Mayor Bill de Blasio announced expanded ferry service across the five boroughs in his State of the City address Tuesday, saying the rides will improve transportation as the city continues to grow.
The new ferry routes include Astoria, southern Brooklyn, the Lower East Side, Soundview in The Bronx and Rockaway Beach — and will cost the same amount as a subway ride, he announced.
The ferries will be run and funded by the city, and are expected to begin in 2017, a source said.
The mayor's office said the ferry expansion — which was first reported by DNAinfo New York Tuesday morning — was a way to accommodate the city's growing population.
It will cost $55 million, with plans to expand to Coney Island and Stapleton in Staten Island once more money is secured, the city said.
The city had already announced plans last November for a dock at the Astoria Cove development, which will be funded by the mayor's office, the Queens Borough President Melinda Katz's office and City Councilman Costa Constantinides.
Meanwhile, Peter Koo and Paul Vallone want some ferry love thrown their way.
18 comments:
This is a bullshit form of transportation - it would require billions to bring transit connections to the waterfront, besides, who wants to freeze their ass off over water.
Very expensive to run a service for boats that carry a small number of people.
Also, only makes sense to provide service to the tower people - so we have a system that handles the elite which will be subsidized by you and me.
Think of this on your next crowded train ride.
They must be desperate.
"You can always take a ferry."
"Ah no, I don't want to go with one of those guys!"
- Burns and Schreiber
Isn't nyc water polluted enough? Do we really need to add to more filth in the water? And this time it will be the filth that walks and talks (not in English)
Well,suddenly rockaway gets their service restored. I was under the impression that it was useless after Mayor Big Slow's delay in getting to the memorial last fall.I fret to think of the gentrification that has yet to consume there,assuming this is why they got their boat back.
And look how fast the beloved astoria cove got this.
It's good that this is happening though,and there should be fares because this will cost a lot as anon 1 mentioned.
another thing that might help if people would stop moving here.but that's the plan for the city's future.only a two class system-one for oligarchs and the other for serfs as the people in the middle can no longer afford it or can't tolerate it anymore.
if there is a middle class,since I think a middle class job in this town is a food delivery biker.
How do you get to the ferry? The well-off residents living in expensive apartments align the shore front can walk. What about those who live further in, you know, the lower income earners? Will Bill provide transportation for them to access the ferry? Will they be part of his all-inclusive NYC? Or is his tale of two cities just a dream?
Ferries are a money loser. For the city to absorb the losses is a subsidy to the wealthy and lucky few who live and work near ferry terminals.
Sure! When the waterways ice up in winter they will be very dependable...not to mention a prime terrorist soft target.
Those hipsters living in LIC already think enough of themse lives to be able to walk on water or part the East River like Moses did with the Red Sea. Just give them a tax abatement to purchase water wings if they chose to swim. Van Bramer can teach them to dog paddle.
From the old "Match Game" TV show:
Charles Nelson Reilly: "I'm an expert on maritime terminology because I once rode the Staten Island Ferry."
Richard Dawson (off camera): "I thought you were the Staten Island Fairy."
Why not a ferry from Fort Totten?
Relax...Der Mayor Vilhelm will be gone soon and so will his crackpot half baked ideas. He's just postulating for his second term which won't happen. He slipped on a mossy bank and got his own dick stuck up his own butt instead of the voters he has gravely disappointed.
Will the ferries "dock" on 37th Avenue and 74th Street?
In the 1960s there was once a ferry running, I believe, from La Harve (Beechurst) to Manhattan. It , maybe, lasted for a year or two. In the olde daze you had to promise your girl an engagement ring before she'd let you get into her knickers. Today any politician has access to your butt if you are dumb enough to turn your back on him.
LOL! Did Bill say ferries or fairies. I'm for gay rights...or whatever floats your boat William.
File the ferries with the LaGuardia Cuomo subway connector under "press conference bullshit that will not happen in your lifetime but gets on the 6 o'clock news".
Ferries have a cost per passenger mile comparable to express buses. If you are serving long trips taken by those who live near the water, they aren't inappropriate.
The question is are the people commuting from the rockaways or Soundview to Manhattan more important than the ones making more local trips? Even if you are paying for the project out of funds that would have gone to other projects in those areas, is it a worthwhile expenditure?
During the peak month you had something like 1300 riders per day on the rockaway ferry. The 500k per month subsidy it needed would buy several new buses to increase local service. Or run more buses to Brooklyn or the rest of Queens for slightly longer trips. In either case you could probably serve more trips. Why are they less important?
Ferries take too long, and let you off blocks from where you want to be. They are Disney rides-- not mass transit.
the average commuter can't afford it
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