“Maskless tourists” on the Tram should not surprise anyone as cherry blossoms decorate Roosevelt Island. But either they surprised RIOC or they just don’t care as public safety officers, according to a Tram operator, no longer patrol the cabins.
by David Stone
The Roosevelt Island Daily News
“Many maskless tourists” but no PSD
“RIOC defies logic, and it hurts,” our reader wrote in an email. “This week PSD no longer rides the tram,” confirmed a Tram employee.
“And oh, surprise! Upon arrival to Roosevelt Island, two officers were standing by the entrance idling and laughing with a friend.”
Although complaints like this became all too common in the past two COVID-wracked years, things changed in recent months. Tram riders consistently saw PSD officers riding in Tram cabins, enforcing mask rules. It was contagious. Operators were also firm when PSOs weren’t present.
But strangely, just as tourist volume jumped with cherry blossom season, the Public Safety Department’s deep thinkers figured it was time for shuffling back inside the office.
Taking things into her own hands, our reader – a senior – confronted the maskless tourists. Three put on masks, but “two others carried theirs as a necklace.”
Negligence has its say…
“Sad to say if you care to keep healthy as a very senior person,” she summed up, “better stay home away from bikes, motorized scooters, and overcrowded trams and red buses.”
RIOC and PSD will not be there for you. A sad fact of life for Roosevelt Island.
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As the Dust Settles
The way the wind cuts across the river this time of year. The way older buildings hold heat but never quite hold air. I told myself that was why my chest felt tight again on certain mornings. Age, perhaps.
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