for advertisements placed inside the Red Bus. RIOC has responded to these concerns.


I sent the following message to RIOC Vice President of Operations Fernando Martinez:

I understand there have been some changes in RIOC policy regarding Island organizations and non profits advertising on the Red Bus.

Can you please describe what is the new Red Bus advertising policy.

RIOC Community Relations Specialist Erica Wilder replied:

We recently modified the current policy for non profits and island organizations to advertise on the Red Bus. The original fee of $100 has been waived and groups are now allowed to advertise for free.

However, groups are required to adhere to the following guidelines when submitting ads:

1) There will be a limit of 7 ads, per ad period, per group which will be dated once received. One ad will be posted on each of the seven Red Buses for an advertising period of up to 2 months. Ads which are promoting an event that expire before the 2 month ad period will be removed the day after the event takes place.

2) All ads are required to be size 11" x 46" and laminated.

3) Completed ads should be submitted to the RIOC office, 591 Main Street, Attn: Erica Wilder. Once the advertisements are received and approved, ads will be posted the next business day.

As for all other businesses, the price to advertise for the two month period will be $160.

UPDATE 9/4 -In response to a reader's comment I followed up with a question to Ms. Wilder:

Thanks for the information on the bus sign advertising.

Can you please advise why the signage size must be 11 X 46?

A reader commented on this post that it is very difficult to get signage of this size made up and some Island organizations would prefer the option to have 11 X 17 signs as was previously the case.

Is that possible? If not, why?

Thanks again.

Ms. Wilder replied:

As you know, bus advertising is a great way for any organization or business to promote their product or event. The 11" x 17" ads were difficult to read when seated especially when the Red Bus is crowded. Most passengers were unable to see the small print on the ads which most likely resulted in ads being overlooked. The 11" x 46" ad size (plus or minus an inch or so) is the standard size used by the MTA and most transit systems around the country. The size gives advertisers the opportunity to spread their message over a larger surface area with larger text and pictures without having to crowd information on a small page. As with the MTA, advertisers are allowed to combine ads to make up the required size that we request. This will offset the costs of printing an 11" x 46" ad at any local copy center.

I hope this answers your question.

UPDATE 9/7 - Image of 11 X 46 Red Bus sign.