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,

  

then the barriers

 

 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.

  

I asked Roosevelt Island Operating Corp (RIOC) Vice President of Operations Fernando Martinez:

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.

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.

Mr. Martinez replied:

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.