Pol urges Mike to shore up river taxi BY ELIZABETH HAYS, Daily NewsOutraged Brooklyn and Queens commuters Friday called on Mayor Bloomberg to save year-round ferry service on the East River.
The move came after New York Water Taxi, which operates the route, announced it will cut all service from Jan. 1 to May 1 to save money.
"We should be expanding water access, not cutting back," said City Councilman Eric Gioia (D-Queens) at a news conference in Williamsburg.
Councilman David Yassky (D-Brooklyn) urged the city to subsidize the route - which connects DUMBO, Williamsburg and Long Island City to Manhattan - as it does subways and buses.
"Mass transit just doesn't work on its own. It requires government subsidies," he said.
New York Water Taxi has blamed the cuts on skyrocketing fuel costs and the drop in the number of tourists during the winter.
Expanding ferry service was one of 127 proposals listed in PlaNYC, the mayor's ambitious environmental proposal released in the spring.
A Bloomberg spokesman said the mayor is "committed to providing East River ferry service" and is "exploring the best routes and financing options to make service viable."
Let them take the subway with the rest of us. Expensive "taxi" rides should not be paid for with tax dollars.
Photo from Wikipedia.
62 comments:
man the torpedoes.
When are the Pedicabs being introduced?
Hear Doorman Gioia on the radio:
"the waterfront is being revitalized from abandoned factories to
PARKS!!!,
SCHOOLS!!!,
and housing."
hahahahahahahahah
heheheheheheheheh
hohohohohohoho
So young, educated, professional workers are "them", and Crapper and its commenters are "us"? What is it about successful professionals that makes you so jealous? And do you really think that the only people that take the commuter ferries are people with high incomes?
When I used the word "them" I was referring to Hunters Point ferry riders, whatever their socioeconomic status. However, I doubt there are Queensbridge residents paying upwards of $200 a month to ride the ferry. Yuppies can afford to commute however they please. We don't need to help pay for them to take an expensive, inefficient form of travel.
And actually, I think the yuppies are jealous of me. Unlike them, I and my site are quite popular among the natives and that is fulfillment enough for me.
"And do you really think that the only people that take the commuter ferries are people with high incomes?"
Uh, yeah.
What is it about successful professionals that makes you so jealous?
What is it about this site that makes you feel so threatened that you have to post about "successful professionals" all the time? If the discourse here bothers you so, why do you keep coming back?
You have to figure that once you get to the other side of the river that you are either getting on a bus or subway anyway.
Threatened? That's pretty funny. Most reasonable and intelligent people find this site to be fairly comical, to put it kindly. Crapper does a good job of finding local interest stories and organizing them here, so I like checking the site to see the local stories, but the opinions expressed by the Crapper and his sycophants are generally not at a level to be taken seriously.
As for the ferry, I know several "middle income" people who commute via the Water Taxi. There are other people in the world beside Queensbridge residents and high income earners.
If we're not at a level to be taken seriously, then why the vehement defensive rebuttals?
"Most reasonable and intelligent people find this site to be fairly comical, to put it kindly."
Wow, we have an admission that reasonable and intelligent people read Queens Crap!
most reasonable and intelligent people don't live in an overpriced condo in hunters point and spend beaucoup bucks to take the ferry when a $2 subway ride is 2 blocks away.
"I know several "middle income" people who commute via the Water Taxi."
I have a feeling that your definition of middle income and the average Queens resident's are 2 vastly different amounts.
Is that why Curbed asked Crappy to be a guest blogger and well-established and well-respected news and real estate oriented sites link to this site regularly? Did you see Gothamist yesterday?
LIC: "the next hot neighborhood" since Donald Manes walked the earth.
Most of Queens finds the condo dwellers on the waterfront to be fairly comical, to put it kindly.
Mr. Anonymous loves QC except when it hits too close to home.
imagine being seated on a water taxi with this yapping yuppie? I think I'd abandon ship midway through and swim the rest of the way. :-0
I'm sure it's been said many times before, but I'd like to ask for the banning of anonymous comments. This is NOT to ask people to give up their inalienable rights to flame away at their fellow citizens in privacy--more of a can't tell the players without a scorecard thing.
