Roosevelt Island Main Street Traffic Is Getting Worse, Worse And Worse According To RIOC Transportation Manager - Future Problems Coming Up With Cornell NYC Tech Construction - Proposes Red Bus Route, Stop and Separate Bus Lane Changes

During the November 15 Roosevelt Island Operating Corp (RIOC) Operations Committee meeting (audio webcast is here), RIOC Transportation Manager Cy Opperman

 RIOCTransportation Manager Cy Opperman at Red Bus Stop From Jonathan Kalkin at Yfrog

reported that Roosevelt Island Main Street traffic:

...  is getting worse, worse, and worse with trucks, cars, school buses everywhere, now limos during day and increase at night, cyclists running around the Island and the Access A Ride parking anywhere they want to park ... future problems coming up with the Cornell construction... with 50 more cars going down Main Street, the buses will never make their schedule...

Mr. Opperman's remarks begin at the 2 hour 46 minute mark.

Mr. Opperman proposed the following changes to the Red Bus system in order, he says, to improve it's efficiency.

1 - For safety reasons due to building pillar obstruction, move southbound bus stop at 40 River Road to across the street by the park.

Image of 40 River Road Southbound Bus Stop

2 - Delivery Trucks parked on Main Street Near Gristedes delay northbound traffic. Mr Opperman proposed eliminating the southbound Gristedes Turnaround Red Bus Stop

Image Of Gristedes Turnaround Bus Stop

allowing delivery trucks to park in the turnaround

Image of Gristedes Turnaround

which will improve Main Street traffic flow. Several RIOC Directors pointed out that eliminating the Southbound Gristedes Turnaround Bus Stop may be an additional hardship for elderly and disabled residents who will have to cross the street to the park to get on the southbound bus.

3 - Create a separate bus lane from PS/IS 217 to Good Shepherd Community Center from 7 AM - 10 AM. The separate bus lane will eliminate parking spaces in the area during that time.

4 - Have Octagon Express Bus stop at the Good Shepherd Community Center on way to the subway. However, that may be difficult to get the Octagon owners to agree to since they pay for the bus.

5- Better coordination between the MTA Q 102 bus and the Red Bus Schedule. Mr. Opperman would like the Q 102 Bus to turn South at the helix in the afternoon/evening so it can pick up passengers coming home at the subway and drop them off at Manhattan Park and the Octagon. (Q 102 currently turns north at the helix all the time.)

6 - Eliminate dollar bill in fare box because it causes jams in the fare box and increases lines to get on the bus. Dollar bills are also filthy. (Blue gloves that are put on to count the dollar bills are no longer blue when count is finished)

Mr Opperman suggested that it would be cheaper to run the bus without a fare but RIOC Directors are not likely to go along with that suggestion. According to RIOC Chief Financial Officer Steve Chironis, Red Bus annual revenue is $300 hundred thousand from riders and $100 Thousand from the Octagon Express for a total of $400 thousand annually. The annual Red Bus expenses are $1.2 million for a net annual loss of $800 thousand.

Mr. Opperman also noted that he is seeing more grafitti on the Red Buses, that they are getting dirtier at night and has received complaints by Bus Operators that they have been threatened and cursed at by some passengers. There was even an incident of a kid shining a laser light in the eye of a Bus Operator.

Regarding coordination of Cornell construction transportation issues, Mr. Opperman reported that after an initial meeting several months ago, there has been no follow up with Cornell representatives.

Here's the audio web cast of the November 15 RIOC Operations Committee meeting. The Red Bus discussion starts at 2 hour 46 minute mark.

Roosevelt Island Red Bus Problems At The Octagon, Waiting Time and Express/Local Bus Bunching - At Least Red Bus Door Not Slammed In Their Face Before Boarding

Octagon resident and Roosevelt Island Residents Association (RIRA) Common Council Representative Max Long is concerned about the amount of time the Red Bus seems to wait at various stops. Mr. Long writes:

I'm concerned about the wait time for red buses that have already "arrived" at various bus stops on the island. The buses seem to sit idly very often, frequently waiting for several minutes before moving again. I've heard that these bus delays have reached up to 10 minutes on several occasions. This seriously impacts the flow of the bus schedule when one considers the relatively short amount of time if actually takes to circle the island. I've spoken with several residents in my building - and in other buildings on the island - who share this opinion.

Octagon residents have also expressed dissatisfaction with the bunching up of the Octagon Local and Express (Octagon Express operates only during weekdays from 7 AM - 10 AM) at the Octagon stop during the morning rush hours. Octagon morning rush hour commuters often experience seeing two buses at their stop, board one, and then discover they are on the local bus as the Express Bus takes off first leaving them sitting behind on the local bus. Other times, the Local Bus is at the Octagon Stop first, residents board it and then the Express Bus arrives and leaves while Octagoners are still on the Local.

A reader sent in this photo taken at 8:55 AM one weekday morning of two Red Buses waiting at the Octagon Stop.

The Bus in front is the local and behind is the Express.

Some have suggested moving the Octagon Express departure time a few minutes ahead of the Octagon Local so as to avoid the confusion of the two buses bunching up.

Regarding the Red Bus waiting time, my understanding is that it occurs at the Octagon and the Tram/Visitors Kiosk stop which are arrival/destination stops on the Red Bus Route and are required in order to maintain the fixed schedule established by RIOC (approximately 15 minutes per route).

For those residents in Manhattan Park and Northtown who become frustrated when seeing the Octagon Express Bus pass them by as you are waiting for a bus, remember that the Octagon Express Bus service is paid for separately by the Octagon owner as an amenity to it's residents and would not be in operation otherwise.

I was told by a reader who witnessed this, that the Octagon Express did make a stop by the Good Shepherd during last Friday's rush hour.

As the bus doors opened up, Public Safety Department Deputy Director Bryan exited the front door and then the doors quickly closed before the waiting passengers could board. The Octagon Express then took off to complete it's route leaving the passengers at the Good Shepherd stop waiting for the next bus.

UPDATE 3/ 18 -  Added a separate post with comments by RIRA Planning Committee Chairperson Frank Farance's responding to this post and reader's comments. Please click over to add any thoughts or comments you may have on subject and don't add any comments to this thread.