The RIOC Column

When F train service was disrupted during Monday morning’s rush hour last week, we got a vivid example of the need for a menu of transportation alternatives available to residents on Roosevelt Island.

The Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation leaders quickly redeployed our Red Buses to add a lot more runs to carry commuters into Manhattan. The buses ran express in both directions, alleviating the problems faced by the commuters until the subway resumed service later that same morning.

The RIOC buses, which normally just run around the Island, had already been making regular runs into Manhattan to handle commuters who have been displaced from the Tram, which remains closed for investigation of the stoppage of April 18.

In my testimony to a recent meeting of the City Council Transportation Committee, I assured Councilwoman Jessica Lappin, who represents the Island, and her colleagues, that we remain committed to reopening the Tram as soon as investigations into the causes of the stoppage are completed and any necessary repairs and upgrades are made.

And I briefed them on the plan approved last fall by the Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation Board of Directors for a $3.9 million program to modernize and upgrade the Tram, which is now 30 years old.

I also spoke about the need for discussions to commence among residents, elected officials, and RIOC with the goal of increasing the transportation alternatives for Island residents, including the possibility of adding ferry or water taxi service to Manhattan.

The F train stoppage underscored the need for expanded transportation alternatives since this is an Island.

Today, about 5,000 passengers enter the F train station on Roosevelt Island daily, and many more use express bus service to Queens Plaza. About 4,000 passenger-trips a day are recorded on the tram.

But the Tram proved its value beyond its regular ridership during December’s transit workers’ strike, when commuters from Queens were able to drive onto the Island and take the Tram to Manhattan. Ridership on the Tram tripled on the peak day of the transit strike, demonstrating once again the value of transportation alternatives.

As for the status of the Tram, we are currently awaiting completion of investigations by the State Department of Labor and by our own engineers. After they are completed, we will have to make certain that any problems in the software or hardware are corrected in order to ensure safe operation. We remain proud of the work done by RIOC staffers along with police and fire personnel on the night of April 18 that resulted in all 68 passengers and crew safely evacuated from the stranded cars.

It is sometimes frustrating to preach patience in the wake of the Tram stoppage, especially since we remain committed to its reopening as soon as we are assured it can be safely operated. But as Mayor Bloomberg stressed the night of April 18, safety is the first priority.

There can be no compromise on that commitment.