Citibike And More Bicycle Riders Coming To Roosevelt Island - RIOC & RIRA Looking For Solutions To Improve Bike Safety Including Go Slow Signage, Separate Striped Lanes For Bikes & Pedestrians, PSD Enforcement Of Rules & Dismounting Of Bikes In Certain Areas

Reported last Tuesday that installation of 4 Citibike Docking stations with approximately 72 bicycles will begin at the end of June with service starting in July.

Reaction from Roosevelt Island residents varied - some supported:

• CitiBike stations will be a plus for residents to easily get around and will allow those coming to the island the opportunity to get off their bikes and shop on the island if our stores and restaurants are ever allowed to open.
• This is excellent news.
• While I think it’s time we get Citi Bike, four stations is just ridiculous.

 Others have safety concerns:

• The quantity of bikes on the island is getting out of hand and dangerous.
• I was walking tonight and was kind of being harassed by four city bike riders. They ride and get really close to you as they pass throwing one off balance!
  
• Damn there’s already tons of these guys over here. Is there anyway we can stop this?

And some suggestions for implementing a safe Roosevelt Island bike plan:

If we’re going to allow an increase in bike traffic then there needs to be proper management.

Dedicated MARKED 2way bike lanes / proper signage. We have to implement this now and not wait until after the fact. It’s harder to implement boundaries when you allow a free for all to take over. NO bikes on the Main Street sidewalk. Also, no bikes on the Queens side path between Riverwalk Point and South Point. The pathway is too narrow. For this section the dedicated bike path should direct bikers to Main St to East Main Street.

It can work with proper leadership and management.

The bikes are coming, so we need solutions.

To be honest we need to also work on reducing the number of vehicles. If you are just visiting the Island—the lookie loos, you should park at Motorgate. From there, you can walk/bike/red bus. This is NYC. I don’t understand why walking is so offensive.

We have to take control of our home.

I wish RI was a gated community. I digress!

The Roosevelt Island Operating Corp (RIOC) addressed bike safety issue in their June 17 Advisory:

Bike Safety On Roosevelt Island

As we look forward to having Citi Bike on Roosevelt Island in July, we must also take steps to improve bike safety. In addition to stepping up enforcement, the Public Safety Department is also in the process of ordering new signage that will remind bike riders to obey speed limits, be mindful of crosswalks and to be careful of those around them. We will share these signs with you once they arrive.

Follow along with this virtual bike ride on the streets, promenade and sidewalks of  Roosevelt Island



During June 2 Roosevelt Island Operating Corp (RIOC) Operations Advisory Committee video conference meeting, I asked:

Residents have been concerned over the increased number of bike riders, mostly appears to be visitors, riding on sidewalks and waterfront promenade creating unsafe conditions for pedestrians, including elderly and kids.

What can RIOC do about creating safe sidewalks and pathways. Signage is not enough. Will PSD officers be stationed outside to monitor safe bike riding.

RIOC President Susan Rosenthal answered that RIOC is putting together a team with the Public Safety Department and Roosevelt Island Residents Association (RIRA) Interim President David Lawson to find a solution for bicycle riding safety issues including signage and striping the Promenades for separate bike and pedestrian sections.



Here's an excerpt from June 14 statement by RIRA's David Lawson on proposed Roosevelt Island bike safety practices :

... In this changing environment, it is necessary to raise public awareness on safety risks on the promenades, with delineated bike and pedestrian lanes, rules, signs and markings on the ground. Speed limits for bikes will be instituted, visible and enforced on the new bike lanes at crossings and dangerous points, identified by the community. Such priority safety measures will help better regulate pedestrian and bicycle traffic. RIOC and RIRA have been working together for this. These immediate temporary arrangements will be in place in the coming weeks and a more definitive comprehensive plans subsequently implemented.

We are a small, dynamic and growing community, which also attracts non-resident bikers and tourists not all familiar with the island surroundings. The absence of bike and pedestrian lanes and clear marking and signage for bikes, hence, become an even greater safety hazard. Roosevelt island is constantly changing and must embrace progress and modernity, adapt to new realities, while preserving its natural environment and authenticity. Bike and pedestrian lanes are an imperative to protect every Roosevelt islander. In addition to providing an alternate means of transportation and relief for the Island public transportation system, biking is also good physical exercise, clean, ecologically friendly as it helps reduce CO2 emissions.

During June 4 RIOC Board of Directors Meeting, bike safety was discussed by RIOC President Susan Rosenthal, RIOC Board Director David Kraut and Public Safety Chief Kevin Brown. RIOC Director David Kraut suggested a broader discussion within the Roosevelt Island community about bike policy may be needed.

PSD Chief Kevin Brown noted an increase in bike riders during the last few months of the Pandemic. Chief Brown has instructed PSD officers to be more visible on the street and to advise bike riders of the rules and regulations for safe and slow bike riding.  Chief Brown added there will be greater enforcement of bike rules and regulations. Also, Chief Brown said that signage will be placed in certain areas that will instruct bike riders to dismount and walk with their bicycles.



