Face mask compliance among Red Bus riders improved recently, and now RIOC’s public safety department steps up enforcement. But success is limited as long as Roosevelt Island neighbors refuse to help out.
By David Stone
The Roosevelt Island Daily News
How PSD Steps Up Its Game
Better late than never, on Monday, we found PSD adding spot checks on Red Buses, conducted by uniformed officers. On the bus we rode, an officer boarded, walked the aisle, confirming full compliance before letting the trip resume.
Meticulous, she ordered at least one passenger to raise her mask higher and cover her nose. Education plus enforcement.
While this takes pressure off drivers, the driver also pitched in. After the officer left, he handed out a face mask as a young man entered, telling him it was required.
Credit where credit’s due, Chief Kevin Brown’s department stepped up creatively. It saves lives, and if continued may get us out of pandemic restrictions sooner than later.
But then…
Even as PSD steps up enforcement, we soon saw how hard it is protecting against Red Bus riders who insist on putting their neighbors at risk.
As news of coronavirus variants increasing case loads hits front pages, stubborn resistance remains. Young people, especially those under twelve, face increasing risk while, at the same time, doctors say that the lifetime effects of long COVID are as scary as they are unknown.
PSD’s doing its part, but without good neighbors, unnecessary risks for vulnerable residents will rise.
And it’s getting near the point where you throw up your hands in frustration over the lack of cooperation. Is putting children at risk worth it for evading the minor inconvenience of wearing a face mask for a few minutes?
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Who Does This?
At the June 18 meeting of the Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation’s Real Estate Development Advisory Committee, President and Chief Executive Officer B.J. Jones acknowledged that there had been no progress finding a tenant for the long-discussed medical space on Main Street. Hudson/Related Realty LLC had told him that filling the space, along with other vacant storefronts, was proving more difficult than expected.
