On just a half-day’s notice*, late this afternoon, the boundlessly inept RIOC/Leitner-POMA team announced a Tram shutdown for tomorrow, June 17th, and Tuesday. Neither apology nor rationale accompanied the short notice.
by David Stone
The Roosevelt Island Daily News
*Following the first release of this article, RIOC’s Communications Director refuted this claim, insisting there was an earlier advisory on June 12th. We found no evidence of that and confirmed that there was no press release. The information was posted on social media platforms, although those can be helpful but are unreliable as public information sources.
Making matters worse was its doofus title:
REMINDER: 6/17 & 6/18: One Tram Offline for Maintenance Work
A Tram Shutdown Reminder…?
One necessity of a reminder is a prior notice. There wasn’t one. This is RIOC-speak at its worst. No apology. No acknowledging a mistake.
“We have been informed by Tram operator Leitner-POMA that they will need to take one Tram cabin out of operation on Monday, June 17th and possibly Tuesday, June 18th to perform maintenance work on the Tram’s communication system.”
After that, RIOC plunged into an extended explanation but nothing about why it’s such short notice or – you might wonder – who the hell is in charge? Why is RIOC approving a half-day’s notice with such severe impact on Roosevelt Islander dependent on the Tram?
But as we’ve come to see, although RIOC owns the Tram and Leitner-POMA is just a contractor, RIOC bends the knee every time, a courtesy seldom afforded residents.
The Advisory:
“Island residents should expect longer than average wait times for the Tram while this work takes place, so please plan your travel accordingly. We encourage all riders to consider utilizing the F-Train, Ferry, or Q102 bus if your travel permits, and to check our new Tram Station Livestreams before departing to see how long the lines are at each station.
“Thank you for your patience and understanding as we perform this necessary work. We will return both cabins to service as quickly as possible.”
*June 19th is the holiday, Juneteenth.
Finally
Other than telling residents to use the subway, ferry and buses instead, RIOC offered zero assistance. Is anyone surprised at the indifference anymore?
Something needs to change here, and we hope soon.
Discover more from Roosevelt Island, New York, Daily News
Subscribe to get the latest posts to your email.
