Friday, June 26, 2009

Roosevelt Island Subway & Tram Bike Racks Can Now Be Used For Late Night Storage - If Preregistered With Public Safety Department

Image of Subway Bike Rack With Enforcement Notice From Roosevelt Island 360

According to the RIOC Advisory Web Page:
Bike Rack Advisory

For All Bike Racks On Roosevelt Island
There Will Be No Bicycle Storage Between the Hours of 2:00AM and 5:00AM.
Bicycles Found In Violation Will Be Removed By The Roosevelt Island Public Safety Department.
Well, that is about to change. RIOC has modified the Roosevelt Island overnight bicycle storage policy recently implemented in which any bicycle found at the Tram or Subway bike racks between the hours of 2-5 AM would be removed, taken to the Public Safety Office and later, if not abandoned, claimed by the owner. Both Streetsblog and Roosevelt Island 360 reported extensively on this policy. From Streetsblog:
According to an e-mail from Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation President Steve Shane, however, enforcement will not begin until next week. At that point, any bike found on a rack between 2 and 5 a.m. will be confiscated, says the RIOC, and owners will have 48 hours to claim them before they are donated to a thrift store.

Subway Bike Rack This Morning

RIOC will now allow overnight storage of bicycles at the Tram and Subway Bike Racks if they are preregistered with the Public Safety Department. In response to my inquiry, RIOC President Steve Shane advises:
We are not regulating bike racks other than at the Tram & Subway. If preregistered with Public Safety, won't be removed. The intent is to clear the derelict & long term storage bicycles so that commuters will have plenty of parking space and thus be encouraged to use their bikes, for all the appropriate health & ecological reasons.
Roosevelt Island Public Safety Director Keith Guerra adds:
There is no overnight storage of bicycles on bike racks owned and managed by RIOC. Bike racks owned by the buildings themselves are managed by them. As Mr. Shane indicated, if someone needs to lock their bike to one of the racks (i.e. the Tram or Subway) during the hours of 2:00AM and 5:00AM, they may advise the Desk Officer at Public Safety and that bike will not be removed.
So, if you work late at night or are just out having fun and use your bicycle to commute to the Tram or Subway, let the Public Safety Department know and your bicycle should be there when you return. It is not clear if one must notify the Public Safety Department on a daily basis if you are going to use the bike racks during late night hours or there will be some sort of weekly or monthly registration.

Happy Late night pedaling.

UPDATE - 4:15 PM- For clarification purposes, Roosevelt Island Public Safety Director Guerra advises that bikes may be locked up at the tram and subway bike racks during the 2-5 AM hours but there has been no change in the policy that prohibits overnight storage of bikes on a regular basis. The intent of this policy is to allow late night commuters to use the bike racks, not to allow residents to use these bike racks as a permanent storage area as some have previously been doing. As of now, contact the Public Safety Department each day you plan on having your bicycle locked up at the Subway or Tram bike racks during the 2-5 AM hours and it will not be removed. If you need your bike locked up during these hours on a regular basis, advise the Public Safety Department of your situation. They will attempt to work out a solution.

Mr. Guerra also reported that a total of 26 bicycles have been confiscated and only three were claimed. The unclaimed bicycles were given to the Thrift shop.

11 comments :

RI 360 said...

I saw that blurb from Steve Shane in this weekend's RIOC column about registering one bike with PSD. We had something similiar when I lived off island where you are given and ID sticker which is affixed to the bike to ID that it was registered.

As time goes by and I see how many or rather how few commuters park their bikes during the morning at the racks I am convinced that while it did clear out semi-abandoned bikes this was more an aesthetic play than for commuters. I see at most 5 to 7 bikes that commute daily.

Anonymous said...

Seems like a little contradiction here. You say "Roosevelt Island Subway & Tram Bike Racks Can Now Be Used For Late Night Storage..." But, you quote the Diector of Public Safety as saying, "There is no overnight storage of bicycles on bike racks owned and managed by RIOC." I think the key word here is STORAGE. I called PSD and they will afford a courtesy to those who use the bike racks during the late night hours for what they are intended... Not for overnight STORAGE.

ROOSEVELT ISLANDER said...

Yes, you are right. I should have said they could be "locked up' instead of storage.

Anonymous said...

Maybe you should change your headline for this section.... It is misleading.

ROOSEVELT ISLANDER said...

Once anything is posted on the blog it does not get changed other than for some extraordinary error. That is not the case here.

In almost all cases, if anything is incorrect, unclear or needs clarification an update will be used to correct.

In this instance, the headline is correct and not misleading. RIOC's own advisory at the top of the post states:

"There Will Be No Bicycle Storage Between the Hours of 2:00AM and 5:00AM."

My headline only reflects that RIOC's storage policy has changed to allow storage during the overnight hours.

If there is any confusion, I updated to be more clear.

Bike Racks said...

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Bike Racks said...

Guerra advises that bikes may be locked up at the tram and subway bike racks during the 2-5 AM hours but there has been no change in the policy that prohibits overnight storage of bikes on a regular basis.At Bazaark we bring solutions on a variety of quality items: from Kitchenware, Outdoor Furniture to Garage Storage Solutions, Bike Racks & more

Unknown said...

I hope that in the near future, residents can have their bikes stored at the bike racks. If the bikes aren't a hazard, then I don't see what the issue is.

Speaking of changing something with the RIOC, I emailed them and suggested that the Red bus start service at 5:30am or 5:45am for those who have to be at work in Manhattan between 6:30am and 7am.

I don't know how realistic the request is, but I find it to be within reason.

This gives leeway for delays that can occur due to weather and what not.

I would like to hear people's thoughts about this.

Lockers said...

According to my information a motorcycle locker or bicycle box is a locker or box in which just one bicycle can be placed and kept in. This is very safe thing for anyone who has bike.

Bike racks said...

This is nice to hear that RIOC will now allow overnight storage of bicycles, I liked this bicycle holder. This kind of bicycle shelves is useful to publics bikes security.

455Resident said...

The bike rack at the subway is an eyesore. Discarded bikes and abandoned wheels still locked to the rack litter this area. Several bikes have been there for months(see the bike with the gray tarp). Public Safety does nothing to police this area. The rack should be available for people who really need it and use it for commuting.

Regarding Public Safety, this little boys and girls club needs to be cleaned up. Keith Guerra has completely lost control of his department. I never see them on patrol anymore. The only thing I've observed is them hanging out in front of the office on Main Street eating. Is being obese a job qualification? How can they possibly do their job if they can barely walk and carry their own weight?