In October, in The Daily, readers registered their opinions in a new Tram Poll. Unexpectedly during the voting period, multiple incidents of cabins swinging out of control occurred while RIOC and partner, Leitner-POMA, issued assurances that the Tram was safe. Also during this period, there was an unexpected, never well-explained 6-hour shutdown.
by David Stone
The Roosevelt Island Daily News
We gave voters five choices, starting at the top with excellence and bottoming out with a despairing plea for help. When it came time to tally up the results, opinions were clear.
Our readers overwhelmingly dislike the Tram experience as it now stands. Not one voter rated the experience as excellent.
The Tram Poll Results
- It’s great………0%
- I can handle it….. 5.5%
- Not thrilled……5.7%
- Overcrowded…...31.4%
- Help!……..54.2%
Just a few years ago, the greatest concern among Tram users was whether enough was being done about face mask compliance. The results shown above were unimaginable at that time.
Overcrowding, rudeness and safety concerns play a role, but the lack of any sense of any commitment to improvements by RIOC may, in the fuller picture, be more critical.
We don’t see any signs of change while the current Hochul/Haynes remains intact.
The Line That Didn’t Land
I stood in the back of Good Shepherd Chapel on the evening of April 15, 2026, at the Steam Plant Demolition Town Hall, watching people adjust scarves and jackets before the meeting began. Benjamin Jones, President and CEO of RIOC, thanked us for attending and, without a pause, said he was “pleased to host tonight’s town hall on the city’s demolition of its steam plant.” The demolition, in other words, was not up for discussion.
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