UES & Roosevelt Island
Our neighborhood deserves infrastructure that is safe, resilient, and built for the future. I support a comprehensive review of New York City's resiliency initiatives and the East Side Greenway plans to ensure taxpayer dollars are spent effectively, transparently, and with long-term results.
As an Upper East Sider, I have watched the East River Greenway deteriorate for years. The aging seawall is crumbling, creating sinkholes and erosion that threaten not only the Greenway but, eventually, the structural integrity of the FDR Drive. Instead of relying on a costly "whack-a-mole" approach to repair one failure after another, we need a permanent engineering solution that protects our shoreline, modernizes critical infrastructure, restores safe public access to the waterfront, and prepares our community for future storms and rising sea levels.
Roosevelt Island faces many of the same challenges. The Island depends on resilient waterfront infrastructure, reliable transportation, and effective emergency preparedness. We must strengthen flood protection, improve the reliability of the Tram, Subway, and Ferry, maintain the seawall and public spaces, and preserve waterfront access. Just as importantly, Roosevelt Island residents deserve a greater voice in the decisions that affect their community. I support giving Roosevelt Island residents the right to directly elect the resident members of the Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation (RIOC) Board so local governance is more accountable to the people who live there.
Our sidewalks should be safe for everyone. Today, pedestrians—including seniors, children, families with strollers, and people with disabilities—are increasingly forced to compete with speeding e-bikes and delivery riders on sidewalks. Motorized bicycles, electric scooters, and other powered devices should not be operated on city sidewalks except where required by law for accessibility. Delivery riders and all cyclists must obey traffic laws, stop at red lights, yield to pedestrians, use designated bike lanes whenever available, and walk their bikes with the power off whenever they are on a sidewalk. New York should improve enforcement while expanding safe cycling infrastructure so cyclists and pedestrians each have a place where they can travel safely.
A safer and stronger community means investing in resilient infrastructure, protecting pedestrians, giving Roosevelt Island residents a greater voice in their own government, and ensuring that both the Upper East Side and Roosevelt Island receive the attention and investment they deserve.