Roosevelt Islanders pay 4 million dollars for Public Safety on demand, but the results are spotty at best, disturbing at worst. It’s a not well-known fact that the State of New York contributes not a dime for local operations. The vast majority comes out of residents’ pockets by way of the hidden RIOC tax.

By David Stone

The Roosevelt Island Daily News

Is this the best we can expect?

Another interesting fact: although money never comes this way out of Albany, Roosevelt Island’s subservient managers are controlled by the governor. Micromanaged, in fact.

After one appeal after another for controlling bike safety, we still find motorized bikes running the Island without interference.

As we see from these video, taken by Roosevelt Islanders, conditions approach life-threatening.

First, you see a man with his cart forced out of the crosswalk by a thoughtlessly parked motorbike in front of Foodtown. Passing motorists ignore rules regarding people in crosswalks.

“8/20/2021 12:45-1pm,” our reader noted. “No PSD walked or drove by. Should I have called them? So frustrating.”

Then, it got worse.

A women using a crutch is forced to hobble around the cyclist while he stands there fiddling with it.

Then, even worse…

Now, a wheelchair must maneuver around this goof.

4 million dollars for public safety…

And not a single officer in sight in the middle of the day.

But for two reasons, don’t assume the presence of a PSD officer would certainly make a difference.

This is the standard RIOC’s Public Safety Department set soon after Chief Jack McManus retired, as we’ve reported many times.

Proof?

Here’s a video from the middle of town with public safety officers present, including one following a motor scooter running a stop sign and doing absolutely nothing about it.

Watch to the end for the full picture of what’s acceptable on Roosevelt Island, these days.

Where does it end?

More News from the Roosevelt Island Daily

• 
  Northern Boulevard Safety Concerns Prompt Urgent Calls for Action in QueensSeptember 12, 2026
  Queens officials and residents are raising Northern Boulevard safety concerns, calling for urgent city action to address dangerous crossings and improve pedestrian protections along this busy corridor.
• 
  Northern Boulevard Safety Concerns Spark Calls for Major RedesignSeptember 11, 2026
  Northern Boulevard safety concerns have led community members and officials in Queens to demand a comprehensive redesign, citing unsafe conditions and a need for urgent action.
• 
  Three New Schools Open in Western Queens Amid Ongoing Classroom OvercrowdingSeptember 10, 2026
  Three new schools have opened in Western Queens, giving some relief in classroom overcrowding, but families still face capacity challenges and tough implementation issues this fall.
• 
  Certified 9/11-Related Cancer Cases Double at Northwell HealthSeptember 9, 2026
  Northwell Health has seen a sharp increase as certified 9/11-related cancer cases double, transforming care for survivors and responders in the New York region.
• 
  Long-Term Health Effects Linked to 9/11: 25 Years LaterSeptember 8, 2026
  The 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks brings renewed focus to long-term health effects linked to 9/11, with ongoing needs for survivors, first responders, and affected communities.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

The Well-Funded Vision and the Silent Landlord

A capable nonprofit has done the work. The public corporation that controls the land has offered no position.

Theo Gobblevelt Jun 19, 2026

RIOC’s Real Estate Development Advisory Committee met last night. The Renwick Ruin was not on the agenda. A nonprofit that has spent eight years developing detailed plans for the site, raised more than a million dollars, and assembled a board with serious finance and legal credentials continues its work.

Continue reading →