Nice New Roosevelt Island Tram But Some Residents Unhappy Due To Lack Of Coordination With Red Bus, Exposure To Winter Without Protection & Other Shortcomings - The Tram's Not Just A Tourist Ride
Image of Roosevelt Island Tram Station From John Skelson
Today it's a bit warmer but over the last few days it's been pretty cold waiting at both Stations for the Roosevelt Island Tram. There is the tent at the Roosevelt Island Station - has anyone used this thing -
but nothing on the Manhattan side to provide protection from the elements except a small cage with a heater for one of the Tram Workers.
Roosevelt Island Historical Society (RIHS) President Judy Berdy has had enough with these as well as other Roosevelt Island Tram problems and let loose at the Roosevelt Island Operating Corp (RIOC) December Board of Directors Meeting during it's Public Speaking session last Wednesday. She was Pissed Off!
RIHS President Judy Berdy Speaking At December RIOC Board Meeting Public Session
Below are her written remarks:
The tram opened on November 30th to great fanfare.
Unfortunately, there was little planning for service coordination after that date.
Here are the shortcomings that are unacceptable:
The total state of confusion between tram and bus schedules
In this freezing weather, which RIOC should have know happens every December, There are no shelters in Manhattan or on the island. The Manhattan station has no shelter, just a guard booth that is on the wrong side of the turnstile.
- For 34 years the bus met every tram
- The tram ran on the 15 minutes non rush hour and 7 minutes rush hour
- Two trams ran back and forth The bus met every tram
The Manhattan Metrocard machines break down and there is no resolution since RIOC refuses to let POMA sell Metrocards from the booth.
The tram doors do not open halfway so any heat in the cabin instantly dissipates when the doors are left open 6 feet to admit passengers.
The island station is a further disaster with no shelter.
People run across the street to catch the tram or run back to get the bus since there is no coordination of schedules. We are counting the days to:
- a person injured falling to run and tripping
- a baby carriage being hit by a car
- an elderly/disabled person injured
Tram Riders Running For Red Bus On South Side Of Street
Where is a PSD officer to guide pedestrians? This would be a worthwhile use of their time instead of patrolling the island in their warm vehicles. I am sure we can spare one officer during tram operating hours for traffic duty.Here's the tourist view of how the Roosevelt Island Tram works.
Waiting for spring is not an acceptable answer.
I have heard from all my neighbors about the mess at the tram and bus.
You are not saving any money running only one cabin,. That is a PR fiction to make us look green. It makes me see RED. Just run the two cabins as before and at least that will mean we have a quarter hour schedule again.
You are alienating your ridership. Just watching from the kiosk, the non rush-hour ridership is down, way down. Residents do not want to be abused and made to wait unacceptable lengths of time in the cold just to ride the tram. They will stay with the F train. At least there is shelter from the cold.
This is UNACCEPTABLE
You Tube Video From Gondola Project
To be fair to the Directors and Staff at RIOC, they are aware of these problems and are trying to find solutions as reported in this earlier post regarding the bus route. It's is just very frustrating for those using the Tram and Red Bus on a daily basis.
53 comments :
I am stunned. I expected a bit more from Ms. Berdy. I think everybody agrees that the bus schedule should be adjusted so it meets with the tram. We all agree that the crossing of the street as it is currently done is unsafe.
We have at least offered a few suggestions what could be done easily. venting w/o even hinting on suggested solutions is, with all due respect, a bit childish.
Is the RIOC really alienating anybody? I am okay with adjusting myself to the new way of how it is being done as long as it is justified.
Oh, and using only one cabin during non-rush hour is saving a lot of money. The tram is operating with fewer employees than before. That is a great saving.
All very valid points. However, the photo showing passengers crossing in the middle of the street to catch the bus is clearly an example of JAYWALKING. Just because it's more convenient to take the diagonal straight-line path to the bus does not justify ignoring the existing crosswalks (which are the designated areas for pedistrians to cross the street). All NYC boroughs have crosswalks (which is where motorists expect to see pedestrians). Roosevelt Islanders should not be given special permission to jaywalk ... common sense mandates the use of the designated crosswalks. One question for RIOC: if the bus has to be across the street, cannot the bus stop be moved closer to the crosswalk?
