Anything Goes Roosevelt Island

Here on Anything Goes Roosevelt Island, we edge closer to a Wild West lifestyle. Laws are ignored, regulations waived, and there’s a new, passive sheriff in town.

We know that Roosevelt Island PSD passes on bike safety. You can’t walk Main Street without witnessing violation after violation.

Pedestrians are on their own, but there is more.

Evidence shows that nobody in charge blinks at even the most obvious public safety hazards.

Anything Goes Roosevelt Island: Two New Examples

Start with construction violations at 40 River Road.

Wheelchairs Not Welcome — Once known for handicapped access, Roosevelt Island now looks away when construction makes wheelchair passage impossible.

Illegal construction forces people into the streets. RIOC heard about it two days ago. Nothing happened.

Manhattan Park forces pedestrians into the street — Pedestrians, including a woman with a child, walk unprotected in the street.

We heard that reconstruction was underway at old Dayspring Church and walked over to have a look.

Bright red paint outlines window and door frames. Looking inside, I saw a level used by carpenters and markings on wood fixtures, but it was too dark to see much else.

Outside, a pulpit pulled from the church sat exposed to the weather on a sidewalk. A second fixture rested nearby.

At the back of the historic structure, a makeshift trailer, was spray-painted white. The grass had also been painted.

Required Department of Building permits were not posted. Asbestos abatement needs to come before reconstruction, but it has not.

Is anyone paying attention?

Not as far as we could see.

Earlier, we reached out to Hudson President David Kramer. We worried that a restaurant would bring two-way car traffic through a parking lot used by the Octagon.