The recent tram troubles on Roosevelt Island are attributed to RIOC’s mismanagement, masked by misleading media portrayals. Reports overlook significant safety concerns and falsely blame tourists for overcrowding. RIOC’s refusal to prioritize residents or address basic transportation needs reflects indifference, not legal obligation, revealing a troubling negligence towards local stakeholders.
by David Stone
The Roosevelt Island Daily News
Tram troubles escalated this week. Roosevelt Islanders brought attention to the issues, garnering coverage from The Gothamist as well as CBS and Fox News. But no one quite hit the problem squarely; so, we’re here to help.
The Tram Troubles Are Not Tourists
RIOC seems content letting tourists take the hit for the jam-packed mess that the Tram has become. In reality, the blame is on them.
Maybe it’s the daily pressure, but the mainstream media almost always get Roosevelt Island wrong. The Gothamist‘s report say, “The gondola-like carriage makes an arc from Manhattan to the spit of land that’s home to hospitals, diplomatic housing and a scenic park…”
What?
Ever been there, Brittany Kriegstein and Sasha Linden Cohen, authors of the article?
Other mistakes are more consequential.
Tram Safety Issues
Not one of the recent articles mentions the more than a yearlong series of sharp breaking incidents. Those incidents might not seem to immediately affect the overcrowding. However, they do raise questions about whether RIOC or its partner, Leitner-POMA, are competent managers.
More importantly, though, Leitner-POMA couldn’t fix the Tram they built. Their inability to maintain it led to 30 percent speed reductions. This also caused many fewer cabin trips across the East River. The result: The same demand meets much lower capacity, forcing increased crowding.
Is It Really the Tourists?
Tourists come in droves after RIOC made a conscious decision about marketing the Tram as a tourist delight in 2020. That seeded the Tram troubles that have multiplied. In general, the idea was that increased visitor counts would bring foot traffic north to Roosevelt Island’s troubled business district.
But that never materialized because promotions ended at the Tram Plaza. As Historical Society president Judith Berdy has ceaselessly pointed out, the tourists exit the Tram. Most of them jump back on for a return trip to 2nd Avenue.
This may have exposed that RIOC’s goal never was about bringing tourist dollars anywhere beyond the cramped cabins.
Here’s Where the Tram Troubles Get Interesting
RIOC invited unmanageable capacity, creating Tram troubles. It has refused to deal with the problems created for Roosevelt Islanders. It bases its denial on legal misinterpretations and one clearly focused falsehood.
- RIOC claims that “New York Transportation Law § 102, prohibits unreasonable preferences.” That may be true. But how is allowing residents who cover Tram deficits while depending on it for basic transportation an “unreasonable” preference?
- What the law actually says, “No common carrier shall make or give any undue or unreasonable preference or advantage to any person or corporation or to any locality…” CB8 member Paul Krikler has pushed for changes. “We don’t agree with RIOC’s interpretation.”
- RIOC’s interpretation: “Simply put, we cannot discriminate for or against any group of riders based on their residency, and we believe that either an express line or reduced fare for Island residents would violate these provisions of the Transportation Law.” That’s untrue. Nothing in the law says that. Only “undue or unreasonable” discrimination applies.
Then, there’s the lie RIOC sneaks in as an excuse
- RIOC’s enabling legislation assigns it responsibility to “…retain and heighten the benefits of urban living while preserving a sense of scale and open space for Roosevelt Island residents and New York city as a whole…”
- But in their argument against helping residents, RIOC says this instead, “…most importantly, RIOC is a New York State public benefit corporation tasked with operating and maintaining Roosevelt Island, yes for residents, but also for all New Yorkers and any visitors alike. The “any visitors alike” is simply a lie. It isn’t found anywhere in the enabling legislation.
Finally…
RIOC refuses to help residents and workers, although they pay for almost all of its operations. This refusal rests on dishonesty and indifference. Setting aside priority boarding for residents and workers seems reasonable. RIOC never explains their unique interpretation.
Let’s not forget that RIOC further disgraces itself by reneging on a promise to prioritize boarding even for disabled and older passengers. Americans with Disabilities Act violations are blatant. This leads to a hard conclusion. It seems that this state agency just doesn’t want to take the trouble to do the right things.
Krikler and others are right in pushing hard for priority boarding. Nothing prevents it except a questionable interpretation of the law. Residents pay for the Tram’s deficits in taxes. They rely on it for essential transportation. If giving them priority boarding is “undue” or “unreasonable,” then really, what isn’t?
The Five Amendments That Sold Out Roosevelt Island
Roosevelt Island did not lose control of its southern waterfront in a single deal. It happened in five quiet steps. Five amendments. Five missed chances to renegotiate.
