New Parking Spaces Available On Roosevelt Island, Additional 30 Spots With Wireless Sensors Added To Southtown's Riverwalk Area - Is More Street Parking Good Or Bad For Roosevelt Island?
New Roosevelt Island West Channel Parking Spaces
First came the street markings,
and now Roosevelt Island's West Channel Road is a one-way north bound street with approximately 30 new parking spots
in Southtown from 405 Main Street to the Blackwell Turnaround.
Cars have started to use the new parking spots on the West Channel road in Southtown. However, there is not yet any signage indicating what the rules are for parking on these spots.Mr. Martinez replied:
Can you clarify what the current rules for parking in these spaces are, 1 hour, 2 hours etc and if overnight parking at these spaces are permitted? Also, once the signage is in place what are the parking rules for these spaces.
We removed the barricades in order to open up the spaces. We are waiting for the parking meters to arrive. For the short term and on a temporary basis (until the meters arrive) we are going to install signs that state "free temporary 2 hour maximum parking". The 2 hours will be strictly enforced.These new parking spots will be equipped and enforced with a new innovative wireless parking sensor system from Streetsline described in previous post.
I am sure that Riverwalk and Rivercross car owners, as well as the Riverwalk merchants, will be happy with the additional parking spots but non-car owners may not be overjoyed with the increased car traffic. Supporters of the added parking spots claim that it will decrease the total amount of driving and pollution since there will not be as much driving around looking for open parking spaces. We shall see.
28 comments :
The parking spaces in front of the building entrances of South Town make sense. I don't get the ones in the back, though. It really destroyed that area. It was so nice to walk to the subway with the river on one side and green and trees on the other. Crazy!
I agree. Those 30 spots are a very poor use of those areas. A long and beautiful vista is a high price to pay for 30 spots (and the ugly gaps for fire hydrants etc.) and more foot traffic to trample on public lawn and plantings. There are so much more space that can be used north of the steam station (across/south of the Fireman's Field) and all around the back of the hospital facing Queens.
Whose cars are blocking the view? Tanks? You live in NYC! There are 9 buildings going up with only a handful of spaces for 2000 apartments. I guess we should also take down the queensboro bridge because it blocks our views.
I agree. We should knock down all the buildings here and all move into blackwell house like nature intended. Is there a way we can block the manhattan skyline and shut down fdr drive? It reminds me I live in New York City and depresses me.
I get the sense that people think they are entitled to parking spaces for their cars. Yes, we live in NYC and since when does it mean in this city that more buildings mean more offerings to park your car?
We are talking about changing something that used to be nice to just another street in NYC. Bring on the cars. Yeah! We can't have enough metal and steel littered all around.
Hi
I've lived here for ove 30 years so therefore I have total say over anything from what stores go here to where people can park. I hate anything new or anything that doesn't benefit me directly.
Long time resident
Nope. We don't have a say but we are allowed to express our dissatisfaction. Oh, and I've been living here for only 7 years and I own a car. I still think cars parking all over the island make it an ugly place. I understand that this is not everybody's priority and convenience trumps most everything. Sad as there is really absolute no reason to destroy this island.
When plans are made piecemeal without forethought the place is bound to deteriorate
You know what's making this island look bad. How about the 70's style broken down WIRE buildings filled a bunch of people living off the taxpayers paycheck. Maybe if the went to work in the morning they would see the need for parking.
I think cars parking everywhere is worse than the WIRE buildings.
There is a big parking garage right off the bridge. There is no need for any street parking except for loading and unloading. It's is just for convenience and an additional revenue source for the RIOC.
I have a direct view of the cars parked on the new spots. Don't believe RIOC when they said the 2 hour limit is strictly enforced.
By the way, no one living in NYC should ever feel entitled to have a parking space.
Obviously they are not going to enforce a time limit until the signs go up. That would be unfair during the holiday. As long as its enforced for short term parking I'm fine with it. Saying that cars block the views of the city is kinda weird as you would need a pretty big car to do that. The few restaurants we have need all the support they can get on our island and in the tough economy. It may not be everyones cup of tea, but I think we can all recognize that some things change and that short term parking is a nice feature with some good and bad, but lets be supportive to our neighbors and business for the sake of the holiday.
This is not about blocking the sight per se. It's about the intrusion of the car into more and more parts of our lives. It's more philosophical and psychological than physical. Something many unfortunately don't care for.
