The cherry blossoms have mostly fallen, their pinkish glow lost until next spring, but everyone loves Roosevelt Island, even without them. That’s the takeaway from last weekend. That’s a problem…
by David Stone
The Roosevelt Island Daily News
It was bound to happen, sooner or later. Public awareness of Roosevelt Island was always going to reach critical mass and explode across the internet. Cherry Blossom Festivals nudged at first, and then in a questionable step, RIOC pushed it along, using the Tram as a hook.
Now, as you can see from the photo above, the cherry blossoms faded, nearly disappearing over the weekend. Yet, the visitors poured in, and many stayed for a while.
Everyone Loves Roosevelt Island
By late afternoon, with no fresh cherry blossoms for photo ops, the Roosevelt Island Tram Plaza hummed with traffic. Nathan’s Hot Dogs hosted a line of hungry people, and it repeated at two other food trucks between there and the subway.
Diners packed outdoor seating at Granny Annie’s, and the Cornell Tech Café looked busier than other Sundays. Since morning, visitors – often in large tour groups – trooped by on the sidewalks.
Public Safety Officers were busy moving cars out of creative, but illegal parking spaces, and groups large and small populated the Cornell Tech meadows.
These are increasingly familiar scenes on Roosevelt Island, once considered “a hidden gem,” now thought of as a New York City must-do.
Many residents dislike the change, but the Island is not going back. More likely, as summer approaches, the new Roosevelt Island will emerge. Daily news feeds with Roosevelt Island as the keyword ramp up awareness: everyone loves Roosevelt Island.
From Instagram to platforms we’ve never heard of to YouTube, people sing Roosevelt Island’s praises many times, every day. In a worrying sense, the community doesn’t belong so much to those who live here anymore.
Everybody loves Roosevelt Island. That’s not going to change; so, what can we do about it?
The Future Keeps Showing Up
Some Roosevelt Island features remain largely undiscovered. Our rich history centered around numerous free sites hardly gets noticed relative to its potential, and the Island of Art concept has not gathered steam.
The outside world is discovering FDR Four Freedoms State Park in droves, but the neglected The Girl Puzzle sculpture in Lighthouse Park lost focus after its opening. With a RIOC’s promise of upgrading the badly installed foundation, that’s set to change. (Note: as of yesterday, no such work was evident.)
There’s so much more here than Tram cabins and cherry blossoms, accelerated change feels inevitable. The old days comforted by the “hidden gem” cliche are over. We’re not hidden anymore; we’re exposed, maybe over exposed.
But positive signs abound. Bicycle riders gathered in Riverwalk Commons means noise-free, pollution-free visitors rolling past eager Main Street businesses. We can always use that.
Runners clubs jog over the Roosevelt Island Bridge every weekend.
These are the visitors we need. They’re not making quick turnarounds in the Tram plazas, and they’re not running stop signs on Main Street or gobbling up limited parking.
RIOC’s updating the Wayfinding signs at the Tram and subway also helps keep visitors here longer.
The Downside
Sure, everyone loves Roosevelt Island, but contrary to popular music, you can get too much love, especially when it’s not escorted by respect.
Surprisingly, though, that situation is nowhere near as bad as many feared. Folks coming to Roosevelt Island are generally appreciative if straining the limited resources. They don’t litter or cause disruptions…
…except for the Tram.
Here’s where we need to step up, and by “we,” of course, I mean RIOC. No individual or other group is capable of doing what the state agency must do.
While RIOC’s interim management team shows signs of sincere concern about the toll Tram cabin overcrowding brings to the community, no focused effort addressing the problems is in place.
Just like the Red Buses and Sportspark, Tram operations are revenue negative. More money goes in than comes out, but that’s rooted in good reasons. Founders put these benefits in place, recognizing Roosevelt Islanders’ unique set if needs.
No one – at least in the beginning – expected them to become profit centers.
It’s hard to believe now, but for example, the Roosevelt Island Tram was built as a commuter system, not a tourist lure. Roosevelt islanders, especially physically challenged Roosevelt Islanders, needed it – and still do – for basic necessities. Sure, there’s a subway now, but the system is not accessible even years after court orders demanded it.
When you get a call from a wheelchair-bound friend lost in a station without elevators and frantic to get home, you get it. They need the Tram, but they can’t get on anymore. That’s a problem, it’s major, and not enough is being done about it.
That’s an extreme case, but take it down a notch and you still have hundreds of residents who can’t reliably get in a cabin or even on a platform. Many others can’t tolerate the sardine-style packing of passengers or the bumpy, scary ride.
Then, you’ve got those of us who believe we deserve a calm, quiet Tram ride without being shoved by tourists after we shop at Trader Joe’s, etc. We pay for the Tram, and we’ve been deprived of it. It’s not right.
Come on, RIOC, match your compassion with imagination and get this fixed.
An Emergency, Apparently
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