Roosevelt Island Red Bus Schedule To Queens Subway and Manhattan During June - December 2009 Tram Shutdown
Access RI, the Hunter College team of students studying Roosevelt Island transportation issues, reports on the November 11 Transportation Committee meeting of Community Planning Board 8 concerning the Roosevelt Island Tram Modernization Project. According to RI Access:
...The tram will be out of service from June 22, 2009 to mid-December 2009.And:
During the tram closure, RIOC will be running Red Buses during the morning rush hour to Queensboro Plaza. Also Red Buses will be running service to/from Manhattan between 10 am to 4 pm and 7 pm to Midnight.I asked RIOC President Steve Shane to confirm and if there would be Red Bus service to F Train station at 21st Street in Queens. He replied:
All true with minor clarification. No F train stop at 21st Street. Weekday service into Manhattan starts at 10AM, hourly, from front of Gristedes, returning on the half hour. Last bus to Manhattan in the weekday afternoon is at 3:00PM, returning at 3:30PM. Weekend service hourly on the hour from the loop in front of Gristede's. All pick up on the half hour in Manhattan across from the Tram on the east side of 2nd ave, north side of 6oth street.As to weekend hours for the Red Bus, Mr Shane answers:
Probably 8AM RI to Manhattan to 12:30AM last to RI from Manhattan weekends. As ridership warrants.Note that one Tram side will be in operation before the other.
Present plan is June 22, 2009 until December 19, 2009, with one side opening December 5, 2009.
UPDATE - 9:45 PM - More information on Roosevelt Island Red Bus schedule during Tram outage from Mr. Shane:
Our present thinking is:
Weekdays: 6AM to 9:30AM half hourly to Queens Plaza. 10AM to 3PM hourly to Manhattan, returning on the 1/2 hour, resuming 7PM until 11PM.
Weekends: 8AM to 12PM to Manhattan, departing on the hour, returning on half hour, last from Manhattan at 12:30 AM Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights.
All depart Gristedes loop, return from 2nd & 60th.
5 comments :
Does anybody actually believe that the new tram can be built in six months? How much of the current tram is going to be reused? How much needs to be teared down?
DO they understand the subway system is going to be operating on a reduced schedule? Is this really necessary? I understand it was a politically correct response to the tram-hanging incident a few years ago, but it is a rather extravagant political face-saver if not necessary for public safety. Is it?
It is going to be a little more inconvenient for many of us but I think revamping the tram is a very good thing. Have you seen the sad state the whole tram machinery is in? If the money is here this will be the one and only shot to get this all fixed once and for all. If we don't do it now who knows what has to happen before money for things like that will be available.
I agree that the tram should be fixed - overhauled - as it is sadly rusted etc. If it can really be overhauled in 5-6 months, then Pres. Shane will truly deserve a medal! Perhaps he can closely oversee the work to make sure they continually work on the project, of course as safely as possible.
Re the Red Bus: There are many who would take the red bus back to Queens starting @ 6 PM, rather than again face the misery of the F train. Perhaps consideration could be given to beginning the return trips from the City from 6 PM on instead of 7 PM. I know RIOC would prefer to run the buses to the City during non-rush hour times; however, the bus trip is quite brief and the chances it will encounter heavy or stop-&-go traffic in the PM not that great, even starting @ 6 instead of 7.
Many people actually would be willing to pay the full transit fare to avoid taking the train back from the City, which was the system instituted after the tram breakdown. We paid the full transit fare to ride in from the City, but many gladly did so to avoid the train.
I also took the bus when they were running them from RI to the City during rush hour. This run is not that practical as there are bad delays, so Pres. Shane is probably correct about not running buses to 59 St during AM rush hr. The delays in that direction start in Queens, and it is often stop-&-go over the Bridge.
Finally, if China was able to construct so many impressive gigantic building projects for the Olympics in a relatively brief time, then NY should be able to arrange some sort of a hydrofoil ferry or water taxi for RI so residents can have an alternative form of transportation when the tram is down, instead of having to fight our way onto the F train. Why doesn't the Water Taxi operator simply add an additional stop for RI? We already have a couple of "pier"-type areas -- the overlook/pier at the meditation steps, and the prow-type construction near the Octagon. How expensive or difficult is it to build a regular pier if that is what is needed. Then, all that would be required would be to build some sort of kiosk or ticket office, and perhaps provide an area similar to a bus-stop shelter where riders could wait out of the elements. The taxi could pick up perhaps once an hr and be part of a regular run back & forth across the E. River to several debarkation points in Manhattan. Population density is picking up along the Greenpoint, LIC, and Williamsburg waterfronts, so there would probably be additional riders from there. The taxi could make stops in these neighborhoods and then pick up RI riders before making stops in Manhattan. The trip would have to be competitively priced to insure continuing ridership, perhaps part of the metrocard system. Isn't there any way the commercial potential of this service could be brought to the attn of the Water Taxi, and whatever City permits necessary expedited due to the impending lack of tram service.
I'm certain once the tram is out of commission in '09 that many, many tram riders would happily take the water taxi to the City instead, so we are talking about large numbers of potential riders for a ferry, from RI alone; coupled with no doubt many who would welcome a ferry alternative, especially in areas served by the 7 in LIC, as the 7 is the worst in crowding (even worse than the F). The residents of the new hi-rises by Gantry State Park in LIC are already adjacent to piers (in the Park), why not run a ferry from the park, it could then conveniently cross to RI make 1 or 2 stops on RI, then hop over to Manhattan.
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