Late on Sunday afternoon of a difficult mass transit weekend for Roosevelt Island, Public Safety officers were out in force. Not only were long lines at the 2nd Avenue Tram Plaza calmly controlled, so was face mask wearing inside the cabins. Sadly, we found, that was not the case for the whole day.
by David Stone
The Roosevelt Island Daily News
Long Lines Well-Controlled
With F Trains from Manhattan detoured around Roosevelt Island, demand for the Tram was high. Talking with others in line, we learned that many were unaware of the situation or even that MetroCards were needed.
RIOC never sent out a single public alert about likely Tram crowding or the subway shut downs. The out-of-towner in Blackwell House was about as alert as grizzly in winter.
Despite well-designed line management in late afternoon when we got on, it seems that RIOC was asleep at the wheel earlier. PSD hustled over only after long lines and packed cabins caused rider concerns and frustrations.
But the crowd control we saw at mid-afternoon was not what others reported early in the day on Twitter.
When we boarded a Tram cabin, close to 4:00, PSD was there, demanding 100% mask compliance even with the need to board fast and get out of the station.
When leadership at RIOC wakes up long enough to do the right thing, the staff follows through, but that is not the rule of thumb for most things involving Roosevelt Island and RIOC.
Rivercross and the Quiet Green Light
Rivercross privatization was enabled in 2010. This matters now because the same governance structures that allowed Rivercross to privatize without formal conflict controls are still in place. The same public authority oversees land leases, settlements, and redevelopment decisions that affect every resident on Roosevelt Island today.
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