According to the Roosevelt Island Operating Corp ( RIOC ), it is illegal to give Roosevelt Island residents and workers preferential boarding on the Roosevelt Island Tram before sightseeing tourists.

As previously reported , last November, I submitted to RIOC a Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) request for:

… a copy of the full legal analysis (not the previously released
public statement) that RIOC is relying on for its current position that
resident/worker Tram boarding preference would be illegal. If necessary,
please consider this a FOIL request.

and followed up:

… Also, please include copies of any Franchise Agreement with NYC
that RIOC is relying on to assert that a resident and worker boarding
preference for the Tram is illegal….

On January 8, RIOC provided copies of the Tram franchise agreements but denied my FOIL request for the legal analysis. Later that day, I appealed RIOC’s denial of my FOIL request for the legal analysis as well as followed up by asking for:

… any other agreements with any party including the MTA that RIOC is
relying upon to assert that a resident and worker boarding preference for
the Tram is illegal….

On January 27, RIOC denied my appeal for their legal analysis via this
letter.


I replied to RIOC later that day asking:

… Assuming for the sake of argument that the legal analysis is subject to
attorney client privilege, RIOC can waive that privilege and make the
analysis public.

In the spirit of transparency and openness, I am requesting that RIOC waive
any privilege regarding the public release of Tram priority boarding
preference for residents and workers legal opinion and send me a copy of it
so I can publish it for the Roosevelt Island community.

The issue of tram boarding priority preference for residents and workers is
of great concern to the Roosevelt Island community.

Please let me know if RIOC will waive any attorney client privilege on this
matter and make the legal analysis of this very important issue public for
the community to understand. If RIOC declines to waive the privilege, please
explain why RIOC does not want the Roosevelt Island public to see this
information.

RIOC Associate General Counsel Lada Stasko answered today:

Please be advised that RIOC has concluded its review of the referenced matter
and is closing the file. We will not respond to any further correspondence
about this matter.

Thank you for your attention.

Here is the August 28, 2023 RIOC statement on Priority Service at the Roosevelt Island Tram

Supporters of Roosevelt Island Tram boarding preference for residents and workers dispute RIOC’s legal interpretation:

Click here to view the Roosevelt Island Tram Franchise agreements with NYC.

I’m still waiting to see if there are any other agreements RIOC is relying upon for their claim that Roosevelt Island resident and worker priority preference boarding the Tram is illegal.

Roosevelt Islander