Roosevelt Island Bridge Closings Scheduled For Month of May But No Word Yet From DOT On Pedestrian Safety Barrier - Council Member Lappin and Assembly Member Kellner Ask Why?

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According to the Roosevelt Island Operating Corp. (RIOC):

RIOC Advisories

Please be advised the DOT will be performing test openings on the Roosevelt Island Bridge which will begin Tuesday, May 3rd until Friday, May 20th. These openings will be conducted Monday through Friday from the hours of 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. Each test opening will take anywhere from 8 to 10 minutes to be completed and will be appropriately spaced to prevent the least amount of disturbance to vehicular and pedestrian traffic.

No word yet on whether the Department of Transportation (DOT) will be installing the pedestrian safety barrier on the Queens side of the Roosevelt Island Bridge that was reported on in previous posts as part of the Bridge's $86.5 million rehabilitation project.

Image Of Queens Side Of Roosevelt Island Bridge With No Safety Barrier

Roosevelt Island Disabled Association (RIDA) President Jim Bates explains why he thinks a pedestrian safety barrier is needed for the entire length of the Roosevelt Island Bridge:

As a enabled wheelchair scooter riding person I challenge any of you who feel a barrier is not necessary to hop on a wheelchair or motorized scooter and go on the walkway and see what happens when your wheelchair is about 1 inch from the on coming traffic.

It is nearly impossible for 2 wheelchairs traveling in opposite direction to pass each other on the walkway or a wheelchair and a baby carriage or a wheelchair and a shopping cart.

What about the danger of a slippery surface and children on the walkway or a bicycle coming towards you, (yes I know it's illegal to ride a bike on the walkway, you tell that to the cyclist). I could go on.

Safety first for all Islanders should be what you should be thinking and saying.

Just do it !

Roosevelt Island's NYC Council Member Jessica Lappin and NY State Assembly Member Micah Kellner wrote the following letter to the DOT's Manhattan Borough Commissioner Margaret Forgione urging that a pedestrian safety barrier be installed along the entire Roosevelt Island Bridge and that the Roosevelt Island community be apprised of any progress in the construction of such a safety barrier. From Ms. Lappin and Mr. Kellner:

Dear Commissioner Forgione,

We are writing in regards to the status of a pedestrian barrier on the Roosevelt Island Bridge. Currently, pedestrians on the eastern side of the bridge do not have a physical barrier to protect them from traffic. Such a barrier was unfortunately and incomprehensibly not included in the original design of the bridge.

The absence of a barrier on the eastern side has created hazardous conditions for the large disabled community on Roosevelt Island, pedestrians with children, and the many others who understandably feel unsafe crossing the bridge while unprotected from traffic. As the only thoroughfare to and from Roosevelt Island, the bridge is extremely busy at all hours of the day. Wheelchair users who cross the bridge risk falling off the curb’s edge. On the extremely narrow path, this can easily occur when individuals attempt to pass one another

Members of the community, including the Roosevelt Island Residents Association and the Roosevelt Island Disabled Association, have contacted us for assistance in meeting with the Department of Transportation (DOT) to determine the best way to incorporate a barrier into the existing structure. We understand that this problem has been acknowledged by the DOT, and that you have been examining the issue. However, the community has not been kept apprised of any progress that has been made towards the construction of a barrier.

The absence of this barrier is a tragic accident waiting to happen. We ask that you meet with local community leaders to discuss the future plans for the bridge. Thank you for your attention in this matter.

Below is the full letter from Ms. Lappin and Mr. Kellner:
RI Bridge Letter

The DOT may not be concerned about a pedestrian safety barrier for the Roosevelt Island Bridge pathway but Streetsblog reports that DOT is trying to make crossing 36th Avenue at the Roosevelt Island Bridge safer:

At the foot of the Roosevelt Island Bridge, DOT is showing off how a few simple improvements can turn a dangerous intersection into a safer one. It’s not a flashy redesign — just a pair of pedestrian refuges and improved crosswalks — but it’s a good example of the street safety improvements that are becoming increasingly common.

Right now, pedestrians crossing 36th Avenue where it becomes the entrance to the bridge must walk 107 feet from sidewalk to sidewalk: six lanes of traffic with no safe place for pedestrians to pause...

The DOT plan for making 36th Avenue by the Roosevelt Island Bridge safer is here. Why can't DOT make the Roosevelt Island Bridge pathway safer as well?