Routinely negligent, RIOC gambles with safety, absent and irresponsible as riders without face masks jam onto busy Tram cabins. Mostly tourists, which the soulless state agency covets, boarded without interference on Saturday.
By David Stone
The Roosevelt Island Daily News
“A PSD officer boarded the Tram on Roosevelt Island, confirming that everyone wore a mask, and the operator reminded everyone to mask up,” our reader wrote.
“But the opposite happens on the Manhattan side. A lot of riders do not mask up. There is no PSD presence, and the operator says nothing.”
RIOC gambles with safety…
Repeated reports show RIOC taking a leisurely approach to public safety on Red Buses. Face mask enforcement is spotty and uneven as the coronavirus Delta variant swells infection rates.
But because tourists add to crowded Tram conditions, especially on weekends, there’s greater risk for everyone. But no evidence suggests RIOC’s even dimly aware.
Each five minute float across the East River poses the threat of a super spreader event, which RIOC continues taking lightly.
Either that or they’re ignorant of the hazards, but maybe it’s some of both.
RIOC gambles with safety, even as risks increase for infections, leaving residents helpless.
And some furious, but at a loss over what to do about it.
The state agency is an expensive demand on local incomes, but the return on investment is poor. The public safety department alone, in fact, rings up an annual $4 million charge on residents.
With few signs of earning it.
Buttressing an effete board of directors, already failing at meeting legal residency requirements, elected officials also take a hands-off approach toward Governor Cuomo’s minions.
Few options remain for local protections against COVID.
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Unequal Bargains
On June 18, the Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation’s Real Estate Development Advisory Committee gathered to discuss ground leases, the master retail lease, and the ten additional years being offered under the Island’s master lease. Howard L. Polivy, the committee’s chair, opened the meeting as a longtime host shows guests through a familiar house, pointing out the furniture as if it had never moved an inch.