Here's full statement by RIRA Interim President David Lawson on Roosevelt Island bike safety:

The COVID-19 pandemic is unfolding many issues we may have to grapple with for quite some time. As the city is reopening, and commuters are not encouraged to ride the subway to respect physical distancing, people are riding their cars; the level of traffic jams and gridlock promised to be unprecedented and nightmarish in the city, with a tremendous impact on the environment. Meanwhile, the bike sales in New York, the US and worldwide are at record highs, as commuters look for ways to escape mass transit.

On Roosevelt Island, public transportation was already under tremendous pressure, with the chaotic F-train schedule and crowded Red buses and trams at rush hours. The ferry brought relief to commuters and allows for COVID-19 physical distancing. Similarly, on March 5th amid the pandemic outbreak, RIOC took the visionary decision to establish 4 Citi Bike stations and 74 bikes on Roosevelt island from Spring 2020.

Biking has become part of New York’s commuting infrastructure as bike routes have been expanded dramatically. The NYC Department of Transportation reports an expansion and enhancement of on-street bike network by more than 330 miles, including more than 82 protected lane miles, and 66 lane miles of dedicated cycling space in 2018. A fleet of 10,000 Citi-bikes has been deployed to more than 750 locations. NYC Mayor plans for 40,000 to be available throughout the five boroughs by 2023.

Today, 24% of adult New Yorkers ride a bike. The number of New Yorker bike riders has increased by 26% over the period 2012-2017. Bike commuters in the city are 130% more than a decade ago. Cycling to work in NYC has grown twice faster as in any other major city in the US. According to City Hall, there are more than 490,000 daily trips the city in 2019. A three-fold increase over the last 15 years, up 10% from 450,000 daily bike trips in the city in 2018, up from 230,000 in 2010 and 170,000 in 2005.

The 2010 census tallied the Roosevelt Island population at 11661 inhabitants. With Cornell Tech and the South Town real estate developments, the island population can be estimated at 17,000. The RI Public Safety Department points out that an additional 2,000 non-residents may be passing by the island daily. An increasing number of bikes and bike commuters travel around Roosevelt Island. Even prior COVID-19, the growth in bike riders outpaced population growth over the last decade. The hike observed around the city will continue as a result of combined factors, including COVID-19, safer bike routes, New York commuters trying to avoid traffic jam, overcrowded and expensive mass transportation, more Citi-bike stations, and a more dynamic population biking for leisure and fitness.

Similarly, even without Citi-bike stations, an increased number of resident bikers can be observed, as a result younger population dynamics, Islanders looking for alternative commute solutions to a single dysfunctional overcrowded subway line, and crowded tram and red buses at rush hours. It is in this light that RIRA has long advocated for alternative ways to commute and move around the Island, and enhanced safety infrastructure for bikes and pedestrians.

Resident and non-resident bikers therefore contribute to alleviate the pressure on the Island public transports. This is good news. However, the island West and East promenades are more crowded and chaotic, as a result of an increased number of pedestrians, runners, strollers, small children at play, pets on leash, skate boarders, scooters, bikers, and even prohibited motorized bicycles and vehicles. In this regard, many Roosevelt islanders, especially parents are concerned about public safety and the increasing number of bikes on the island, sometimes speeding on the promenades. The Public Safety Department confirms an increased number of incidents.

Accordingly, Cornell Tech completed bike lanes all around its campus. RIOC will shortly implement a $14 million project to strengthened bike infrastructure on the island, including a bike ramp from the Roosevelt Island bridge onto new East promenade bike and pedestrian lanes to avoid that bikers and wheelchairs be placed in jeopardy while travelling on the helix. The capital master plan for Roosevelt Island includes for the upcoming years, bike lanes all around the island. Meanwhile, the impact of COVID-19 will prevent many from going away on vacation and reduce access to summer camps for kids and students. More New Yorkers will be around this summer. This scenario will increase the presence of residents and non-residents alike on the Island looking for fresh air and green spaces.

In this changing environment, it is necessary to raise public awareness on safety risks on the promenades, with delineated bike and pedestrian lanes, rules, signs and markings on the ground. Speed limits for bikes will be instituted, visible and enforced on the new bike lanes at crossings and dangerous points, identified by the community. Such priority safety measures will help better regulate pedestrian and bicycle traffic. RIOC and RIRA have been working together for this. These immediate temporary arrangements will be in place in the coming weeks and a more definitive comprehensive plans subsequently implemented.

We are a small, dynamic and growing community, which also attracts non-resident bikers and tourists not all familiar with the island surroundings. The absence of bike and pedestrian lanes and clear marking and signage for bikes, hence, become an even greater safety hazard. Roosevelt island is constantly changing and must embrace progress and modernity, adapt to new realities, while preserving its natural environment and authenticity. Bike and pedestrian lanes are an imperative to protect every Roosevelt islander. In addition to providing an alternate means of transportation and relief for the Island public transportation system, biking is also good physical exercise, clean, ecologically friendly as it helps reduce CO2 emissions.

Will RIOC bike safety rules and regulations alleviate these concerns?

If they're going to promote biking, why there is not bike paths? Pedestrians and bikes in the same path is not a good idea in an island where most of population are families with young kids and senior and disabled people. There is not clear and solid rules about this.

— Carla Perez (@carla_giannina) June 17, 2020