RIOC’s communication fails to mask their indifference toward residents’ needs, with sham ADA adherence exposing a heartless bureaucracy more concerned with image than access.
by David Stone
The Roosevelt Island Daily News
Assigning RIOC Communications Director Bryant Daniels to represent the agency at Community Board 8 meetings comes off as genius. Daniels is open, well-liked and respected. But forced to defend RIOC’s struggles is sometimes a stretch too far.
View the full meeting on YouTube here.
RIOC Struggles
At Monday’s CB8 Roosevelt Island Committee meeting, Daniels started out strong. “An early Christmas present,” two new Red Buses arrived early. They were expected in February. The first is expected to hit Main Street this week, the second soon after.
Coupled with improved mechanical work on others already in service brings the transportation system back near full force. A welcome condition after last year’s frustrating breakdowns and disrupted schedules.
Then, somebody said “Tram”
The floor was opened for comment. Daniels faced a lineup of mostly residents. They were disgusted with how RIOC handles Tram access for seniors and disabled. Much of the criticism focused on Public Safety officers.
RIOC has taken a half-fast approach to meeting Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requirements. They occasionally and unpredictably station officers at the Tram. Their task is assisting boarding for those in need. In another instance of poor, lackadaisical training, the PSO’s often failed.
A younger female resident had a boot cast on her foot and ankle. She was refused use of the 2nd Avenue elevator. The PSO told her she looked young enough to stand in line with the tourists.
A fifty year resident relying on a walker told of getting caught in the tourist stampede. Her husband was knocked over trying to board a cabin. Neither a PSD nor a POMA station agent controlled the TikTok inspired crowd. The elderly couple no longer dares using the Tram.
“Outrageous”
CB8 member and Roosevelt Islander Paul Krikler criticized RIOC. He said they fail to meet the legal and moral requirements of older and disabled passengers. He described this failure as “outrageous.”
Daniels listened, took notes and promised follow up, but empathy is a rare resource at RIOC. With ADA violations repeatedly reported, interim management shows little interest in abiding by the law. Of specific concern, the Public Safety Department fails repeatedly. Untrained, unmanaged officers make RIOC’s struggles worse.
Low Comedy
Realistically, RIOC has no viable excuse for its ongoing failure to meet ADA, city and state requirements. Turning the laws concerning equal access on their heads, its indifference is uncanny. But sometimes, the twisted excuses would be comical if they weren’t so painful.
Residents were heartened by Daniels noting that, as requested for months, priority seating signs in the cabins have been raised. But they should be higher, one said. Maybe that would discourage the Instagram-inflicted from crowding over those seated to take videos.
Daniels explained that POMA resisted that because it blocked their operators’ “sight lines.” Here are the actual sight lines from mid-cabin in both directions yesterday.
In one direction, sight lines barely exist; in the other, not at all.
The sight lines argument was pure flapdoodle. Why POMA even attempted that is a mystery. It is also mysterious why no officials at RIOC and elsewhere enforce ADA compliance.
“Outrageous,” Krikler said about RIOC’s mishandling needs, and evidence confirms it. “Heartless” or “cold” fit too.
RIOC Struggles: Priority Boarding
Apart from a single tennis player from across the river, every speaker supported priority boarding “for residents and workers.” Discussion over a resolution supporting priority boarding was more about how than if.
A theme arose: Just do it. Many felt it was better to ask forgiveness than permission, should any official object. Needless to say, RIOC was not on board.
Joyce Short suggested urging Governor Hochul to act. An executive order, for example, could set aside restrictions in place that limit priority boarding.
A strong advocate of the “just do it” approach, Margie Smith emphasized the unfairness. Millions of dollars of annual losses from Tram operations fall on residents. Roosevelt Islanders must pay for a mismanaged system that many can’t access.
RIOC should devote time to how to get priority boarding in place, not oppose glaring resident needs.
Confirming Smith’s point, RIOC Chief Financial Officer Dhruvika Patel Amin told The Daily in an email…
“For Fiscal Year 25/26, RIOC will be in a deficit position for the Tram Operations based on our budget,” she wrote. “The $6.7MM in projected revenue will not cover all the expenses for the Tram. This is due to high management and insurance costs.”
Finally: Are RIOC’s Struggles Necessary?
A raw truth was exposed in the CB8 discussions. Apart from good intentions by some, RIOC’s staff remains anti-community. RIOC is all about RIOC. Insensitivity to needs and even laws is institutionalized in low risk positions.
Resident support by Assembly Member Rebecca Seawright helps, but more is needed. While Senator Liz Krueger’s position is not yet clear, City Council Member Julie Menin’s silence is strange. Residents need both to step up against RIOC’s intransigence. Governor Hochul needs to end her indulgent complacency toward Roosevelt Island.
Hochul controls RIOC. She needs a serious talking to about the laws. Her moral responsibilities should also be addressed.
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.