You're hardly outed if you have to register as, say, shinola69, it's just the rest of us can see who's making what statement. The way it is now, half the time it feels like the same "anonymous" is having some sort of schizo psychotic break arguing with himself!
Any good military commander knows
(and so should the sales agents at Queens West)
that once you're cut off from the river
(water taxi) and your supplies (Fresh direct)
you're isolated and cornered.
Things can only get worse!
"Only 23 minutes from Broadway"....
via the far more dependable LIRR.
Maybe northeast Queens wins out after all.
How many overpriced unsold units
have they got left in this downward spiraling
economy ...."just across the river"....
as their promotion brochures proclaim .
H-m-m-n.....
you upscale "hipster/professionals"
can subsidize your own ferry service!
Stow a canoe on the balcony of your condo
then you can paddle your way across the river
just like the Native Americans did 300 years ago.
The bracing work out can eliminate the need
for those hefty health club fees you've been paying.
Yeah....we know....that river breeze can be frigid.
Just think of it for a moment.....
the East River Suspension (Brooklyn) Bridge
was built over a hundred years ago
to replace the slow antiquated Fulton Ferry.
Now here we are in the 21st century....
and those dumb asses who got snookered
into ponying up roughly a million dollars
to buy into these "almost Manhattan Towers"
are going way back into history
to depend upon ferry boats as a
dependable means of conveyance to the office.
History does repeat itself!
Calling Mike Fink....king of the river.
Load up them flatboats with commuters
and charge 'em plenty to get across ....
double fees for late night and weekend crossings!
Cavaet emptor !
A fool and his money are soon parted!
Most reasonable and intelligent people find this site to be fairly comical, to put it kindly. Crapper does a good job of finding local interest stories and organizing them here, so I like checking the site to see the local stories, but the opinions expressed by the Crapper and his sycophants are generally not at a level to be taken seriously.
-------
I agree.
I avidly read the Queens weeklies and learn things, I regularly go to Democratic party functions and have fun sitting around with my friends, and finally, as a member of a local community board, I hold opinions as my local elected official suggests I should.
Queens Crap?
Not something to be taken seriously. I do not know a single person that thinks or talks like they do.
Did you forget what happened when Crappy posted items on Curbed? His opinions were largely ridiculed and exposed for inaccuracies.
Whoever things the LIC condo market is down, with unsold units everywhere, just does not have any facts and is spewing nonsense.
Largely ridiculed by the same 2 or 3 Curbed readers who didn't appreciate their feathers being ruffled. They appear to have followed Crappy back to this blog.
The only thing this fellow seems to get upset over is LIC condo owners being made fun of or Bloomberg being made fun of. The rest of the crap that goes on here doesn't seem to phase him in the slightest. Makes it kind of hard to take him seriously.
Hey laughing boy -
this one's been on the market for YEARS and still has multiple unsold units...
Queens Plaza
Yeah, I mean, is this the same sterling, well-researched Curbed site that sees weeks-long flame wars between Arris lovers (who live by railroad tracks, near the whores) and Queens West aficionados (crumbling buildings, near future ghetto)? What a bastion of accuracy and reportage that domain is!
My daily hits pretty much doubled after the Curbed gig and have sustained themselves at that level. So if there were offended souls during my stint there, I really don't care. The truth must really hurt if you are so insistent on changing the view of the majority here that the "new" LIC is neither Queens nor Manhattan but a vapid hole. While I was blogging for Curbed, I received help from a great realtor who sent me LIC content and still submits tips to me from time to time. Lockhart Steele himself said he loved the blog. So it's not just the long-time yabos from the boondocks of Queens who enjoy this site and understand our message. Maybe you should read the content of other anti-overdevelopment blogs (there are many and I have linked to most of them) before you cast your opinion that we're just a bunch of fringe fruitcakes.