What does the holiday have to do with anything? There is a parking garage for all the visitors on this island. It's big. It's got plenty of space. You can leave your car in there for as long as you want w/o running to the meter. How about some exercise in form of walking after a good Thanksgiving meal?
Garage is very expensive, especially for one-time visitors.
Complain all you want. The extra short term parking is here to stay, so just deal with it. Remember, it's short term parking for loading, unloading or getting a bite to eat or something.
Plus, the spaces are not only for island residents but visitors who wish to patronize the businesses here.
It is not very likely that we will have visitors who want to patronize the businesses here so much that they will require parking on the West Road south of the circle.
RIOC's unilateral idea of changing half of the West Road south of the circle is an abomination.
PSD has not been able to enforce parking restrictions on Main Street so probably will not do so on West Road.
The whole concept also calls into doubt any consideration of creat-ing a nice promenade around the is-land for pedestrians and bicyc-lists (which would be a another tourist attraction).
The walk to/from the subway and tram stations has become like a walk on a Manhattan Street.
RIOC should lower the price of short time parking at Motorgate and simplify/enforce the short term street parking rules instead of putting vehicles all over the Island.
If this is not done it means
"Riverwalk Interests Overrule Community"
Actually the spaces are for short term parking. Sensors are being installed to make sure they are used for that. Also I read here that they want to lower the prices in motorgate to encourage parking there as well. The hardest thing for businesses is having no short term parking. Its a death sentence. Try inviting a family with a car for a bite to eat on RI. Try inviting anyone to this oasis for anything and the RI parking tax at the garage or lack of parking anywhere makes it impossible. You can have a family of 5 park somewhere else and pay a cab or take a subway but that adds 20 bucks either way. As a result you have a ghost town for shops in an already bad economy and current businesses threatened. Also lets remember it was changed to one way for safety reasons as the area near the subway was an accident waiting to happen.
I find it funny that the same millionaires that pay only a small surcharge to live in the WIRE buildings decades after they needed the help are screaming bloody murder when some people think they are entitled to a few parking spaces for the buildings that subsidize that same affordable housing. That's the abomination.
Uh, plenty of Manhattan Park, Octagon, and even Southtown residents are complaining about those parking spaces. Businesses in NYC have adapted to survive without guaranteed parking.
Also that argument above about inviting families who would come by car to RI will think twice to come because of parking is definitely not my experience. I've never had an invitation turned down because of parking. Never once. Am I really the only one?
" it was changed to one way for safety reasons as the area near the subway was an accident waiting to happen".
That was caused by two other decisions by RIOC which should be revoked:
The East Road curve could be straightened by reducing the lawn beautifying Riverwalk.
The bus stop should have been placed in front of the subway station (which is now an area for loading and unloading goods) instead of being placed in the curve.
nYC businesses haven't adapted to not having parking. They have millions of local people around them. RI is landlocked and apparently filled with anonymous people who are sure about everything but know very little. But you are right we should plant more trees and rollerskate to work and pay for life with unicorns and rainbows. The automobile was invented a long time ago. I suggest you get used to it. You live in shadow of the one of the largest power plants on planet earth and you are concerned with the automobile. Hilarious.
Correction to the above comment
Main Street has become an area in the shadow of signs primarily for car drivers (crowned by a 15 mph sign just before a bus stop and a pedestrian crossing. PSD appears to be overwhelmed and allows many cars to break the rules.
"largest power plants on planet earth"??? Hyperbole much? Big Alice doesn't even make the Top 100 list of largest electric plants in the US.
RI is still NYC and everybody who comes here as a tourist or somebody who really wants to eat dinner at the sushi place or the bar does not expect any parking.
There is really no good reason why cars are allowed on RI except for two reasons: a) American love their cars and b) too many people are lazy and love convenience over anything else. No matter the costs - and you cannot argue that the car does not have a huge social cost associated with it.
Current Southtown parking enforcement is a joke. PSD officers are either poorly trained or given orders to not issue violations to cars with fraudulent, illegal and laughable parking placards. MTA, NYPD, DOE, NJ DA and even restaurant menus are used for street parking for long hours, many overnight. None of the 'official placards' are for offical business, an illegal use of them. Official cars get official tickets, let them have the PVB sort them out, not the PSD.
Until the new trial meters are installed it wouldn't be fair for PSD to ticket the cars there. The temporary parking signs call for no more than 2 hour parking. Since there are so many complainers, I say use chalk and ticket the cars now. Islanders complain the PSD should write tickets, and those who get tickets complain too. They can't win.
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