Tram Circle Traffic Sign Update

As promised by Roosevelt Island Public Safety Director Keith Guerra a new sign has been added to the Tram Circle making it clear to drivers that they must bear right around the circle when looking to make a left turn towards the steam plant and beyond. I had reported on the shortfall in the prior signage last month despite the added street marking that PSD had put into effect.

In addition PSD has moved the sign out from the circle making it clearer to drivers and ensuring that the Red Bus drivers tighten their turns leaving no chance that they would ever hit a vehicle sitting behind the sign waiting for the bus to complete its turn.

Near Bus Accident at Tram Circle Turnaround

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Video For Location Only

This afternoon we had a bit of a scare riding on the Roosevelt Island Red Bus home from the Tram. I am a bit sketchy on what actually happened as I was sitting way in the back with my 4 year old daughter. Apparently while the bus was about to start his turn into the traffic circle a car heading South along the Riverwalk side of Main Street just cut off the bus causing the driver to abruptly stop short. No contact was made, to my knowledge, with the car but my daughter went flying into the aisle (she was sitting on the back bench seat) landing face down scaring the heck out of her leaving her crying hysterically. A number of other passengers also got tossed about including one other child who was sitting in the rear of the bus.

The driver stopped the bus and I believe tried to approach the grey sedan before it sped off heading South towards Goldwater along the Eastern side of the island. The driver got back on the bus and checked that we were all OK and that nobody was seriously injured. When the bus stopped across from Trellis and the PSD office he stopped to talk to some of the officers. At the same time my family entered the PSD office and gave a verbal report of the incident to the officers that were inside and giving the officers the license plate number of the car. We figured at that point the car was still on the Island as he had not yet come back North passing the bus.

By the time we got home my daughter had calmed down and was fine but it was quite scary for that initial moment or two seeing your child thrown down like that. Tomorrow I will follow up at the PSD office to see if anything else happened regarding this but I am assuming there was not much that PSD could do as no physical accident occurred. I am guessing at most PSD can issue a moving violation ticket or something. Either way everyone agreed that the sedan was reckless trying to get by a Red Bus. Perhaps PSD can install signs at the traffic circle that Red Buses have the right of way before cars to put cars on notice and to perhaps slow down.