Looks like we got some new sign poles along the side of Main Street in addition to the light posts, cement barriers, planters, garbage cans, etc. If you are lucky enough to find a parking space these days, you cannot get out of the car on the curb side due to all these blockages.

Something else to add to the ever growing list of inconveniences brought to us by you-know-who!

To the Editor:

I ask, is it time for the Q train to return to Roosevelt Island, based on several factors including the expected future levels of congestion due to Southtown construction? I am not saying get rid of the F Train but, perhaps, supplement the F with a return of the Q.

On Saturday, January 27, and Sunday, January 28, as many of us are aware, the F train did not stop on Roosevelt Island but, rather, we saw the brief return of the Q train. The Q, for those who don’t know the history of the Roosevelt Island subway stop, was one of a hodgepodge of trains that served the Island until the F was permanently assigned to it.

I ask my question each morning as the F train appears more and more crowded. When the subway was out altogether one morning, we got a another wake-up call with 500 people on line at once, waiting for the Tram to ferry us over to Manhattan, as no trains were coming to the Island during that day’s rush hour.

With the ongoing construction of buildings in Southtown, the idea of a Q train that originates at 21st/Queensbridge with Roosevelt Island as its second stop appears an attractive possibility to our growing population needing daily transportation.

To the Editor:

Loading Zone Island House?

I totally understand Mircea Nicolescu with loading/unloading in front of Island House. Why did nobody think that residents of Island House need a loading zone like other apartment complexes on Roosevelt Island?

When I moved in, my moving company called me because they didn’t know where to park. Thank God, the next building had a loading zone where they could unload the truck. I would have liked to have had a ‘loading zone’ reserved for the move.

It is a common problem that Island House residents have to double-park to unload (or to pick up/drop off passengers). It is time that somebody finds a solution!

It would help if those little police cars could be parked on the other side of the police building or police officers could park their private cars for free in the garage: We would gain parking space on Main Street. Or why not find another space for the police station to make it more convenient for everybody?

Every RIOC bus stop is near one of the many food service locations along its route: the coffee shop at Octagon, Gristede’s, the Deli, Trellis and Starbucks. It would be a convenient service to package carrying residents and off-Island visitors, if the Red Bus would stop at the Farmer’s Market on Saturdays.

The Queens 102 Bus stops at the areas adjacent to the Saturday market. Going north, the Q102 stops exactly at the market. It is an existing bus stop. Going south, the Q102 stops at the school. The Red Bus can safely stop at the already marked curbs at both existing Q102 areas.

It would be a very desirable and gigantic service to Island Residents carrying heavy packages or with mobility problems to be able to get on a bus close to the Saturday market.

RIOC has already made special accommodating changes for Octagon and the special weekday shopping buses.

It is quite amazing that after the strong disapproval of most Island residents, RIOC has continued with its nonsensical policy of running Octagon Express buses during weekday mornings. Those of us shivering in the cold at the Gristede’s stop, the Deli stop, and the Church stop have to endure mostly empty buses going express from the Octagon to the subway. Furthermore, many of these stranded morning commuters also have to see half-empty north-bound non-express buses make long, inefficient stops at every stop before they can return to take them, but only if those non-express buses have not already filled up by the time they reach the Church on their way to the subway.

Here is another idea for express buses if RIOC is so enamored with that concept. For the benefit of all residents of the Island, not just those at the Octagon, all northbound buses should run express during the morning rush hours, stopping only at the Tram, the subway, across from Trellis, Gristedes and the Octagon, and make all stops on their way south to the transportation terminals. Similarly, during the evening rush hours, all southbound buses should run express, stopping only at the aforementioned spots, and make all stops going north.

This approach has the advantage of favoring all residents of the Island, not just those at the Octagon. And while a few reverse commuters to the Island would be inconvenienced, the fact is that the vast majority of the Island’s rush-hour traffic is southbound in the morning and northbound in the evening, and this policy would benefit the residents of the Island. It would also cut down the time the buses take in traveling north in the morning and, hopefully, help them go south more frequently, thereby lessening the likelihood that a bus would be filled to capacity by the time it reaches the Church.

It’s only an idea, but I am confident that it’s better than the inefficient and highly discriminatory one that RIOC has currently put in use.

After 8:30 p.m., the Red Bus schedule is a Tram pickup every 15 minutes. During those 15 minutes, the subway stops at the Island about three times. Thus, three large groups of commuters accumulate at the subway station while one Red Bus stays to pick up a handful at the Tram. Surely many would agree that this does not make sense. No bus should be parked and idling when only two buses are operating, especially when temperatures are low and snow is falling. I propose that the existing rush-hour schedule for both the Tram and Red Bus should be the schedule all of the time, including weekends. At the very least, have the Red Bus wait at the subway station so that subway passengers can get on before driving further to pick up the Tram passengers. Here are my reasons:

The Tram operator gets paid whether or not he runs the Tram, so why not keep it running all the time?

Since it takes 10-15 minutes to make the trip one way by bus (which still baffles me since it takes only ten minutes by foot), there would need to be at least four buses running. RIOC has the buses. All that needs to be done is hire two more drivers for the evening hours. Certainly adding two buses to the non-rush hours can’t possibly break the bank with ten million dollars at RIOC’s disposal.

Manhattan never stops. People live on Roosevelt Island because it’s convenient for commuting to Manhattan. The transportation on the Island should be comparable to Manhattan in terms of frequency and reliability. Last time I checked my mail, it did say New York, NY.

In the evening I work late, as do many on the Island. After 8:30, the Red Bus runs every 15 minutes. Everyone knows that you can walk the length of Main Street in about ten minutes. For the week of January 22, I had to walk home from the subway to the Octagon. Each night, I walked all the way home in the cold without one Red Bus passing me. Since the subway carries a lot more people than the Tram, I would like to know why the Red Bus does not run on its rush-hour schedule all the time so that the three trainloads of commuters piling up at the train station every 15 minutes can get home after a long day at work. Now that Roosevelt Island has a subway station, the focus should be on better integration and service for both subway and Tram commuters.

I think many Island residents would agree that, as more people move to the Island and the demography changes, transportation on the Island needs to adjust. And the reality is that many people work longer hours and thus the typical rush hour lasts beyond 8:30 p.m. All one needs to do is pass the subway station at 9:00 p.m. to see that fact.

Apart from that, Roosevelt Island really doesn’t have a lot of choices for amenities like entertainment, restaurants, museums, and shopping. There is only one of everything, sort of like the old USSR. For many like myself, being able to get on and off the Island is a lifeline to Manhattan and all it has to offer. The off-hours schedules of the Tram and Red Bus simply make getting to those amenities a real hassle.

Name Withheld