Thursday, July 10, 2008

Gondola Ride Over Bronx Zoo Stuck for Hours


Tonight the various news outlets are reportng on the story that the gondola "Skyfari" ride at the Bronx Zoo was stuck for a number of hours stranding 37 individuals in mid-air reminiscent of the 2006 outage that struck the Roosevelt Island Tram.

The difference from what I read in the NY Times article, pictured above, was this incident involved a wheel of one gondola actually coming off the cable where the Roosevelt Island stoppage was power related and at no time were either of the Tram cabins detached from their cables in any form.

As resident of Roosevelt Island who travels via our Trams almost daily I have to admit when I first started riding them I felt somewhat uneasy during the experience but over the years have grown accustomed to the ride and no longer have any fears. But when I ride the Skyfari ride at the Zoo the old feelings return which I attribute to the small size of their cabins. I can't imagine the feelings that must have gone through those riders this evening as they waited much less for the three family members that were in the affected cabin.

One additional comment is in regard to the following quote from the article:

"Firefighters at the scene said they could not recall a time in the last 15 years when they were called out to the zoo to respond to an emergency on the Skyfari. They added that they do not regularly train to make high-angle rescues on the ride. Firefighters do, however, train to do rescues on another tramlike cable car ride in the zoo that crosses the Bronx River because it hovers over water. "

As resident I feel very comfortable knowing that the FDNY, along with our Tram staff and the local PSD train periodically to deal with tram stoppages and making if needed emergency rescues so visitors and residents alike should take comfort in that knowledge. All I can say for these individuals in "Thank G-d" for Bay Crane.

UPDATE 945 am Thurs. July 10

This morning Greg, oe of Tram operators recounted his learning of the Bronx Zoo stoppage. He was watching TV and saw a news scroll across the screen and saw the words "cable car stuck" and he just waited and breathed a bit easier when he saw it was not on Roosevelt Island. He also clarified for me that the wheels at the Bronx Zoo could not have come off the cables as their system does not operate that way. He indicated theirs is a single cable system. The same cable that pulls the car also carries the car.

The wheels are merely there for the operators do at ski resorts to pull the car around for new passengers to get in the car. Those of you that have taken the Skyfari ride will recall this. Greg is guessing the system stopped when a "brake" finally was tripped open either at the end stations or at the car in question.

10 comments:

  1. We need to clarify.....who was really involved in this rescue operation.....FDNY was there however the NYPD Emergency Service Unit ran the entire operation. FDNY arrived nearly an hour after ESU was operating on the scene....this could be confirmed with OEM. I have nothing to gain however we need to give credit when it's properly due i'm getting sich and tired to constantly hear the meddia give the wrong story.....look at the pics...all BL helmets...(all elite ESU cops...all high angle.ROCO trained all EMT's..min cert. and a few medics...haz-mat techs, EPT's,confined space..SCUBA..and much more...you will not ride those small/big trucks without any of those certs...plus more...it is tuly impressive and we need to tell the story in a correct fashion. Let's do our homework....

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  2. Anonymous:

    When acting as an angry ignorant blogger, use spell check and proper grammar.

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  3. ron vass where are you

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  4. ron vass you must come foward and tell us why you did what you did to the people of eastwood. you are very happy in your 2 bedroom apartment . while many people had to move . also we want the money back that sec 8 people gave you and the eastwood buildong committe for a lawyer because sec8 people did not need a lawyer .you did because you were going to go into lap . we paid for your lawyer you and all the people in lap. the sec8 people paid for your lawyer give us back our money . we are thinking of sueing you and the eastwood building committe and also the lawyer the fight has just began , you will be heading from us ,for what you did

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  5. i live in roosevelt landings and i love it here . i am on welfare so i get sec 8 i never worry about paying market rent like the people who work and get sec8 . see if you are getting sec8 . you should not be working . because your rent will just keep going up ;so the best thing to do is lose your job go on welfare and stay on sec8 .

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  6. to playing the game .yes you are right sec 8 is for people with low income or fixed income . because i am in sec 8 . and my rent just keeps going up. this is all because of ron vass and the eastwood building committe . they sold out the working people in eastwood . go to hell ron you are doing good in your lap apartment while i worry that my rent is getting too high that i may not be able to pay it .many people have had to move because of ron vass and the ebc .you should all go to hell ,we want anwers ron for what you did .and the rent of you in the ebc that agreed to this mess .sure you all have a nice lap apartment while us in sec 8 worry everytime our income goes up or . our kids get a job .give all sec8 people back their money . that they gave you for that useless ass lawyer he did nothing for the people going into sec8 we paid for your lawyer , give us back our money.the lawyer only worked for the people going into lap

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  7. mad as hell .and i will not take it anymoreDecember 12, 2010 at 9:06 PM

    i agree with oldtimer . i am also on sec 8 and i am middle income and my rent has gone up over 1,ooo.oo . in the last year because my son got out of school and got a job . i wish that i can get a lap apartment .where my rent will not go up based on my income .this is unfair .for working . middle income people who were placed into sec8 . i had every right to have an apartment that is not market rent . like ron vass and the people in the e b c . got . i feel there must have been laws that were broken in this agreement .old timer cant we do something about this . please tell me if we can do something about this . because we are not the only ones . there are many people in eastwood going thru this . people who have kids .they are telling their kids not to go to work . . i agree,, ron vass and the everyone who was in the e,b ,c got a good deal for themselfs ,ron vass signed the agreement as .legal negotiations chairperson. so he is the main person for this .agreement . he made sure he got a good deal for himself .when my son came home from school 2 summers ago he got a part time job so he can buy books when he goes back to school in the fall well do you know they wanted to raise my rent for 2 months that he was working . the kid had a few dollars in the bank . . he got some money from the bank , well the rent went up bacause my son got a little money from the bank . i am mad as hell and i will not take it anymore . ,so you know in sec8 you must downsize . as your kids move out. so if you are 2 people in a 2 bedroom apartment you must down size to a 1 bedroom, but if you are 2 people in a 2 bedroom lap apartment you do not have to down size see if you are in lap and even if you are 1 person in a 2 bedroom apartment you can stay. and do you know why well take one guess ,ron vass lives in a 2 bedroom apartment with his wife and most of if not all the people in the e b c all have 2 bedroom apartments .now do you understand what i am talking about here ,we all need to get together and do something about this , why dont we go to the main street wire and tell them our story

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  8. you cannot go to the wire ,because they belong to the jewish mafia that runs roosevelt island. i will not name. names. but we know who they are .

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  9. the jews run new york city and they also run roosevelt island

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  10. ron vass come foward and pay for your sins,

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