I don't understand the whining about a single tram running. As long as a tram leaves every 15 minutes from either side, how does it matter how many are running?
So instead of having both trams leaving at the same time, taking 4 minutes to reach the other side, and then waiting for 11 minutes, whats wrong with the tram leaving, taking 4 minutes to cross, waiting 3 minutes to load, returning with another 4 minutes, and waiting another 3 minutes to load, and so on...
The important point is it leaves every 4 minutes (unless I am wrong and it takes longer than 4 minutes...I need to time this today).
I timed a few tram crossings (from the moment the doors close on one side to the moment the doors open on the other). Each trip took 4 minutes plus several seconds. I have yet to see the "3-minute" crossing that has been heavilty promoted in the media ... probably marketing hype pumped out by RIOC and/or Poma that is not reality.
It will be admirable IF RIOC can make the tram run with one unit during non-rush hours.
With no margin for courtesy,
if the Red Bus is delayed a few minutes,we will see ever more people left behind the tram.
Will the tram operator and bus drivers at least communicate with each other by walkie-talkies ?
We spent $25 mill on the Tram. It is not sufficient that it looks good.
In the morning non-rush hours (6-7am), the downside of having only one tram running is that you can no longer wait in the other tram cabin while you are waiting for your ride, whereas they used to let you wait in the cabin, partially sheltered from the cold.
Now, the bus drops you off at the tram station at 6:10 (if you're lucky and the driver didn't drive slow enough to get you there at 6:18 so that you could see the tram flying away). The tram leaves at 6, 6:15 and 6:30.
It's a very cold, dark wait, and the tent does not help.
I can't figure out how judy makes a living. It seems as RIOC pays her for these fits. Maybe we should take the millions thats gone to her historical projects and use them to pay for her suggestions.
Complaints, complaints, complaints. If the tram misses the bus you wait for the next one. Just like anywhere else in the world when it comes to public transportation. Yes, we were spoiled by how the tram was run before. Things are different now. Has it become a bit more inconvenient? Sure. Do we have the right to complain? Sure. Do we look childish after doing this constantly? Certainly.
Things changed. We have to adapt.
The socalled complaints are in the spirit of constructive dialogue. What has changed things is the increase in the number of inhabi-tants on the Island and their constant one-sided demand for more parking places.
RIOC should increase the number and frequency of red buses and lower the costs of parking in Motorgate.PSD should strictly enforce the existing parking regulations on Main Street.
These steps would eliminate the current congestion on Main Street. The Red Buses will be able to maintain their schedules and provide predictable bus service tied to the tram.
Yes the above steps would cost money but the money would be spent for the common good not for a minority of islanders.
Judy Berdy has a lot of nerve. RIOC has been extremely good to her, paying her thousands of dollars for an anniversary project she didn't even finish. She shows her gratitude by annually crashing their Holiday Party and blasting them at Board Meetings. Maybe they should cut her off, so she can be put in her proper place.
The people who have a lot of nerve are those who write anonymous comments personally attacking or denigrating Roosevelt Island residents who are making legitimate criticisms of RIOC - a public benefit corporation whose entire existence is supposed to be serving the citizens and stakeholders of Roosevelt Island.
The particular complaints lodged at RIOC in this matter or others may or may not be correct, but those who voice them do not deserve to be mocked or retaliated against in any way.
... "Maybe they should cut her off, so she can be put in her proper place.
What does that mean and who would make such a bone-chilling denial of first amendment free speech rights suggestion?
I LOVE THE NEW TRAM.
But it is not perfect, so what can we do? Constructive proposals please.
Should we move forward the station refurbishment plan, which would make us stay warmer while waiting?
Are there interim steps like adding portable heaters into the RIOC tent on the platform?
If we synchronize the tram with the Red Bus, are we willing for the tram to stay in station waiting for specific buses to arrive?
If people are crossing diagonally to catch the bus, would it help to expand the crossing?
