Roosevelt Island Tipsters report:
It was very tense on the tram today at around 5:30 – the cabin was overweight and people kept pushing to get on quite aggresively. The tram operator announced people had to get off due to weight limits. There was a large tour group of at least 25 people on. The only people that got off were residents. It was still over the weight limit and the NYPD had to board to get people off. Ultimately only residents got off.”
I felt very bad for the Operator who was doing the right thing and was equally as exasperated about being ignored.
and:
Lines all the way down the stairs on the Manhattan side of the Tram. Don’t know why.
I asked Roosevelt Island Operating Corp (RIOC) Communications Director Bryant Daniels:
Do you know if NYPD boarded the Tram yesterday about 5:30 pm because of large crowds pushing and shoving. Or was is PSD?
Mr Daniels replied:
An extra PSD officer was sent over during that time—no NYPD presence
According to RIOC Public Safety Department Chief Kevin Brown, there is an influx of Jewish community members visiting the island, probably for the holiday
There have not been many incidents of long lines down the Manhattan Tram Station Staircase to the Tram Plaza and up 59th street (shown in video from last August) in recent months though the Tram Platform itself is often very, very crowded.
Return of the long lines of tourists is expected soon with the start of Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday season.
During the October 6 Manhattan Community Board 8 Roosevelt Island committee meeting, I asked new RIOC President BJ Jones if there was any update on the proposed Roosevelt Island Tram priority Quick Pass. The proposed pass would be made available to anyone picking it up on Roosevelt Island and the idea was presented to Governor Kathy Hochul’s office last June. Mr Jones replied:
I don’t have any news on that front. Nothing new regarding what RIOC’s position has been on that.
Although, I get why excessive wait times for people trying to get home, let alone to school or work, is certainly aggravating.
I’ll look into getting an update. I’ll also say I want to make sure that we’re doing whatever we can in terms of the equipment and the maintenance and the communication system and PSD protocols at the station too. What are all the levers that we can push to improve that experience but I don’t have any news for you.
I’ll work on getting an update. I know it’s important to a lot of people.
Last June, Roosevelt Island residents were told by NYC Council Member Julie Menin to expect an answer from the Governor’s office in September before start of the school year.
Looking forward to an answer.
Is part of the problem that often only one car is being used? Full tram usage – both cars – would help.
If there’s such a long tram line, why wouldn’t residents just walk a couple of blocks to the 63rd/Lex subway station? It’s accessible too so there’s no reason to wait on a long line when you can get right on the train without a wait and enjoy a shorter trip to the island as well.
The F station at 63rd is under construction and hard to access if youre elderly or disabled, which many RI residents are. Not to mention the F is always delayed and the platform overcrowded. Roosevelt Island Tram was not designed to be a tourist destination but as a means of simple transport for residents. The influx of tourists isn’t the main problem it’s their lack of decency and civility while on board. My daughter has been victimized and physically hurt as a result on more than one occasion.
I was trying to go home early one day (about 1:30pm) and the crowds were crazy, and only one cabin was running. Absolutely ridiculous and most of the people were tourists.