No Separate Priority Line For Roosevelt Island Residents Using The Tram, It's Same As No Priority On The F Train Says RIOC President And PSD Chief - Peaks Island Maine Ferry Service Has Priority Boarding For Their Residents
For years, Roosevelt Island residents traveling back and forth to Manhattan have pleaded for a separate Roosevelt Island Tram line to avoid the long waits
... Events are coming up. This is the springtime. Cherry blossom is here. Walk along the Promenade you see the cherry blossom trees. What does that do? That brings in more people to the island.
How are we addressing the issue of crowding on the Tram, on the weekend especially.
We do have a plan....We have people lined up orderly waiting for the tram...
... Public Safety will be on the Tram plazas both on the Roosevelt Island side and the Manhattan side to ensure your safety but we're going to ask you to be patient. I know that's a hard thing to do but we have to be patient. There's only 125 people who can ride in the tram at the time... there are visitors also but our goal is to make sure you get on the Tram safely and have you lined up in an orderly fashion.
The first question during the meeting's Q & A session was from a woman
using a walker. She asked for a Roosevelt Island Tram pass to be given to
residents going to work or doing shopping. The pass would give residents
priority boarding the Tram so as to to avoid the long delays, huge lines and
safety hazards caused by overcrowding from tourists on the Roosevelt Island
Tram.
Initially, RIOC Assistant Vice President of Communications Akeem Jamal
appeared to not want to answer this question during the meeting because in his
view it was not "on topic" for a Public Safety question. He suggested
discussing the issue "off line".
Chief Brown and RIOC President Shelton Haynes knew better than Mr Jamal, who has been in charge of RIOC communications for less than a year. They both understood the huge lines at the Roosevelt Island Tram is a Public Safety issue and provided an answer to the question, though it was not an answer most residents would like.
Priority Tram boarding for Roosevelt Island residents will not be done.
According to Chief Brown:
The Tram is just like the F Train. We can't say that all the residents can ride the F Train first.
RIOC President Shelton Haynes added:
... This has been a topic of discussion for a very long time. We're very empathetic and this is something we've contemplated for quite some time. The Tram is a public transportation hub and as much as we would like to ... it's not something we can do as much as it would make things easier for residents....Here's the type of long lines at the Tram that Roosevelt Island residents can look forward to in the coming months
Unlike the staff in charge of Roosevelt Island, the town of
Peaks Island Maine initiated a pilot project
in 2021 to give their residents Ferry service boarding priority
and continued the priority boarding for 2022.
Here's how the Peaks Island Ferry Priority Boarding pass works.
UPDATE 4/7 - Roosevelt Island residents respond:
There are times in the middle of the day after I do some shopping or go to a doctor’s appointment when I come back on that tram. I am fairly certain that I am one of the only residents on the tram. (I am not taking pictures. I am not in a huge group. I am not talking about the Statue of Liberty, etc.)
It is very crowded and often, I have food that needs to be refrigerated. I am not alone.
It would be wonderful if those of us who live on the island could get our shopping into our refrigerators.
Also, when we go into Manhattan (or Queens) and do our shopping ourselves instead of having a delivery van come, that is one fewer truck or car that has to come to our island. So, it is good for all of us.
I would love to try a pilot program that gives residents priority.
I didn’t even mention people with disabilities. Some folks who live on our island physically can’t wait in lines and can’t physically make it to the F stop if they notice a line.
And:
Did they compare the F train to the tram to justify declining the request?
The F train holds 4,000 passengers, and lines are never wrapped around the block to get on the train.
The tram holds up to 125 passengers, and the MTA closure on the island and summer tourism will cause long lines and inconvenience for island residents.
We need better leaders who will truly advocate for island residents' needs. The whole island needs a transportation study done.
Comments on Roosevelt Islander Online Instagram page:
- The situation with the tourists is becoming ridiculous! I have been saying for a long time now that residents and those who work on the island should have boarding priority! The F train is not the tram. Comparing the capacity of one vs the other is preposterous.
- I’m sorry but this is unacceptable. I’m not an island resident, but I feel for them as I see long lines of tourists riding the tram 🚠just for fun.
- Thanks for your solidarity and for showing empathy, which apparently Mr. Haynes does not have.
- Can’t compare the F train with the tram! What a ridiculous comparison!!
- It’s true that the tram is a public transportation entity. Yet it’s also true that, unlike other public transportation entities, like the train or bus, tourists ride the tram for the sake of riding the tram (i.e the views, the experience, etc.). Though convenient, I’ve never met someone who wanted to ride the F train for fun. For that reason alone, I think it’s hard to accept all transportation as equal in use.
- If the city won’t give us OMNY than we should declare ourselves a separate entity. Besides priority entrance we should charge a tourist fee. It’s done all over Europe especially in the summer. Residents of islands pay a reduced fare as compared to tourists. NYC tourists pay a fortune for Ellis Island, Empire State Etc. Charge them $20. Round trip for the tram and throw in a map!
- This guy doesn’t want to do the work that’s just the bottom line. Or he has no power at all.
- Yesterday I was coming back from work. Super tired at 6pm. The tramway was packed. I even though it was due to one tramway working. When the person in charge of moving the tramway told me both of them were working I couldn’t believe it. I almost couldn’t fit in. I was so tired.
- The comparison with the F train is absurd. The F train is not advertised as a tourist attraction and the tram is, and is used as one, while Island residents need to use the tram to commute efficiently to and from their homes. This is a callous disregard for the needs of Island residents and the unwillingness to promote the public good.
- So no priority line…as most likely they don’t want to operationalize such option nor manage it. So continue to invite and market RI, increase traffic, and create hardship for residents. Maybe we start with a simpler solution run 2 trams 8AM-8PM, if it’s slow run one until traffic picks up. At least take some responsibility and action in support the people who actually live on the island with limited commuting options.
- Total bullshit. There should at least be priority boarding during rush hour times, PUBLIC ROADS HAVE PRIORITY LANES (HOV, BUS LANES)!! Stop using government funding as an excuse for doing nothing. If the issue is with the tram being a Govt owned system, maybe listen to your constituents and CHANGE THE LAWS. Isn't that your job?
It is 100% possible. They just don't have the incentive to fight/work hard enough for it. - We need people who don't simply hear 'no' and give up.
— AJ Ferrer (@_ajfny) April 7, 2023
UPDATE 4/8:I understand the F train, but the tram is literally there to just go to the island. If the train is not stopping on the island…like usual on the weekends, residents should have priority.
— Stevie White (@arj2002) April 7, 2023
UPDATE 4/9:
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