The other great thing about the Curbed gig is that the money I earned during my week there was donated to my favorite charity. I am not sure if I mentioned that before.
Speaking of Curbed, check out the comments on this one:
Save Astoria Facebook Group Targets 'Flamboyant Hipsters'
These are the "regulars" showing their true colors. Sad, isn't it? I'll take the witticism and logic of Queens Crappers any day.
And Lockhart seems to agree with the Facebook group that hipsters ruined Astoria! How funny is that?
Hey, here's why Crappy is an important voice. Who do you think brought the Barbara Corcoran paving story to light? Do you think it would have received any attention at all if it were not for this blog? That story was covered on every major site, like Gothamist, Curbed, Outer B, etc. Keep on crapping!
The Queens Plaza building sold 58 units between May 2006 and January 2007, at an average price of over $600 per square foot. That sure doesn't sound like a building that had trouble selling. I keep trying to tell you to check all the facts before you post.
Yes, 58 units by Jan 07, Laughing Boy! And for more than a year-and-a-half, the remaining units have sat unsold and vacant. (Can you say 'project losing money'?) How do you explain an unsold million dollar penthouse? With that great view of the Queensbridge Houses??
Look at what a fan Curbed and its commenters are of this development!
Queens Plaza Update: The 'View' from the Balcony
Looks like Laughing Boy's opinions are largely being ridiculed and exposed for inaccuracies. Whoever thinks the LIC condo market is up, with sold-out buildings everywhere, just does not have any facts and is spewing nonsense. Thanks for setting the record straight, Crapmaster!
You posted an article from a year and a half ago to back up your point? Now you really are making me laugh. The development sold 58 units and has seven remaining. It also raised prices on many of its units during the sales period. If this is your best example of a failing LIC condo market, you are not very convincing.
Actually, if there were people LINED UP AROUND THE BLOCK to look at these condos, and a year and a half later they're still unsold, that reveals a lot about them and the market.
So is "Live Like a Star, Commute Like a Rocket" a marketing slogan aimed at Wall Streeters?
See A Queens native's take on LIC Condos for detailed info on that farce.
Actually, I think the commenters from a year and a half ago accurately described this particular LIC condo and the other construction projects happening in the area. Hopefully, the crappy market for them will keep the LIC-Star building standing. How many of the asses moving in know the history of LIC or care? This building is vital to our history!
Do rockets take the Water Taxi?
this guys posts read like ads. Next he'll be surrounding his comments with marching, flashing ants.
----------------------------------
LIC CONDOS ARE GREAT!!!
LIC CONDOS ARE ARE IN HIGH DEMAND!
LIC CONDOS ARE...
----------------------------------
Come on, fellow, give it a rest already. We're weary of your spiel.
Actually, I believe the Developers Group website is current, listing the many 2-bedroom (i.e. more expensive) units they failed to sell since going public in May 2006. Having 10% of your units in the higher end range unsold after 1 1/2 years is pretty bad and I can't imagine they are turning a profit at this point.
Nobody is jealous of the "Queenscrapper." You have actually gone from being a respected, admired and original website to being a laughing stock full of neo-conservative, isolationist idealogies.
You and your minions are what really is the crap of Queens. If you want to stop overdevelopment keep talking because your mouths and sick thoughts will easily remind people that if you move to Queens you might have to deal with those pathetic losers whom think that they are always right and everyone else is always wrong.
supporting alternative means of mass transit is AWESOME
QUEENS CRAP, you are full of CRAP
You speak with forked tongue
your headline for this article was WRONG.
Proper development includes mass transit.
HYPOCRITICAL OLD TIMERS
The area has the best 1 stop subway access to Manhattan. There is no need for a subsidised ferry for tourists and a couple of waterfront Condo residents.
There are a myriad of bus and subway lines already in LIC. Not sure why we should waste tax money on a boat. The boats stopped being used when the subway and bridges were built for a reason. They're inefficient.
"Proper development includes mass transit."
Really? Well they left that part out of the equation for most of the R4 and R5 zones in Queens...
