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In less than a week, more than 1 thousand people have signed this
Petition
seeking priority boarding for residents and workers who use the Roosevelt
Island Tram as essential transportation before crowds of sightseeing tourists
riding the tram
to gawk at the view or a photo op to be shared on social media.
The Roosevelt Island Tram has ceased to be available to residents and
workers as a reliable method of transportation. We, the residents and
workers, demand priority boarding of the tram.
A combination of factors has led to a massive increase in the use of the
tram by tourists, particularly since the tram has recently appeared in a
number of “Top 10 things to do in NYC” lists and videos.
The platforms are crowded and lines often form outside the platform. What
used to be only certain limited times of day and certain times of year is
virtually now a constant.
Residents and workers now struggle to get on to the tram, often starting
in the morning till late into the night.
Many people have given up on the tram while others struggle through the
chaos
This is particularly onerous for our neighbors who may be elderly or
unable to walk / stand easily. The island is home to a lot of elderly
folks and folks with limited mobility.
The same is also true for families with young children.
Comments
describing reasons people signed the petition include:
I am a long term now over 65 year old resident. It is becoming impossible
to get on the Tramway especially when on the Manhattan side. Overcrowding
on platform and on Tram is horrendous and dangerous. Let residents and
worker's on the Island board first.
My simple commute has become a nightmare. The tourists are nasty and push
folks out of the way to get onto a tram. Grab seats designated for the
handicapped and don’t even sit in them as those seats provide them with
the best views. After a stressful day at work I just want to be able to
commute home peacefully and not wait in lines, get trampled cursed out,
have someone put their feet on me to get a photo.
I’m a resident of Roosevelt Island for 15 years. The amount of people
taking the tram due to tourism has been so overwhelming. People are rude
and don’t respect personal space. Because of this, I hardly use the tram.
Hope something can be done to remedy the situation.
I am a senior resident and taxpayer of RI for almost 40 . It is very
disappointing that RIOC brought us as far as having to launch a petition
to get to our homes . At this stage at life I have more medical
appointments, need an easer way for shopping and that’s why we need a
safer and more reliable way to get home , like the tram that served us for
so many years . Remember there were times they wanted to shut it down but
survived due to us the residents of the island !
I don’t live on Roosevelt Island, but I have many friends who do and it’s
shocking that they have such a long wait to get onto the tram when that’s
their main method of getting back home to pick up their children and get
to their families. Non-residents touring the island and visiting should
either wait or take one of the other methods onto the island: metro or the
ferry.
The rapidly increasing population of Roosevelt Island makes a functional
transit system imperative. Explosion of tourists taking the tram as an
amusement (simply forward and back, with most no longer bothering to get
off and explore) severely hampers the ability of the growing population to
access work, school, healthcare and grocery shopping, and more. The impact
on our most vulnerable populations - senior and disabled residents, as
well as parents of small children, is especially unacceptable. The tram
used to be a reliable and accessible option for their populations, but is
now written off. Roosevelt Island desperately needs a transit study and
rapid implementation of the resulting needed fixes. Please take urgent,
coordinated action (RIOC, POMA, DOL, etc.) to address the transit crisis
on Roosevelt Island.
Solutions to overcrowding from tourists on the Roosevelt Island Tram was
discussed during the November 4 Community Board 8
Roosevelt Island committee meeting
by CB 8 Roosevelt Island committee chair Paul Krikler, Roosevelt Island
Operating Corp (RIOC)
Communications Director Bryant Daniels and approximately 20 residents.
Suggestions including resident/workers boarding preference and covering the
Cabin windows to discourage tourists from riding the Tram.
Here's what some other cities have done to protect their residents use of
essential services from crowds of tourists.
VIDEO: Work has begun in a small Japanese town to erect a barrier blocking
views of the country's most famous sight, Mount Fuji after locals
complained of bad behavior by photo-hungry tourists
pic.twitter.com/TQoc0HCTOk
... nobody that I’m aware of is asking for a reduction in the Tram fare for
residents. That would do nothing to alleviate the long lines and
overcrowding. It’s a straw man argument.
Second, the statute cited by RIOC relies on an “undue or unreasonable
preference or advantage” standard.
Proponents of a separate line for residents/workers would argue that the
Tram is an essential mode of transportation that has limited capacity. The
overcrowding by tourists causing long lines and waiting times exacerbated by
the current F train service disruption has a substantial negative effect on
the quality of life for residents and workers including elderly, disabled,
parents with strollers, students going to school etc.
It is entirely “reasonable” for RIOC to permit preferential boarding on the
limited capacity Tram for residents who need the tram to pursue their daily
activities over tourists who are using the Tram as a sightseeing amusement
attraction.
Also, several residents have reported that at one time the Tram did give
priority to Roosevelt Island residents over tourists. Here's an excerpt from
May 29, 1976 NY Times article that proves it.
Resident preference for the Tram was already done. Why not again?...
UPDATE 11/13 -
Roosevelt Island Daily
shares this photo of a February 1980 article from an early Roosevelt Island
newspaper, The View, showing that Roosevelt Island residents had priority
boarding on the Tram for about 4 years from the time operations began in 1976
until 1980. According to publisher David Stone:
While researching an article on the making of Nighthawks in March 1980, I found this article in the Island View newspaper, which came before the WIRE. It documents when Islanders lost thier priority passes for the Tram.
The 1980 legal opinion also does not appear to address the “reasonableness” issue of Roosevelt Island resident Tram boarding preference.
The Roosevelt Island Daily article asks if taking away the Roosevelt Island Tram boarding preference for residents in 1980 was in retribution against residents for protesting against the filming of Nighthawks movie on the Tram.
Veterans Day originated as “Armistice Day” on November 11, 1919, the first anniversary of the end of World War I. Congress passed a resolution in 1926 for an annual observance, and November 11 became a national holiday beginning in 1938. Unlike Memorial Day, Veterans Day pays tribute to all American veterans—living or dead—but especially gives thanks to living veterans who served their country honorably during war or peacetime....
If you know a Veteran or see one on the street today, please take a brief
moment to thank them for their service to our country. Also, don't just thank
them today but do it throughout the year and thank our active duty soldiers as
well.
Roosevelt Island is a mixed income, racially diverse waterfront community situated in the East River of New York City between Manhattan and Queens and is jurisdictionally part of Manhattan. The Roosevelt Island Tramway, which connects Roosevelt Island to the rest of Manhattan, has become the iconic symbol of Roosevelt Island to its residents.
The Purpose of this Blog is to provide accurate and timely information about Roosevelt Island as well as a forum for residents to express opinions and engage in a dialogue to improve our community.