Can we improve the display board at the tram stations? Currently, they are not visible from outside the station (on Manhattan Side, on the other side of the turnstile) ... and people often run because lack of information causes anxiety: they do not know if the Tram was going to leave in 10 seconds or 30 seconds or 2 minutes.
I do not find the waits unbearable in the early morning /weekend when 1 tram is working. Logically speaking, for 1 tram to take one full round trip in between each "pick-up" is basically to replicate what the old Tram did in the old days (when that was all the Tram was able to do). What one misses now from time to time is the EFFICIENCY GAIN from having 2 trams running independently.
Synchronizing the tramp with the red bus is perfect idea. Simplicity and common sense this am I voting for.
First I think its great that people can get together in a forum like this and brainstorm good ideas and there is room for constructive criticism and I think RIOC wants to hear good ideas (but you can't expect them to fix everything immediately, albeit these were all foreseeable problems)
Why doesn't the bus stop in the roundabout before it takes a right hand turn? This would solve a lot of the pedestrian problems.
I agree it is cold in the tram station, how about some heating lamps, they are inexpensive, effective, and would solve much of the cold problem.
Anything else bothering people? Maybe some better elevator/tram music in the tram, did they really not put heaters in the cabins? How about that 100% subsidized red bus so I can stop carrying around change?
Happy Holidays, it is very cool to have the tram back.
What did happen to the heat in the tram cabins? I could swear there was heat blowing in the new cabins during the first week of operation, but nothing since. Did I imagine the heat?
I love the idea of making a public safety officer stand there for no reason instead of being warm. Great thoughts there. Oh wait... they should freeze to death because they're being paid while everyone else is on their way to get paid across the river... oh wait, berdy gets paid a boat load to do nothing, but has the nerve to complain about the 13 dollar an hour public safety officers...
I took the tram this morning and I agree with Trevre. Having the bus stop in the round-about just before the crosswalk looks pretty doable. The street is wide enough to accommodate a buis stop while still letting cars go by.
I personally don't think any heating is really necessary. The subway stations don't have that nor do the bus stops. I think we are all adult enough to withstand a bit of the cold. If not maybe it's time to move south. I also don't mind having no heat inside the tram. With those big windows and the draft that goes through it's a big waste to keep that place heated. We all have coats.
If the bus always met the tram in the past, and we are still only running the tram once every 15 minutes in either direction (or every 7/8 minutes during rush hours), why ISN'T the bus meeting every tram?
The general sense I get is RIOC is running fewer red buses on the Island these days outside of rush hours. I don't have data to back this up; perhaps someone from RIOC Operations might like to comment. The current bus schedule was someone's decision, and we've yet to hear an explanation from RIOC as to why this change benefits the community.
As far as the cold, it's true that the old arrangement allowed for some respite from the weather with heaters running in the tram and the tram doors partially closed. The new tram seems incapable of providing the former tram's level of service in this area. Two actions would help here:
1. Publish a detailed tram schedule, so folks know when to arrive to minimize their wait. Beyond saying the tram runs "every 15 minutes", publish the times it actually runs at various points of the day. Outside of rush hour, perhaps it runs to Manhattan at :15, :30, :45 and :00, and to the Island at :20, :35, :50 and :05.
2. Install passenger-activated heat lamps at both stations, and attach them to timers. The LIRR has done this at Jamaica Station. Waiting passengers push a button to activate heat, and it turns off after a little under 10 minutes. That way, heat is only being provided when someone is there to request it. Adding motion sensors would make this even more efficient.
I don't think complaining about services on the Island is "childish." Quite the contrary. It's the responsibility of members of our community to speak up to those in decision-making roles.
It is childish because these complains are all just about convenience: having to walk a few more steps and wait in the cold a bit longer. None of these things have any real negative impact on life on this island. But maybe life here is so great that these are the only things left to complain about? Yeah, right.
Convenience
Is that not what the parking all over the island is all about
(privileged or not) !
But when convenience is what DID exist, and new changes make things LESS convenient (and safe, etc.), there's something legitimately wrong.
It is not childish because these complains would have been non-issue with the old system. The residents who have been here for a while were told that the new multi-million project is supposed to make the tram better and yet, we are getting worse service than before. If you are going to argue that the new tram is an improvement then you have not had somebody puked all over your shoes. That never happened to me with the old trams but I had to throw away a pair of shoes already with the new ones.