The New York Water Taxi has been losing money for over a decade. I don't see the point of bailing out an operation that can't turn a profit. how many people can fit on their boats, anyway?
You mean all the booze sold at Water Taxi Beach this past summer didn't make up for the loss of tourist revenue?
Hey, if I recall correctly, Mr. Gioia held meet-and-greets at Water Taxi Beach. So it makes perfect sense that he would want to help out his friends.
I went to water taxi beach once. I got there, said, "this is the most ghetto thing I have ever seen" and went back to my car and drove down to jones.
"if you move to Queens you might have to deal with those pathetic losers whom think that they are always right and everyone else is always wrong."
Sounds more like Mayor Bloomberg.
SI ferry: 4440 passengers per boat
NY Water Taxi: 74 passengers (or 149) per boat
If I am subsidizing anyone, better its the SI ferry. SI has no choice but to take it if they work in Manhattan. The SI Ferry is clearly more efficient.
holy cow a bus or single subway car holds more passengers
Is it true....heh, heh,heh.......
a new "luxury" project just opened its doors in
Hunters Point ?
It's being called the
"ALMOST MANHATTAN TOWERS"....
heh, heh, heh !
Imagine the rap in the sales brochure:
"A perfect location
for those who can't ante up enough income
to afford living on the golden isle.....
we offer buyers our new
ALMOST MANHATTAN luxury condos.
Yes....we apologize that it's in Queens.....
(but really only just a tiny bit over in Queens)....
uh....um...gulp!.....
just across on the other river bank".
Geez.....I'd opt for living
on the Brooklyn waterfront
in one of those converted warehouses
before I'd set foot in western Queens
if I couldn't afford Manhattan!
ANONYMOUS Said:
" ... I avidly read the Queens weeklies and learn things, I regularly go to Democratic party functions and have fun sitting around with my friends, and finally, as a member of a local community board, I hold opinions as my local elected official suggests I should. "
Just in case you never knew the definition of a lickspittle lackey.
This anonymous is obviously an independent thinker. That is, he is free to think and do as "suggested".
And we wonder why corruption festers in this city.
Did Gioia come back from New Hampshire?
Hillary wouldn't keep him? So, she tossed his ass back to us?
"First off, I think that the people that should be stepping up to the plate with wallets open are the developers and condo associations of waterfront property. The developers have sold (or are selling) their luxury units on the basis of convenient access to the city via water taxi. They (and the condo owners themselves) have the most to lose if the water taxi disappears, or (just as bad) becomes a seasonal means of transport. So in terms of direct subsidies to keep the water taxi running all year long, most, if not all of any subsidies should be coming from them." - from a regular water taxi patron
How about this from today's NY Times?
"Mass transit that would pull up to the dock out back was an important “incentive to buy here,” Mr. Schey said of Schaefer Landing, which is on the former site of a Schaefer beer plant.
To lure the water taxis, the developer agreed to make monthly payments to subsidize the service for the residents, said Tom Fox, president of New York Water Taxi. Only about 60 residents regularly ride the boats, and even with the subsidy, their tickets do not cover the rising fuel costs and other expenses, Mr. Fox said."
The developers of Schaefer Landing in Williamsburg are heavily promoting the presence of the Water Taxi. Despite that, only 60 people there use the ferry. Therefore, the city should pay NY Water Taxi because it decided to listen to developers, because god forbid the developer should lose a sale or the residents of this condo should be forced to take the subway. It's quite laughable.
Here's probably why there are only 60 people riding from Schaefer Landing
"There are no Hasidic families living in the 'luxury' portion of the building, not that it would be a problem, but they live in the lower income rental portion of the building, which is a seperate address and entrance totally removed, you can't even tell it's there."
Loved this comment from that Brownstoner post about Schaefer Landing. How about this developer who incorporated Jim Crow accommodations into his building and the racist condo dwellers who seem happy about it?
Wow....61 comments....
and it seems that the only people
that love the yuppies
seem to be themselves!
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