Report From RIOC President Leslie Torres - Roosevelt Island Red Bus Operations, Community Transportation Meeting, Octagon Fuel Cell, Tennis Court Times, BBQ Grills, Roosevelt Island Day & More

Image of March 2011 Morning Red Bus Bunching at the Octagon

Roosevelt Island Operating Corp (RIOC) President Lesie Torres sends the following report to Roosevelt Island residents.

I hope you enjoyed the Memorial Day weekend and the official summer kick-off.

Summer is a season to have fun at the parks across the Island. I’ve included below information on some Island activities, and you can check our website and Facebook page for more information.

 Image of Transportation Manager Cy Opperman at Red Bus Stop From Jonathan Kalkin at Yfrog

Running the Red Bus: Cyril “Cy” Opperman

Two months ago, recognizing that we needed to improve the management and the service on our red bus line, I hired Cyril “Cy” Opperman, a 31-year veteran of bus operations, to head up our bus operation.

Even before he officially joined the RIOC staff, Cy was riding the Red Buses to get a feel for the customer experience, safety procedures and general bus operations.

Now that he’s on board, Cy comes in at about 5:30 in the morning to provide oversight of the morning rush hour, which starts with the first two buses at 5:45am and three others at 6:45am. In case you are wondering, as I was, Cy wakes up at 3am and goes jogging before coming in to the office (he gets 5 hours of sleep, which he’s been doing for most of the past 31 years).

Cy spends the rest of the morning traveling the route, talking to passengers, and residents, and overseeing the dispatchers, all in an effort to improve operations.

Improving Bus Safety

Safety is Cy’s first priority. To that end, he oversees a daily safety inspection of all main bus components. Cy’s also making sure all our bus operators are properly trained. All drivers will now be required to take a road test, physical, and written exam on an annually basis, twice as frequently as is required by the State.

Ensuring On-Time Bus Arrival

Cy is also working on getting buses on an on-time arrival schedule that best meets residents’ needs.

Over the past few weeks, Cy managed a survey to track ridership and determine how to best dispatch and route buses during the morning rush. He is now conducting a pilot program to assess if routing all morning buses via at The Octagon will improve service. The pilot includes maintaining the current Octagon express bus and two Octagon local buses and adding The Octagon stop for the 2 remaining local buses that currently commence at the Firehouse.

Preliminary pilot results show that the extension of the Firehouse Local to the Octagon provides improved service for The Octagon residents without impacting riders at boarding at Manhattan Park.

Check out our Facebook and website for updates on any changes to the bus schedule. We will also send out information via our email alert system.

Cy plans to tackle the PM rush hour service next.

Community Meeting on Island Transportation

If you are interested in hearing more about the Red Bus operations, or other Island transportation issues, please join us on Thursday, June 16th for a community meeting on island transportation issues. The meeting will be held at the Good Shepherd Community Center at 7pm.

Octagon Officially Powered by Clean, Green Technology

Last week, Becker + Becker, developers of The Octagon, hosted a ceremony to officially launch the cutting-edge fuel cell that now powers the building. The technology comes courtesy of a grant from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority.

Roosevelt Island has always been at the forefront of adopting green, clean technology. You can see my remarks from the ribbon cutting on RIOC’s Facebook page.

Tennis Court Time Available

As I was walking to The Octagon ceremony, I passed by our beautiful tennis courts and was reminded how wonderful it is to have these courts on the Island. While tennis season has started, it’s not too late to get your season pass. Passes cost $100 per person and give you access to 6 courts on a first come, first serve basis. For more information.

Island Boot Camp a Hit

Following Health and Fitness day, we held an Island Boot Camp class at Sportspark. Boot Camp fitness classes are a great way to get fit, since they combine several different forms of exercise into one fun group class. Not surprisingly, most of the 18 residents that attended gave the class high marks.

Mike Smith, Director of Parks and Recreation, is working to increase the types of classes offered at Sportspark. Email him suggestions at msmith@rioc.com

BBQ on the Island

I know there will be many Island residents ready for a good cook-out this summer. As you may know, BBQs are available at Lighthouse Park for you to use on a first come, first serve basis. We just ask that you use them safely, keep the park clean, and follow a few other rules posted at the park.

Roosevelt Island Day:

Come out on June 11th and show your Roosevelt Island community pride by helping to keep the Island green and beautiful at this fun FREE event! Activities begin at 9AM with an ongoing tradition of community-wide flower planting. Starting at 12PM there will be more to do and see, including amusements, games and rides for the entire family, and the popular petting zoo. The event concludes at 6PM with a concert on the Good Shepherd Plaza.

Sponsored by Roosevelt Island Youth Program, Urban American, Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation, Island House, Island Kids, PS/IS 217 PTA, Rivercross, RIRA, RISA, RIVAA, Roosevelt Island Living Library, and Westview.

A version of the RIOC President's column also appears on RIOC's web site and the June 4, 2011 Main Street WIRE.