I digress but all I want to say is the people voicing their complaints here have a legitimate reason. Afterall, would you be happy to have waited forever to have a service restored only to find out it has become worse?
Hopefully RIOC reads these comments.
What may be good for Riverwalk is not good for Main Street, Manhattan Park and Octagon.
RIOC represents all islanders not just a privileged few.
How is the new tram not an improvement over the old system? For starters the capacity of the cabins increased by a lot. The separation of the two cabins allows a lot of flexibility. No more waiting for the other cabin to close the door, for example. In theory it can speed across the river faster. It is more reliable and things like getting stuck over the river are more or less stories of the past.
So, now all these improvements don't mean a thing because we are now forced to wait in the cold a couple minutes longer? Or we have to walk to the bus a few more steps? Are you serious? I think that's where the "childish" part comes on somehow.
Oh, this morning in the tram I overheard a guy complaining to the operator about the bumpy towers. He said that it can't be right but the operator says it's pretty normal with the way the cables are run now. The guy still insists that the operator is in denial (his words) and that there must be something wrong with those towers. What's up with all this knowledge how the tram is supposed to be, etc?
Why do we have to change what we had and what was working well? It is not a trade of for the improvements to the tram but a give in to the car owners in RiverWalk (a specific minority)..
Where is the link in the following comment:
So, now all these improvements don't mean a thing because we are now forced to wait in the cold a couple minutes longer? Or we have to walk to the bus a few more steps? Are you serious? I think that's where the "childish" part comes on somehow.
Where is the link between the tram improvements and your agenda against car owners? I am as anti-car as you can find (and I would love, love, love to see a car free Roosevelt Island). On the other hand I love the new tram and have no problems with a few inconveniences. I personally think it is "childish" to complain constantly about waiting in the cold or having to cross a street to catch a bus.
I am not against car owners. Many of my friends have cars and park at Motorgate.
I am against the car owners (including commercial delivery trucks)who pushed for changes in the bus route,which increase their convenience but cause a loss of convenience for many elderly and handicapped people.
It may be "oldish" but it is not "childish".
I think it's time for this blog to stop allowing anonymous comments. Put your name to your voice --hiding behind a cloak of anonymity just makes this conversation exponentially more spiteful.
Jesse,
I understand your concerns about anonymous comments - it has been raised by others as well.
I am working on a solution to this problem. May have to require some sort of registration in order to comment in the future.
Also, working on a feature to allow real time chat on the site among registered users. Anyone interested in that?
Jesse
I think the biggest disadvantage of "anonimous" is that you do not know if you are answering or commenting one person or another. A screenname only gives you a reference until more than one person uses it. I have used both screen name and "anonymous".It does not change my message. If someone is spiteful they should not be published whether they use "anonymous" or screen name or verified identifyer.
Your Blog will fold if you eliminate Anonymous posting. Many people only blog because they can be anonymous. You want people to register so you can see who is writing what. Instead, your comments will decrease emensely.
I guess you'll have to choose what is more important to you... folks airing their thoughts or people not commenting at all because they don't want you to see who they are.
The only previous tram comment that I agree with was the tram riders crossing to the other side of the street to catch the bus. I have seen cars blow through the stop signs and through crosswalk with no regard, that's clearly a problem. However, the minor inconveniences mentioned like cold weather, tram taking one minute more that reported, etc. were nonsense. I am sure everyone knows how hot the subways get in the summer and how cold in the wintertime, are we all going to complain about that also?
"Registration" doesn't necessarily mean that your real name needs to be shown with each post. There are ways to balance anonymity and healthy debate in a forum like this.
Many newspaper sites require registration, but only show a user-generated screen name next to a post. Each screen name is restricted to a single registered user, so it's easier to tell if one person is dominating a conversation, as I suspect happens more than occasionally on this blog.
I think the forum created by RooseveltIslander is an intensely valuable asset for the Roosevelt Island community, but one that needs to be managed just a tad to achieve its greatest potential.
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